If you’re active in HR and Talent Acquisition, especially in the online world (blogs, websites, podcasts, webinars, doomscrolling social media, etc.), you might sometimes feel like you’re not doing what you should be doing.
There’s a lot of noise out there, with people like me—and plenty of others—telling you what to focus on.
Funny enough, a lot of these folks aren’t even working in HR or Talent Acquisition right now. Some of them are really smart, and they moved to consulting or other roles because it paid better or offered a better work-life balance. But this isn’t about who’s got it right.
This is just a reminder that it’s okay to put your head down and focus on your HR and Recruiting work.
It’s fine if you’re not chasing the latest best practice or trying out the newest innovation.
It’s fine if you’re not overhauling HR and Talent Acquisition in your organization right now.
Sometimes, what we really need to do is keep things running smoothly. Take a moment to catch your breath. Build up a solid team around you, and get ready for what’s next. But for now, just do what you do best.
Make sure your employees are doing okay. See if there’s anything you can do to help them out.
Make sure they get paid correctly and that their benefits work when they go to the doctor.
Give your managers a nudge when they’re not treating their teams right.
Make sure new hires have what they need on their first day and feel welcomed.
And sometimes, it’s about helping employees who aren’t a good fit to find a job they’ll really enjoy—by letting them go.
When I write, I sometimes forget what it’s like to have a ton of priorities and know you won’t get to all of them. That’s the daily grind in HR and Talent Acquisition. I might tell you to try something new or be innovative, but I get it—some days, you just need to handle the basics.
I’ve been there. I’ve had days where even doing the basics was tough, and thinking about being the best or most innovative felt impossible.
On those days, I’d remind myself, “Today, I’m just going to do HR.”
I’d focus on what I was good at, on what I could control, and make it through to the next day—hoping that day would give me a chance to do a little better.