Five ideas for celebrating International HR Day 2023
May 20 is International HR Day, which is all about recognizing and celebrating the value and positive impact of HR on the business and its people. According to the European Association for People Management, the theme for International HR Day 2023 is "Shaping the New Future." This theme points to the role of HR as a driving force in shaping a future of work that is more inclusive, accepting and sustainable.
Celebrating International Human Resources Day also means focusing on how you, as an HR professional, can take care of yourself and acquire the skills you need to succeed now and in the future. Here are five suggestions on how you can do that:
Idea 1: Communicate HR’s value to the organization & key stakeholders
One of the best ways to celebrate International HR Day is to shine the spotlight on all the values that you and your HR team bring to your organization. To make it easy for everyone to understand, you can use the HR value chain tool. It is a three-step process that focuses on the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of HRM activities. The HR value chain tool will give all of your stakeholders a clear picture of how HR contributes to organizational goals.
On top of this, you can share success stories and key metrics to demonstrate HR’s impact. Tell people about your new learning program that boosted your training ROI. Or how the recruitment team significantly cut down on time-to-hire using asynchronous interviews.
Idea 2: Reflect on personal achievements
Think back on everything that you have accomplished in the past year. This can be achievements related to your personal development, or career growth, or networking — basically, anything that you have achieved as an HR professional in the past 12 months.
Perhaps you completed a new HR certification program, or you got a promotion. Or perhaps you have learned everything that you could have learned in your old role and decided that it was time to switch to a different track. Any achievements are worth celebrating, and you don’t have to limit yourself to what society deems successful to feel proud of what you accomplished.
Idea 3: Take time to practice well-being for HR
Self-care is, without a doubt, one of the most important skills for you as an HR professional. Let’s face it: you’re under a lot of pressure. From dealing with unpredictable labor markets to fast-changing employee expectations, it probably feels like you’re constantly in crisis mode.
And while this might be the push HR needs to innovate and grow faster than ever before, it also means that you need to be more intentional than ever about taking care of your well-being. Because you can only help your organization and people to flourish when you’re in the best possible shape.
Here are some tips to help you manage stress and burnout:
- Recognize that you need help and support
- Establish healthy boundaries
- Understand what stresses you out
- Find your own HR community
Idea 4: Connect with other HR professionals
Humans are social creatures. We crave connections, and it’s something that is not limited to just your personal life. As an HR professional, or a professional in any other field, it’s always nice to connect with your peers to share best practices and insights. The best way to do this is by joining online HR communities where you can get in touch with thousands or even millions of other HR professionals around the world.
For example, the Evil HR Lady Facebook Group provides a safe space for almost 30,000 global HR professionals to seek advice, celebrate successes, and share stories about issues they might have working in HR. Hacking HR is all about HR innovation, the future of work, and people transformation. In the community, you can discuss the latest HR topics, share your thoughts and ideas with other like-minded peers, and join regular live events.
Idea 5: Keep learning and stay up-to-date with the latest HR trends
The best gift that you can give to yourself on International HR Day or every other day of the year is investing in your development. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the past couple of years, it’s that our business environment is highly volatile and unpredictable. As such, upskilling is the only way for you to ensure that you will be successful, no matter what might happen in the future.
So keeping up with HR trends and industry updates is also highly valuable not only for your company, but also for your own professional development. As time passes and technology advances, factors such as market climate, employee expectations, and industry practices will also change — sometimes at a very rapid pace. These changes have a profound impact on our ways of working and organizational operations.
On an individual level, these changes will also determine the skills and knowledge that you need to succeed as an HR professional. As such, keeping up with HR trends and industry updates will help you anticipate the capabilities you need to develop to remain competitive in the job market.
Feel free to also take a look at our current events and free webinars on current trends for HR and corporate learning.
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