September plays host to the biggest occasion in the HR calendar. I refer not to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's final convergence on Harrogate (16-18 September), but to the launch today of HR Space, an exciting new online community for human resources professionals.
HR Space already has more than 100 active members, who have been testing the new website. They've contributed to discussions on a broad range of topics: from legal queries about redundancy and age, to complex dilemmas about married staff. There's even a thread on reference-writing euphemisms, my favourite being: "anyone who gets this person to work for them should consider themselves very lucky", posted by Zoogirl.
It's topical too. After BP announced plans to scrap its nine-day fortnight (Personnel Today, 20 August), J1 posted asking whether now is a good time to be introducing such flexible working practices.
HR Space provides much more than the networking forum it replaces. Members can create a nickname, send private messages, and upload documents to share with friends. As well as the forums, HR Space also offers an up-to-date listing of HR blogs not only from Personnel Today writers, but from HR Space members' own blogs and numerous relevant external bloggers who write about employment.
HR Space is your space to share opinions and gauge the thinking of others in HR. In the coming weeks we'll be working hard to make it work for you and where queries go unanswered we'll strive to find a response, from an expert if necessary.
People often use forums to discuss their next career moves, and HR Space is no different.
In this week's issue, to help you on your way, we look at career paths for the modern HR professional (page 20) while on page 27 we announce the shortlist for the Best Places to Work in HR, in association with Courtenay HR.
Join HR Space now at www.personneltoday.com/hrspace.
