By Tony Deblauwe
The HR role can be very
tough. You have the HR team and your clients coming at you from all angles to
raise, or resolve issues. Not to mention the endless projects and policy stuff
that can bog you down operationally. After a while, it becomes difficult to be
everyone else’s coach and decision maker. Sometimes, you need someone to turn
to.
HR professionals are employees
too, and every employee needs to vent occasionally. However, as an HR employee,
you don’t usually get to express your opinions at work. Social networking within your
company can be difficult. You have to monitor your conversations carefully so you
don’t accidentally
divulge sensitive information. You must also build a reputation for not “playing
favorites”. This tends to curtail friendly, supportive interaction between HR staff
and workers in other departments.
So, where can you go when
you feel the urge to gripe, gossip, or just get help with handling a tough
situation? If your company has an employee
assistance program, you can always call the hotline to talk about work
related stress. A Human Resource consulting firm can counsel you on specific
issues (if you have the money
to pay for it). Friends and family members can be a big help if they aren’t
too busy dealing with their own problems.
A New Alternative
If none of those options
sound appealing, online social networking may offer a better solution for you. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics
projects that by the time 2016 rolls around there will be over 1 million HR
managers and specialists employed in the U.S. That’s a pretty big pool of
people to network with. LinkedIn alone
currently features over 500 professional HR groups.
HR Online Forums
Message boards and forums
are great places to go when you need to talk about the challenges of working in
HR. Let’s look at a couple of the best free options for social networking:
·
HRM Today - This site has a main forum, groups
that focus on specific topics, and a full roster of bloggers. There are plenty
of opportunities for discussion. The forum is pretty active in terms of new
posts, but the comments section is a little sparse. Much of the actual
interaction takes place between members who comment directly on each other’s
profiles (a lot like Facebook).
·
World At
Work - This is the hot spot for real back and forth group discussions. Plenty
of new posts and responses are posted every day. Compensation, Benefits, and
Work-Life are the three basic categories, but you can post on any topic you wish.
This is a great place to brainstorm with other HR professionals and find creative
ways to solve your problems.
Tips For Social Networking
1.
Feel free to
talk about “hypothetical situations” online. Use appropriate
forum posting etiquette. Just don’t give out any details that could
identify your company or specific individuals in any of your discussions.
2.
Set up one professional
profile to promote yourself and a pseudonymous one that will allow you a
little more freedom of expression.
3.
Remember that your
boss
may read everything you post (especially if you do this from work). Keep all
your interactions professional.
4.
Online forums
are not the place to chat about serious legal issues. If you are experiencing harassment or
discrimination, contact a lawyer. Willful, ongoing violations by your employer should
be reported to the appropriate government agency (DOL,
DOJ, IRS,
DHS, OSHA).
At the end of the day, the outlets for HR beyond close professional
contacts or networks outside work are few and far between. The stress is always
there and in most cases, HR folks make the best of it.
Remember that effective
social networking offers some advantages to working through issues or finding
others who can connect with you on similar workplace challenges. Just don’t
feel alone to the point you withdraw or explode. Take a cue from those you help
- don’t be afraid to ask for help, be aware of your
stress levels, and if you need to take a break, take it.
