People management requires skilled employees. To obtain a successful career in the HR industry one should possess a thorough knowledge of the basics of HR management such as its policies, principles and more. This knowledge can be acquired through the books which are penned by the industry experts directly.

Let’s check out top 5 HR books which is a must read for every HR.

HR on Purpose: Developing Deliberate People Passion
By Steve Browne
Steve Browne is an accomplished writer & thought leader in HR. He is dedicated to global HR community and helping it learn and grow together. In his book, HR on Purpose: Developing Deliberate People Passion, Steve has included many real life incidents to illustrate the need for one to choose a profession of their choice and not by chance. It even states to ignore the preconceived ideas of how an HR should be, instead focus on what an HR could be. The book further focuses on the companies struggle with communication & training employees. Steve has addressed both, and has shared some amazing strategies to handle these.

The author says, “A catch phrase or a motivational poster on the wall won’t ever change behavior. Action will. Get out from behind your desk & your computer, and put away your phone. Make time each day to have genuine ‘face time’ with the humans in your organization.”

This book is a must read as it is filled with comical stories, real illustrations and practical solution. It even brings out a fresh and inspiring perspective of the HR industry.

HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources
By Dave Ulrich, Jon Younger, Wayne Brockbank, & Mike Ulrich
Dave Ulrich is a university professor, author, speaker, management coach, and management consultant. Jon Younger is a HR thought leader, author, teacher and an early stage investor. Wayne Brockbank is a Clinical Professor of Business of the Strategic Human Resource Planning Program at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Mike Ulrich is a PhD student at the Moore School of Business, he works with The RBL Group focused on managing the firm's many research studies. Together they co-authored HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources.

In the book, the authors propose that the competency approach provides a leading logic for diagnosing, framing and improving the resulting HR challenges. It is believed that the book’s unique view will enable the HR professionals to tremendously improve their competency and contribution towards the organization. The book consists of demonstrating competency in the organization, and also the factors behind the competency and their impact on the business is explained in detail.

Dave says, “Improving the skills of HR colleagues. The best learners are also teachers. Investing in building the skills of HR colleagues requires individuals to be clear and disciplined about a topical area, tool, or technology.”

The Essential HR Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional By Sharon Armstrong & Barbara Mitchell
Sharon Armstrong & Barbara Mitchell are authors, speakers and consultants in HR industry. Sharon is the author of The Essential Performance Review Handbook. Mitchell co-wrote The Big Book of HR, The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. This book speaks about various current treading topics in HR industry. From recruiting the staff from social media to multigenerational workforce and also the on-boarding practices which allows the new employees hit the ground running. All the HR essentials such as checklists, forms, tables, links, letters, laws, further reading and resources are provided for the HR’s assistance.

Sharon says, “If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?”

Standout HR: Transform Your Company’s Human Resources from a Generic, Low-Value Commodity to a Strategic System That Fuels Business Results
By Vero Vanmiddelem
Vero is a passionate HR practitioner. She possesses more than 25 years of experience in the industry and has served in several key positions. Her book Standout HR is the book which every HR professional need, the book speaks on what it takes to restructure the present HR strategies to evolve successful and add value to the organization. This book firstly runs us through the basic HR model, and internal communications and rewards. Further it gives the knowledge on the building blocks and help in developing your own HRM. Finally, the approach to put it to practice is obtained, and to define & discover the efficient method to develop one’s own company.

The author says, “HR can only become ‘standout,’ thus contributing maximally to the achievement of your business goals, if it is capable of developing a company-original and embedded HR approach moving beyond the very basic and generic model that lacks the uniqueness that will boost your business.”

HR Disrupted: It’s time for something different
By: Lucy Adams
Lucy is the CEO of Disruptive HR, an HR agency. She is a freelance writer and the author of several books including the most noted, ‘If Mama Don’t Laugh, It Ain’t Funny’. In the book HR Disrupted: It’s time for something different, the author feels the HR industry has lost its track and need to find a new direction. The book suggests the HR to take a fresh look at their work-front and transform it. To achieve this change, the book suggests three points: Treating employees as adults and not children, treating employees as consumers or customers, and lastly treating employees as human beings. But each person is different and deserve better.

Lucy says, “We must re-imagine our relationships with our employees, becoming slicker, faster, and more creative in our work with them. And to do this, we must stop playing the company policeman and learn to be the ‘people experts’ in a radically new way.”