New Year, New Peers – Join an HR Network!
Getting involved in an HR network is a great way to keep up with the ever-evolving field of HR while sharing best practices and learning from the experiences of other HR professionals. Below are some tips on how to make an HR network work for you:
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- Decide what you want to gain from an HR network. Are you looking for general support from those who are in similar positions? Are you looking to improve a particular practice? Are you looking for new ideas to incorporate at your company?
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- Do your research and ask questions to identify a network that provides what you’re looking to gain.
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- Make time to attend the sessions. Even though your to-do list may be long, it is important to make time to connect with others as they may inspire some time-saving strategies.
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- Attend each session with at least one objective of what you want to gain. Be prepared to ask questions and explain your situation so others can understand the full picture before they provide feedback and suggestions.
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- Be prepared to contribute to the discussion by sharing your knowledge and experiences. Even negative or “learning” experiences are valuable (you can use the alias of “a ‘friend of mine’ did X and was not successful”) as they can alert others of what to avoid.
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- Take advantage of the opportunity to use the network roster to connect with others outside the sessions. Participants signed up for the network with the intention of connecting with other HR professionals.
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- As many networks meet virtually for the unforeseeable future, consider establishing the means to join using a camera and microphone to create a meeting environment comparable to in-person.
If you are interested in benefiting from an HR network and your company is a Corporate or Partner member of Greater Rochester Chamber, consider joining one of our HR Forums. Two of the forums, the 2022 Benefits Forum and the 2022 HR Professional Forum, are still open for registration. For details including meeting dates, or to register for either of these two forums, click here to download the flyer.
The other two forums we offer, Sr. HR Executive Forum for Large Companies and Sr. HR Executive Forum for Small Companies, started last October and will be open for registration again in August 2022. Click here to request to be added to the notification list or contact Kathy Richmond with questions.
Our HR forums have been in place for many years and continue to be a valuable resource to HR professionals. Click here to learn more about each individual forum or contact Jennifer Suppé at (585) 256-4608 with questions.