Top 16 HR podcasts – and how to get the most from them
HR podcasts are an elixir of sorts for busy HR professionals.
You can learn, laugh, reflect and prepare for what’s next in your industry — almost magically while you’re going about other business.
Many HR pros have already found the lure of podcasts — even if just for personal interests. In fact, nearly 45% of Americans have listened to a podcast in the past month, a number that has grown steadily since the dawn of podcasts, according to data from the Pew Research.
Benefits of HR podcasts
Fortunately for HR pros, podcasters produce great content for our industry. They give you insight, data and practical tools to do your job better.
Here are 16 top HR podcasts out there these days. Plus, we’ve included a quick guide on how to get the most out of these — or any podcast you listen to for edutainment purposes.
1. Voices of HR
What makes it great: Host Berta Aldrich has a knack for capturing unique perspectives, uncovering new research and finding behind-the-scenes stories HR pros can use to strengthen people strategy and culture.
Details: Voices of HR teases out what works and what doesn’t in human resources, people strategy, corporate culture and beyond, using candid conversations with an eclectic group of HR practitioners, thought leaders and C-suite executives.
2. HR Break Room
What makes it great: Paycom does a creative job of taking real-world experiences and celebrity insight — from the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour and Jim Thorpe — and making them practical and transferrable for HR professionals.
Details: HR Breakroom is built on “friends working in human resources,” with the idea of being the catalyst for break room conversations. It includes the latest buzz surrounding HR and HR tech, one cup of coffee at a time. Host Morgan Beard brings together industry experts to talk about “brewing” trends and robust solutions that answer HR challenges.
3. HR[preneur]
What makes it great: Episodes are just 10 to 15 minutes long, but the host effectively hits on critical points and practical advice.
Details: HR{preneur} talks with industry experts on small business workplace issues such as managing remote employees, nepotism in family businesses, handling difficult employees, securing funding and managing stress.
4. How We Work
What makes it great: Many of the expert guests share struggles they faced in the areas of managing people — and how they overcame those, making the issues and solutions relatable for anyone listening.
Details: Workhuman’s How We Work‘s hosts tackle tough topics around cultivating and maintaining strong organizational cultures. They talk with pioneering CHROs and business leaders who share stories and what they’ve learned in workplaces that have changed forever.
5. Good Morning, HR
Details: Good Morning, HR talks with business thought leaders about the strategic, psychological, legal and practical implications of bringing people together and create value for everyone involved — employees, employers, shareholders, customers and their community.
What makes it great: Host Mike Coffey does things differently. Here’s what my colleague who recommended this podcast said about it: “They explore really fun topics — namely, one about marijuana in the workplace (titled “Mary Jane Gets a Job” lol) and one about the implications of psychedelics like ketamine therapy on the workplace. It’s all stuff you wouldn’t expect in a traditional HR podcast. Love it!”
6. HR Happy Hour
Details: The HR Happy Hour Media Network is actually a group of HR-related podcasts that break down the intricacies of the HR industry.
What makes it great: Who doesn’t love a happy hour? OK, this one doesn’t come with cocktails, but the hosts mix up a nice variety of topics, experts and advice. They’re separated into these shows: At Work in America, The Workplace Minute, WORK BREAK vlog, The Play by Play, Inclusion Crusade, WorkTech, Radical Research, and HR Means Business.
7. People Managing People
Details: The People Managing People podcast is geared toward people managers and culture creators. Host Becca Banyard is on a mission to help leaders build lasting organizations. She talks to professionals to find tips, tricks and tools to help listeners recruit, retain and manage people.
What makes it great: This feel-good podcast gives lessons on how to create happy, healthy and productive workplaces in just 30 minutes.
8. Worklife
Details: Once called the “Porsche of podcasts,” Worklife gets inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to discover the keys to a better work life.
What makes it great: Built on the philosophy that “You spend a quarter of your life at work. You should enjoy it!,” Host Adam Grant touches on things you never thought anyone would — such as learning how to love your rivals and harnessing the power of frustration.
9. HR Sound Off
Details: HR Sound Off is produced to help HR professionals connect and share their experiences. They discuss current events and the hottest HR trends, plus personal stories and inside secrets guests use to make their day-to-day work life easier.
What makes it great: Host Julie Turney is very specific about what you’ll get out of her podcast:
- The guest’s HR origin story
- Shared resources the guest thinks you’ll need and enjoy, and
- One misconception people have about the HR profession that drives us crazy!
10. DriveThru HR
Details: DriveThruHR is an easy-to-digest — 30 minutes or fewer per episode — lunchtime discourse that covers HR such as topics technology, recruiting, talent management, leadership, culture and strategy.
What makes it great: Hosts Mike VanDervort, Robin Schooling and Crystal Miller Lay, admit that episodes are occasionally irreverent, which makes you come back to find out which ones are!
11. Nine to Thrive
Details: A variety of experts host HCI’s Nine to Thrive podcast, covering a range of topics such as creating a culture of internal mobility, the evolution of work, talent acquisition, analytics, engagement, retention, development and HR’s place in wider business strategy.
What makes it great: As one reviewer puts it, “Guests share inspiring and actionable lessons on how to succeed as a leader in business, HR and life.” So if you don’t find an HR lesson, you’ll find a leadership or life one in each episode.
12. HR Social Hour Half Hour
Details: Jon & Wendy’s HR Social Hour Half Hour takes a turn from the traditional day-to-day operational podcasts. They focus on talking with other practitioners about connecting, giving back and building networks.
What makes it great: Now a library of more than 300 episodes, you can access the evergreen topics any time for almost any subject.
13. Talent Culture #WorkTrends
Details: Talent Culture’s #WorkTrends is a podcast and Twitter chat where leading HR experts, practitioners and tech vendors discuss what inspires them and where the industry is headed.
What makes it great: Host Meghan Biro talks about how work is changing so listeners stay current on emerging trends and challenges.
14. HR Party of One
Details: HR Party of One is a YouTube series and HR podcast aimed at uncovering and understanding the vital issues faced by HR teams and business leaders. This podcast also covers evolving HR trends and most common HR topics.
What makes it great: Most episodes are compacted into about 10 minutes — just enough to take new HR pros through processes and protocols, plus introduce all HR pros to new and emerging trends.
15. Punk Rock HR
Details: Laurie Ruettimann’s podcast Punk Rock HR goes beyond typical HR topics, encouraging people to take charge of their careers and be advocates of change, rather than just go through the workday motions. She talks with thinkers, writers and experts on work realities.
What makes it great: The host tries to showcase how the work world is broken — and explores with her guests the ways organizations can become better employers and leaders.
16. Transform Your Workplace
Details: The Transform Your Workplace Podcast focuses on what you need to build a great workplace. It covers topics ranging from basic HR, communication and culture to business growth, leadership and workplace trends.
What makes it great: Host Jim Loehr brings in industry experts, thought-leaders and entrepreneurs to cover the most pressing and timely topics.
5 tips to get the most out of podcasts
Regardless of the podcast or episodes you choose, you don’t want to waste any time. You want to take away useful, timely information that you can put into action almost immediately.
And that won’t happen if you listen passively.
Here are five tips to get the most out of podcasts whether you listen for work, pleasure or both:
- Pick the right time. Listen to podcasts when you aren’t doing something that’s mentally taxing — for instance, while taking a walk, commuting or moving files. Too much mental multi-tasking and you won’t retain information.
- Know what you need. When I first started as a journalist many moons ago, I filled pages upon pages of notes from sources (newsmakers, conference speakers, practitioners, etc.) And then I’d scour all that for a few gems I needed for the story. Now I think about what I need before I listen or interview and I pay close attention just for the information that’s pertinent to that. Same goes for anyone listening to a podcast: Know what you need to get out of it, so you don’t lose time on what’s not relevant.
- Be prepared to take notes. Have a notepad and pen or a device handy to take detailed notes on things you can put into action now. If you hear something that might be useful, note the time stamp and make a brief note on the topic and why you might go back to it another day.
- Be ready to skip it. Be willing to skip episodes or sections if they don’t pertain to or interest you. Listening to and learning from podcasts shouldn’t be a chore.
- Speed it up. Most podcast apps let you manage playback speed. You can do it in real time, double time or anything in between.
- Share on
Free Training & Resources
Webinars
