HR podcasts you should subscribe to immediately

The podcast industry is one of the fastest-growing mediums: As of early 2016, one in five Americans reported they had listened to a podcast in the past month. While this number reflects the boom the industry has seen in recent years, roughly half the country still isn’t even familiar with the term “podcasting.”

[Source: Pew Research Center]

During the month of March, the “Try A Pod” campaign aims to change that, with top podcast publishers and hundreds of hosts from such popular podcasts as Stuff You Should Know and Planet Money teaming up to encourage their listeners to introduce their family, friends and coworkers to their favorite podcasts.

What is a podcast?

Just in case you’re one of the 50 percent of Americans unfamiliar with the term, here’s a definition from iTunes, one of the most popular podcast platforms:

“Podcasts are episodes of a program available on the Internet. Podcasts are usually original audio or video recordings, but can also be recorded broadcasts of a television or radio program, a lecture, a performance, or other event. For podcast listeners, podcasts are a way to enjoy great content from around the world for free. For podcast publishers, podcasts are a great way to reach a wide audience.”

Today, there are thousands of podcasts out there covering virtually every topic imaginable: news, sports, TV, history, movies, books, specific hobbies, individual industries – the list could almost literally go on forever. The hosts also run a wide gamut, ranging from experienced broadcasters in professional studios to one-man shows run out of people’s homes.

Top 9 HR Podcasts

Inspired by the “Try A Pod” (#trypod) campaign, here are our recommendations for the top podcasts every HR professional, employer and manager should be listening to:

• HR Happy Hour
  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/steve-boese
  Hosted by: Steve Boese (@SteveBoese) and Trish McFarlane (@TrishMcFarlane)Launched in 2009, HR Happy Hour is one of the longest-running HR podcasts, and its episodes feature lively conversation from the hosts and guests about a variety of workplace topics, including talent management, leadership, HR technology and more. New episodes are published two to three times per month.
• HR Works
  http://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/podcasts/
  Hosted by: Steve BruceProduced by BLR.com, the HR Works podcast covers a wide variety of HR topics, focusing on best practices HR professionals can use to optimize their workforces and workplaces. A relatively new podcast, HR Works celebrated its one-year anniversary last month, and publishes new episodes about once or twice a month.
• Nine-To-Thrive HR
  http://www.hci.org/content/podcastsFormerly the HCI podcast, this podcast from the Human Capital Institute gives listeners access to HR experts from top Fortune 1,000 companies, as well thought-leaders, authors, and academics. The show covers a wide range of topics, including engagement, talent metrics, employee development, talent acquisition and more. New episodes are usually published three to five times a month, and are each about a half-hour long.
• Hire Up
  http://hrhireup.com/
  Hosted by: John P. Beck, Jr. (@JohnPBeck), plus a panel of expertsThe Hire Up podcast aims to provide listeners with “news, interviews and updates on everything HR,” specifically in regard to identifying, selecting, developing and retaining top talent. Episodes are usually published about twice a month.
• DriveThru HR
  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drivethruhr
  Hosted by: William Tincup (@williamtincup), Nisha Raghavan (@thehrbuddy), Crystal Miller Lay (@TheOneCrystal), Michael VanDervort (@MikeVanDervort)DriveThruHR is an “easy-to-digest lunch discourse that covers topics relevant to HR professionals.” Although it’s been awhile since DriveThruHR has released a new episode, their archive is full of great advice from top HR industry leaders and influencers.
• Leadership and Loyalty Tips for Executives
  http://dovbaron.podomatic.com/
  Hosted by: Dov Baron (@TheDovBaron)The full name of this podcast, “Leadership and Loyalty for Fortune 500 Executives, Family Businesses, Human Resources professionals, and Millennial Generation Leaders” says it all: episodes feature interviews and conversations with various experts and authors in the fields of leadership, management and productivity. Episodes are published frequently, at a rate of one or more a week, and are usually about an hour long.
• Side Affects: Disrupting Health Care
  https://www.mcgohanbrabender.com/podcasts/
  Hosted by: Scott McGohan (@scottmcgohan) and Anne Marie Singleton (@amsingleton)As the name suggests, several episodes from this podcast center on employee benefits issues like open enrollment and plans, but the hosts also discuss workforce management and leadership. Episodes are usually kept to less than 30 minutes, and are published roughly twice a month.
• Talent Talk
  http://talenttalk.podbean.com/
  Hosted by: Chris Dyer (@chrisdyer7)Talent Talk is unique in that it’s actually a live radio show, broadcast every Tuesday at 1 p.m. PST, the recordings are made available as a podcast. Each week host Chris Dyer interviews top executives and experts about leadership and talent development.
• The CYA Report
  http://fistfuloftalent.com/fot-media/the-fot-podcast-the-cya-reportThis podcast from the folks at Fistful of Talent bills itself as a “free-flowing, sometimes mature discussion of HR and talent issues,” and doesn’t disappoint. The show hasn’t published a new episode since 2015, but FoT introduced a newer podcast, “The New School Podcast,” on the CYA Report iTunes podcast channel and which is now available on SoundCloud. The New School Podcast focuses on cutting-edge recruiting trends and news.