Learn, Grow, and Empower Yourself With These 35+ Digital HR Resources

HR pros wear a lot of hats. Whether you’re a seasoned expert or relatively new to the field, you have one thing in common: You have an arsenal of HR tools and resources to lean on as you navigate the wearing of all those hats.

Whether you’re in the process of hiring new talent, looking for creative ways to increase employee engagement, or just want to explore new areas of HR, you can find the HR resources you need in this post. We’ll dive into digital HR resources from thought leaders in the HR space, professional HR organizations, and even our own helpful content.

And because we know you’re busy—we’re focusing on digital, read-it-on-your-phone, listen-at-the-grocery store resources.

The 4 Best HR Handbook Examples

How to Start a Social Recruiting Program! How to Approach a Tough Conversation at Work! These are just some of the questions tackled in the HR handbooks listed below. If you have a question, it’s likely that there’s an HR handbook out there that can answer it.

BambooHR Definitive Guides

At BambooHR, we have a unique look into challenges that HR pros face every day. Through data analysis and market research, we’ve assembled a series of definitive guides covering topics like people analytics, onboarding, performance management, and company culture. These definitive guides serve as a great place to start when first diving into these topics or considering making a change to how you currently manage them.

How-To Guides From SHRM

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has just about every HR tool you’ll need to be successful in HR, including a great selection of how-to guides. If you want to learn how to develop a job description or how to target passive job seekers, you’ll find it here.

How-To Guides From HR Bartender

The HR Bartender provides several how-to guides geared towards help for everyday workplace issues. In these guides, you’ll see advice on things like how to fire an employee or how to work with people you don’t like—sensitive issues we could all use a guiding hand on.

Homebase HR Guides

At Homebase, you can find HR resources in the form of checklists, guides, and forms. These resources cover topics like job descriptions, hiring guides, worker’s compensation forms, and state withholding forms—practical pieces of the job that you’ll need to handle in a timely, accurate manner.

7 HR Ebooks to Guide You On Your HR Journey

If you’re at the beginning of your HR journey, we can’t recommend HR ebooks enough. They’ll offer helpful, comprehensive looks at the day-to-day realities of the role. Even better: You can find most ebooks for free. We did some searching and rounded up a list of the best HR ebooks.

The BambooHR Content Library

Here, you’ll find some great downloadable (and free!) HR ebooks written by our team, with contributions from our amazing partners. And you won’t just find ebooks—there are whitepapers, infographics, and other HR resources. Some highlights include:

• 7 Drivers of Employee Engagement
• How to Make Employees Feel Valued at Work
• 5 Surefire Ways to Set Goals That Get Results

Human Resource Management

In this HR resource, you’ll find information about the various elements that make up HR management. You’ll learn about everything from motivation and employee counseling to health and safety in the workplace.

The Call For a More Strategic HR

Harvard Business Review presents The Call For a More Strategic HR: How Its Leaders are Stepping Up to the Plate. Read up on business leaders who are upping their talent game and about the future of HR processes.

Talent Management: A Focus on Excellence

The HR landscape is ever-changing. If you want to stay up-to-date and on top of your game, this ebook is a must-read. It will teach you how to leverage attitude and motivation to get the most out of your people.

Human Resources: A Practical Guide

In this ebook, written by two experienced HR generalists and bloggers, you’ll find straightforward HR advice on a broad range of issues, from technical topics like data management to classic advice on topics like how to compassionately manage employees who are having problems at home.

How to Deal With Staff Who Can’t or Won’t Perform

No matter the organization or leadership of a company, there will be a time when you encounter employees who can’t or won’t do their job. This ebook offers advice on how to best address and deal with these situations.

Bookboon HR eBooks

Here, you’ll find a list of more HR ebooks you can download for free. You can even download them all at once for days of offline reading. (Perfect if you’re headed on a vacation!)

The 4 Best Resources for HR Webinars

For quick hits of HR knowledge, HR webinars are the way to go. They usually span anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours and go in-depth on one topic. Here are some of our favorite places to access HR webinars:

The BambooHR Webinar Library

Our ever-expanding library features 120+ webinars with topics ranging from hiring for diversity to communicating about compensation. For our HR webinars, we partner with thought leaders in the industry, representatives from our Marketplace partners, and more to bring you the most well-rounded view on HR topics.

HR.com Webinar Library

HR.com regularly hosts live webinars with experts across the industry to help you learn from real situations from people who have been in your shoes.

SHRM Webinar Library

You can always count on SHRM to stay on top of the latest HR trends. Their webinars cover the most timely information—like how you can leverage ChatGPT as an HR pro or workforce attitudes toward mental health.

Bonus: You can earn recertification credits through SHRM’s HR webinars.

HCI Live Webcasts

Another great way to earn recertification credits? Double down on webinars with HCI’s robust HR webinar library. Their webinar content covers standard HR challenges, as well as on-trend topics that may be coming up in conversation with your team.

5 HR Courses & Certifications to Provide Solid HR Foundations

If you’re looking to grow in your career, HR courses and certifications are some of the best professional development tools available. There are several online options, making these courses and HR certifications easily accessible and convenient.

One note about online HR courses: Most have associated fees ranging from $149 per course to $6,000 per program.

SHRM HR Certification

For a universally recognizable program, look to SHRM. SHRM sets the standard when it comes to HR knowledge, and they offer two types of HR certifications: SHRM-CP for an entry-level certification and SHRM-SCP for those in more strategic-level roles.

» Learn More: Everything You Need to Know About SHRM Certification

Human Capital Institute HR Certification

For another industry-recognized certification, HCI offers up HR courses and certifications covering everything from people analytics to diversity, equity, & inclusion.

eCornell Human Resources Certificate Program

Get an Ivy League education without ever leaving your house. Through the Cornell HR Certificate Program, you’ll learn from leading academic researchers through real-world application.

Udemy Paid HR Courses

For the widest selection of HR courses, Udemy can’t be beat. They have 1,254 HR courses available, covering a wide range of topics—for both newly minted HR professionals and seasoned experts. Most courses here cost anywhere from $15 to $150.

Udemy Free HR Courses

One of the best features of Udemy? They have a selection of free HR courses you can access when you’ve got big development goals on a small budget.

6 HR Templates to Increase Efficiency

In the HR world, there are schedules, lists, and plans you need to keep organized—that’s why we make data management a priority in BambooHR. But trying to create your own templates for everything you want to organize would take forever. We’ve found a few great HR templates you can download and use on your own.

Onboarding Checklist Template

A great onboarding process helps new hires feel supported from day one. But when you’re focusing on paperwork, you can lose sight of the human behind the onboarding process. BambooHR’s free Onboarding Checklist Template is a customizable tool created with the intent of streamlining your onboarding process so you can spend those precious first days getting to know your new hires.

Open Enrollment Communications Plan

You know better than anyone how many moving parts are involved in open enrollment. With our Open Enrollment Communications Plan, we’re setting you up for success through communication timelines, email templates, open enrollment FAQs, and more.

Excel HR Templates

Trying to remember employee time sheets, training plans, vacation schedules, and work schedules all in your head won’t cut it when you have a lot of people working for you. Smartsheet took on some of that load for you and created easy-to-use, downloadable templates.

Personnel, Employment, and HR Forms

Take a look at nearly 50 HR forms and templates that will make your everyday life a little easier. Download the employee information sheet or the exit interview form to save you from making your own sheet.

SHRM Spreadsheets & Calculators

SHRM has HR checklist examples that’ll help you cross your T’s and dot your I’s.

HR Reporting Slides Templates

Data is essential when it comes to tracking HR initiatives and their impact on the business, but your data should convey the human story behind the numbers. Through this free, customizable HR presentation template, we’re helping you present your numbers in a way that will make HR shine.

The 2 Best HR Toolkit Examples for Centralized HR Knowledge

An HR toolkit takes guides, forms, templates, and more and combines them into one centralized source. For those who are just getting started on building their HR processes, an HR toolkit can be a great place to start.

HR Resources Toolkit for Business Owners From When I Work

When I Work created a toolkit for business owners that includes a variety of HR forms, checklists, templates, and best practices designed to help manage your employees.

Bonus: You can download the entire toolkit in one click.

HR Toolkit From SHRM

SHRM, of course, has great human resources tools to reference and use at your organization. Visit the link to find over 140 HR toolkits, some for specific topics and others for general HR.

Note: You do have to be a SHRM member to access an HR toolkit from them.

4 HR Blogs & Websites to Learn from Industry Experts

HR admins are great communicators, and as a result, there are thousands of blogs and websites devoted to the industry. Where resources like HR templates and toolkits guide you on the more tactical parts of the HR role, HR blogs are a great resource for thought leadership and put a heavy focus on the human element of the role.

HRZone

HRZone offers advice, guidance, and opinions on everything HR. They cover a wide range of topics and are a valuable resource whether trying to answer a specific question or expand your HR knowledge.

HR Articles From Inc.com

Inc.com is a go-to in the business world, so it’s no surprise they would cover HR topics. After all, HR is critical to the success of any business. Some of our favorites include articles on employee retention in changing landscapes and tips on salary negotiations.

Bonusly Blog

For insights into culture and employee engagement, take a look at the content created by our friends at Bonusly. As a platform dedicated to building cultures of appreciation, they have a unique understanding of all things employee experience.

Checkr Blog

Look to Checkr for a comprehensive understanding of everything involved in recruiting and hiring. Their blog can help you navigate things like criminal record clearance laws and how to read a background check.

6 HR Podcasts to Tune Into—Anytime, Anywhere

Don’t you love living in the age of the podcast? Plug in some headphones, and you can practice professional development while exercising, driving, or doing the dishes. Here are a few of our favorite HR podcasts—some hosted by individual thought leaders in the industry and some backed by trusted organizations like SHRM.

HR Unplugged

In HR Unplugged, BambooHR’s own Anita Grantham talks candidly about tough topics and big HR questions. As a seasoned HR leader, Anita’s goal is simple: to help you help your people.

The Era

Hosted by BambooHR CEO, Brad Rencher, The Era focuses in on the employee experience. Brad welcomes guests across industries and roles (yes, even non-HR roles!) to provide a well-rounded look at employee experience from all corners of an organization.

Honest HR by SHRM

Honest HR is hosted by a variety of SHRM employees, and they cover topics ranging from managing employees who call out to HR mentorship.

Bonus: You can even get SHRM recertification credits when you tune in.

Quirky HR

Hosted by HR consultant, Dana Dowdell, Quirky HR dives into the messy (and sometimes irreverent) realities of working in HR—no holds barred.

Future of HR

The Future of HR podcast was created with one goal in mind: building up and empowering the next generation of HR leaders. Hosted by JP Elliott, who has served as an HR leader at companies like McAfee, DICK’s Sporting Goods, and Lenovo, each episode of the podcast is spent talking with leaders across the HR industry.

HR Works

Created by the minds behind HR Daily Advisor, HR Works provides insightful interviews with experts in the field to help you gain clear, actionable insights on the most pressing HR issues.