Five top books for HR teams

 Human resources (HR) professionals have a lot of responsibility. They play a vital role in recruiting, developing, and supporting employees – and maintaining morale.

 

This is particularly important in the charity sector as enthusiastic and motivated staff can help organisations to thrive and fulfil their missions.

 

So, it’s important that HR professionals expand their knowledge and build upon existing skills. Whether you’re an experienced HR professional or new to the profession, reading is a great way to support and continue your learning.

 

For managers and leaders who work in organisations without an HR function, reading on the topic is also important. Here are our top HR reads.

 

 

Book to help motivate employees

 

Performance Management from the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, will help you to learn how to develop an effective performance management strategy, and put it into practice and measure it.

 

Performance Management can help to develop employees who are motivated and support an organisation’s values and mission.

 

The book show readers how to get the best out of staff and achieve positive outcomes for their organisation. It includes topics such as setting objectives, how to give feedback, measuring someone’s performance, and what to do if someone is underperforming.

 

The CIPD sells other books in its online shop, including setting up a mentor programme to develop and retain staff, and managing change.

 

 

Book to help manage flexible working

 

This book is for leaders and managers of organisations which want to adopt a formal strategy on flexible working. You may offer flexible working at your charity but perhaps you don’t have any policies in place. Flexible Working – published by the Directory of Social Change – will help you to put a proper plan in place for your organisation.

 

The book looks at:

• Different types of flexible arrangements 
• How to create a flexible working policy
• How to make sure you’re complying with legislation

Flexible Working is part of the Directory of Social Changes’ Speed Read series. The series includes topics such as Inductions, Motivating staff and age discrimination.

 

 

Book to support new HR leaders

 

The CIPD recommends The new HR leader’s first 100 days for HR professionals who are about to start a leadership role or those who want to do this role in the future.

 

Author Alan Collins, who led HR teams for companies such as Quaker Oats and PepsiCo, provides readers with a plan to follow during the first few months of a senior HR role. He says that this will help people to feel confident to make decisions and take control.

 

 

Book to change your approach to HR

 

HR disrupted: It’s time for something different aims to help organisations to rethink their approach to HR. The author, Lucy Adams, says the way we work has changed and that HR needed to be modernised. Adams is the CEO of an agency called Disruptive HR, which was set up to support HR and senior leaders to adapt their HR functions.

 

The book explains why HR professionals should make changes to their organisation’s HR and gives strategies to make these changes. Adams has also written The HR change toolkit: Your complete guide to making it happen. This book shows HR professionals how to go about making changes to their organisation’s HR.

 

 

Book for greater awareness of burnout

 

It’s important for HR professionals to understand burnout and how it affects people. Research from an HR platform called MHR, published in January 2024, shows that HR professionals are experiencing burnout. Plus, recent research from the charity Mental Health UK found that one in five workers needed to take time off work due to stress in the past year.

 

Clinical psychologist Claire Plumbly has written Burnout, which looks at the nervous system and how nervous responses build up over time. This can lead to burnout. When someone is experiencing burnout, it reduces their ability to think rationally. They may find it hard to make decisions, solve problems, set boundaries and rest.

 

If you want to read more HR articles on Charity Digital, have a look at HR 101: The basic principles and How to handle a grievance from an employee. Also, see our top book lists for charity leaders, communications professionals, fundraisers and trustees.