The HR Carnival – Summertime Edition

When HR professionals emerge from the cocoon of their offices and take in a lungful of sweet summer air, you know that change is on the horizon. With sunbeams cascading on their table-seated faces, they bask in the glow of the glory that is the late June edition of the HR Carnival. And like every carnival that’s come before, HR applauds the hard work and musings of a peer-based group of writers who stomp the status quo into oblivion with their flip-flops.

If you don’t know or follow these writers, you’re missing out on some of the best original content in the market. Don your shades, lather yourself with SPF and let’s take in the insight that only HR bloggers can provide. It will warm you with the knowledge that somehow, somewhere, someone has walked a mile in your sand-filled shoes:

• Mervyn Dinnen throws stones into the recruiting ocean and asks, Is your recruitment partner damaging your bottom line?
• Mike VanDervort’s sandcastle bridges the moat to his wife’s success in, Networking: It’s a small world after all
• Amit Bagria tackles waves of incentives with, What are the different categories of reward and recognition programs?
• Susan M. Heathfield covers up in, Documentation Dilemma, CYA or… ?
• Justin Field judges your surf skills with, Have you done your performance review yet?
• Lois Melbourne plays beach soccer and asks, How talent management is like the World Cup?
• Mark Vickers peers across oceans and describes Four key challenges for developing global leaders.
• Gireesh Sharma casts a line and questions whether Employers can be bad and still attract candidates.
• Mike Haberman recognizes the arrival of summer yet challenges the Value of vacations.
• Cathy Missildine-Martin scans the horizon with, Who values you most at work?
• Tanmay Vora faces the big waves in, Survival mindset, abundance and leadership.
• Melissa Prusher peers through clear blue waters with, Transparent communication.
• Ben Eubanks patrols the beach and offers An open letter to HR on policies, regulating and training.
• Lisa Rosendahl collects the shiniest shells in, How to make exceptional staffing decisions.
• Paul Smith chops up driftwood with, A tool by any other name.
• Laura Schroeder lifeguards your talent in, Are high performers the worst managers?
• Gautum Ghosh goes deep in, What does social CRM, enterprise 2.0 mean for hr and work?
• Lance Haun leaves terra firma behind with, Social media isn’t rocket science.

Dolphin break. Why? Because they’re smart and cool, just like certain HR peeps such as these writers:

• Dan McCarthy schools alpha fish in, Establishing a culture of distributed leadership.
• Melanie Sklarz questions your respect for the oceanic diversity with, Does your workplace really need sensitivity training?
• Wally Bock shares a fireside story with the classic, Once upon a time.
• Shauna Moerke body surfs through technical waves in, When it’s this easy…
• Jennifer V. Miller pushes against the current with, Game-changers welcome resistance.
• Benjamin McCall grabs his bucket and offers, How to make a sand pillow.
• John Hunter burns a little by asking, Are “classic” management theories still relevant?
• Naomi Bloom dives for treasure with, Sunk costs versus innovation.

As you soak up the sun this June take time to thank those who stole from their precious vacations to author some of the brightest content in the market. And if you have thoughts, comments or summertime stories, share them in the comments section below and let’s keep the (sunny) conversation going.