The Top 15 HR Podcasts You Should be Watching in 2020

With everything that’s going on, there’s never been a better time to welcome new ideas into the mix or consider thinking a little differently. 

Given that work from home is a new reality for many of us, it’s helpful if we can stay connected to our peers and continue to learn from those around us. As Benjamin Franklin rightly said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Over the past few months, I’ve really benefited from listening to many different experts in our space, so I thought it would be useful to share some of the podcasts that have been most helpful to me personally.

Below you’ll find a list of the top 15 HR podcasts that I believe you should be watching in 2020. Each of these podcast hosts come from different backgrounds, experiences and career trajectories, but they all share the same passion and enthusiasm for HR. 

And on that note, in the famous words of Dr. Seuss… “There’s no limit to how much you’ll know, depending how far beyond zebra you go.” 

 1. HR Works Podcast

The HR Works Podcast aims to provide clear, relevant and actionable information on topics that matter to HR professionals through engaging and insightful interviews with experts and thought leaders.

Featuring authors, talent influencers and HR experts, this podcast is particularly useful for US-based employers looking to understand how COVID-19 impacts all aspects of the HR function.

Recent podcasts, for example, have included how companies can take advantage of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, and what the implications of this loan are when looking to hire back the same employees to take advantage of loan forgiveness. Other themes include “what should be in every employee handbook” in a post-COVID-19 world.

This podcast doesn’t just skirt around topical issues – it dives headfirst into technical matters that impact HR professionals at organizations of all sizes.

2. HR Happy Hour

HR Happy Hour has been running for more than a decade and is hosted by Steve Boese and Trish McFarlane. In fact, it’s the longest continuously running internet radio show and podcast on all things HR and HCM.

With more than 250 episodes, this podcast focuses on topics such as human resources, management, leadership and workforce technology. But while the show may have been running for 11 years, it’s anything but dry and repetitive. Steve and Trish weave their own experience and expertise into a lively and conversational format that seeks to challenge conventional wisdom and prevailing thought.

To give you an inside peek, recent episodes have included the impacts of the pandemic related shutdowns and layoffs, as well as how a change in compensation for remote workers may lead to unexpected outcomes. As the name of the podcast suggests, it’s definitely a fun-filled and insight-packed hour for anyone looking to up their knowledge and game.

3. 21st Century HR

21st Century HR, hosted by Amplify Founder and Fast Company contributor Lars Schmidt, explores how to build better businesses through modern people practices and approaches.

Available on iTunes, Soundcloud and Spotify, 21st Century HR lives up to its name, focusing on the most innovative and forward-thinking ideas that are shaping the HR, employer branding and talent acquisition world. Lars interviews some real industry heavyweights, including people such as Ciara Lakhani, Chief People Officer at Dashlane, Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor and Colleen McCreary, Chief People Officer at Credit Karma.

Each of these episodes are diverse and varied, with conversations ranging from an exploration of the interviewees’ career journey, why burnout is so prevalent in modern people leaders and how organizations have taken steps to protect their employees and customers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This is a great podcast for anyone wanting to hear directly from leaders in the HR space, with Lars serving as an expert facilitator and curator of information.

4. HRExaminer Radio Hour #HRRH

HRExaminer Radio Hour, hosted by John Sumser, is a 30-minute long podcast series about emerging ideas in HR and recruiting. Within the radio, there are two broadcast series that run concurrently, each offering a slightly different take on all things HR.

Each Thursday at 7:30am Pacific (10:30am Eastern and 3:30pm UK time), John, and co-host Stacey Harris, discuss the latest trending news and topics that are defining the recruiting and HR technology space. This is an ongoing discussion that is particularly useful for anyone looking to stay up to date on the latest recruiting tech news.

Every Friday at 8:00am Pacific (11:00am Eastern and 4:00pm UK time), John invites a different guest onto the podcast. Recent interviewees have included Don Weinstein, the leader of ADP’s Global Product & Technology team, and Eyal Grayevsky, the CEO and co-founder of Mya Systems.  

With more than 690 episodes on demand and over 130,000 unique listens, there’s a little bit of something for everybody in this podcast series.

5. That HR Podcast

That HR Podcast is brought to you by People Management magazine, the UK's leading magazine for HR and L&D professionals. For employers and professionals living and working in the UK, this podcast is particularly relevant, given its focus on UK-specific work issues such as the imminent arrival of the IR35 tax change.

But if tax issues aren’t your thing, this podcast offers much more. Addressing more esoteric issues such as defining what the HR profession is all about for future jobseekers, this podcast combines real-world insights with interesting views that impact the future of the industry as a whole.

In episode 22, for example, the team at That HR Podcast discuss new findings from CIPD that employee disputes are on the rise – and offer expert advice on how to have more constructive and healthy disagreements. From diversity and inclusion to health and wellbeing, this is a great podcast to keep track of.

6. The HR Social Hour Podcast

The HR Social Hour Podcast is hosted by HR pros Jon Thurmond and Wendy Dailey, as they talk to and interview other practitioners about connecting, giving back and building your network.

Each week, Jon and Wendy release a new episode featuring insights from a range of experts across the HR world. From employment attorneys to relationship marketing strategists, this is a fresh and ever-evolving podcast that even includes information on how to reach out and contact the guest speakers.

It’s also worth noting that on the second and fourth Sundays of each month, Jon and Wendy host a #HRSocialHour chat on Twitter, where listeners and HR practitioners can connect with each other, share insights and ask questions. It’s a fun way to bring the podcast to life and provide an additional layer of interaction with listeners.

7. DriveThru HR

DriveThruHR is a self-proclaimed “captivating, easy-to-digest, and occasionally irreverent lunchtime discourse that covers topics relevant to HR professionals”.

Hosted by Mike Van Dervort, Robin Schooling, Dwane Lay and Crystal Lay, this collection of 30-minute episodes feature a variety of guests from across the wider HR landscape. Topics of conversation often revolve around HR technology, recruiting, talent management, leadership, organizational culture and strategic HR.

Believe it or not, the show has been running for more than a decade, with the first episode airing on February 1st, 2010. And with more than 1,470 episodes and 568,353 listens, this podcast is an absolute must-listen for anyone looking to fine tune their HR knowledge and skills.

Recent episodes have included re-imagining the world of recruiting with Alex Murphy, CEO at JobSync, and a look at how organizational values are holding up in the COVID-19 era, featuring insight from Rob Caswell, Manager of Employee Labour Relations at Carewell Innovative Health Care.   

8. HR Break Room

HR Break Room is a podcast from professionals working in human resources, dedicated to bringing you interesting break room conversations with experts on the hot topics of HR and HR Technology, one cup of coffee at a time.

Hosted by Caleb Masters and Chelsea Justice, HR Break Room is designed to inspire you to harness the power of HR technology to empower your people and organization.

With more than 80 episodes, this podcast series is packed with insights and interviews from real HR practitioners that can help you stay up to date with breaking trends and topics. Covering themes like “The State of Workplace Leadership in 2020” to practical issues like how the FFCRA and CARES Act impacts employers in the US, this is a podcast with equal parts insight and direction.

9. Lead From The Heart Podcast

Lead From The Heart is a really fascinating podcast series run by best-selling leadership author Mark C. Crowley.

In this series, Mark sits down and talks with some of the world’s top researchers, authors, scientists and CEOs – all of whom share one big thing in common: their work in some meaningful way proves that leading with greater heart has become essential to the success of 21st century workplace.

For a slightly different take on HR and employee engagement, Lead From The Heart offers incredible insight from some truly inspirational leaders. Take the most recent episode with Frances Frei, for example.

In 2017, when ride-sharing company UBER got into serious trouble due to its highly toxic and unethical culture (you’ll recall, founder Travis Kalanick was inevitably forced out), the company turned to Harvard Business School professor Frances Frie to help restore stakeholder trust.

In this episode, Francis provides a distillation of his work on trust, including a not-to-be-missed discussion of the three components we human beings demand of one another before we trust them.

If this sounds interesting, then there’s a whole world of insight waiting to be discovered in this engaging and inspiring podcast series.

10. Career Connections with the HR Insider

In Career Connections with the HR Insider, Barbara Mason hosts a series designed to help professionals “stay, flow or go” in their career. Acting as the HR insider, Barbara shares her expertise and secrets from over 20 years in the HR industry.

Now the owner of Career Pathways Consulting, Barbara and her podcast is committed to helping professionals have the career and life they want and deserve. 

If COVID-19 has impacted you personally or professionally, then episodes such as “How to Find Your Passion during COVID-19” could prove particularly useful. In this segment, Barbara explores the importance of leveraging our time during this crisis, talking about how we can use it to find or re-create our passion.

Each episode either features an expert guest speaker or insights from Barbara herself, so it’s a great tool for professionals looking to develop and expand their own skills, passions and courage.

11. The McKinsey Podcast

In The McKinsey Podcast, leading global consultancy firm McKinsey explores topics ranging from leadership and change management to digital, analytics and deep-dives into specific regions and industries.

While not necessarily HR-exclusive, this podcast offers a best-in-class business and management analysis with some of the world’s leading thinkers and leaders.

For international organizations with employees and offices around the world, this podcast may be well suited for you, as it often explores unique geographical areas such as “the future of Asia” and “business in the Middle East”.

Even if your organization doesn’t have a global reach, this podcast still packs a punch with in-depth research into topics such as “the mass personalization of change: how technology, data and human insight are transforming the way we enact change”. If you’re willing to register to the podcast, listeners are even able to download article PDF summaries and resources that provide an additional layer of context on top of the conversation at hand. It’s a nice touch that helps cement many of the topics in discussion.

12. Nine to Thrive HR

Are you looking for fresh content to solve your human capital issues, but don't have a full hour to spare?

The HCI podcast series, Nine to Thrive HR, offers easily digestible, bite-sized podcasts that range from quick-fire ten-minute conversations to slightly longer thirty-minute chats.

Featuring leading HR practitioners from Fortune 1000 companies, as well thought-leaders, authors, and academics, these experts cover everything from talent acquisition and analytics to engagement, retention, and development.

In the podcast’s most recent episode, Lindsay Lagreid, Senior Advisor at the Limeade Institute, shared his insight on how employers can use technology to improve employee engagement by reinforcing a sense of connection and leveraging insights to take meaningful action.

This series is a great option for time-starved professionals that don’t have the ability (or patience) to sit through an hour-long conversation.

13. Workday Podcast

The Workday Podcast brings together thought leaders from across the business world to discuss issues impacting our changing world.

With HR is a common theme, this podcast extends across the wider business spectrum, touching subjects such as customers and community, technology innovation and finance and planning.

Featuring some of the world’s largest brands, The Workday Podcast offers insight into topics such as how Coca-Cola is trailblazing the “skills movement”. In this episode, Max Just, Global Director of Business Integration at Coca-Cola, talks about how the consumer-packaged goods giant is using machine learning to connect the future of work to new opportunities for its internal talent pool.

Each individual podcast features an accompanying blog post, which highlights some of the key learnings and takeaways from the episode. For those who prefer to read, this offers a nice alternative to capture insights in written form.

14. Workology Podcast

The Workology Podcast was founded in 2014 and has since seen over 200+ episodes and 300,000+ downloads.

Serving as a podcast for “the disruptive workplace and HR leader who's tired of the status quo”, host Jessica Miller-Merrell, founder of Workology.com, acts as facilitator in weekly discussions with guests on current trends, tools and case studies for the workplace business leader.

Each episode is a 25-minute, bite-sized recording, so it’s definitely suitable for listeners that prefer a quick glimpse into what the industry’s top HR professionals are doing.

To give you a sense of the size and scope of the episodes, Jessica has spoken to individuals such as Julie Weber, VP of People at Southwest Airlines, on how Southwest manages its talent funnel when it receives a job application every 2 seconds (and hires less than 2% of applicants).

This is a great all-around podcast that touches many different aspects of HR, so there’s likely something in it for professionals that work across the HR spectrum.

15. Workhuman Radio

Last but certainly not least, the Workhuman Radio podcast covers some of the hottest topics and trends in HR today.

From performance management to pay equity to diversity and inclusion, you’ll hear from the world’s top business and HR visionaries – including celebrity speakers such as Gary Hamel, Kat Cole, and Cy Wakeman – as they share groundbreaking insights and perspectives on the issues that will shape HR in the months, years, and decades ahead.  

With more than 150 episodes, Workhuman aims to help HR professionals learn how to “forge a more human workplace and build a culture of trust, inclusion, and gratitude in your organization”. Recent episodes have included themes such as “dismantling discrimination” in the workforce, as well as how to “pack gifts with purpose”.

These conversations vary in length, with the average podcast coming in at around 20 minutes. This is another channel that you can tune into to learn more about the most compelling issues defining the HR space in 2020 and beyond.

If you’ve made it this far, well done! I hope you give each of these podcasts a listen, as they all offer immense value and add so much insight and learning to our space.

Best of all, each of these podcasts is 100% free to download and watch, so there’s no reason not to explore further. At a time of crisis, it’s inspiring to note that our industry continues to move forward and work together in pursuit of true impact, purpose and belonging in the workplace.