Voice of Business Blog

Getting involved in an HR network of your peers 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:

• 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?
• Do your research and ask questions to identify a network that provides what you’re looking to gain.
• 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.
• 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.
• Be prepared to contribute to the discussion by sharing your knowledge and experiences. Mistakes are valuable learning experiences as they can alert others of what to avoid (you can use the alias of “a ‘friend of mine’ did X and was not successful”).
• Use the forum roster to connect with other participants outside the sessions. Participants signed up for the network with the intention of connecting with other HR professionals.
• As many networks return to meeting in-person, consider how this format provides additional opportunities to connect with other participants, including getting to know others before and after sessions.

If you are interested in benefiting from a local 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 Benefits Forum and the HR Professional Forum, are now open for registration for 2023. Registration forms are due by December 16 or contact Jennifer if you need more time.

The other two forums we offer, Sr. HR Executive Forum for Large Companies, and Sr. HR Executive Forum for Small Companies, started in October 2022 and run through May. The 2023-24 series will be open for registration in August 2023. Click here for more information on each individual forum or contact Jennifer Suppé with questions.