Top HR Influencers You Should Follow in 2020

William Tincup (yes, that’s his real last name) is the president of @RecruitingDaily, as well as a writer, speaker, & advisor who lives “at the intersection of HR and technology,” or in Arlington, Texas, depending on your perspective. His refreshingly witty and slightly irreverent take on the HR industry is just what the doctor ordered for Monday mornings.

Gary Ware also believes that play can change the world. He is the founder of Breakthrough Play and often presents workshops with Jeff Harry. Gary's background in improv adds a lively spark to his work as a speaker, facilitator, and coach who helps teams unlock creativity, confidence, and greater collaboration by using the transformational power of play.

Greg Savage is a keynote speaker, recruitment and leadership advisor, author of The Savage Truth (also the name of his blog), and founder of people2people, one of Australia’s fastest growing recruitment companies (as well as a few other businesses). He tweets from Sydney, Australia, with a depth of knowledge and perspective that comes from four decades of experience in professional services.

Tired of workplace issues? Maybe the best solution for your grown-up problems can be found in your inner child. Jeff Harry teaches people to rediscover the power of play. Through play, Jeff helps people create a safe space to have difficult workplace conversations and face uncomfortable challenges in a non-threatening way. Whether speaking or coaching, Jeff leaves his audience with greater understanding of themselves, actionable insights, and a smile on their face.

Jennifer McClure is the humble, funny, engaging, and introspective CEO of DisruptHR, an “information exchange designed to energize, inform and empower people in the HR field.” What’s that mean? Well, it’s an event series based around quick, high-impact presentations that shake up your perspective and teach you a lot about HR in a short amount of time. She also tweets, and you should probably follow her.

Jon Thurmond is the host of the HR Social Hour Half Hour Podcast, where he and co-host Wendy Dailey interview HR professionals from across the industry every Thursday. His twitter feed also features daily articles from pertinent HR thought leaders.

What would the world be like if sexual harassment in the workplace was eliminated? Kate Bischoff is working tirelessly toward that goal. As an employment/labor law attorney with SMRM-SCP credentials, Kate is a gifted writer, trainer, speaker, and consultant who helps make workplaces better for employers and employees alike.

“Work is broken,” says writer and speaker Laurie Ruettiman. “We're here to help fix it.” Named one of the nation's top career advisors, Laurie keynotes events around the world, hosts the Let's Fix Work podcast, and has appeared on NPR, CNN, and a host of other leading media platforms. Her self-described cynicism and straight-talking style are a breath of fresh air in a world of corporate-speak.

Known as the "Teamwork Doctor," Liane Davey has helped hundreds of teams to achieve higher performance. An entertaining speaker and best-selling author, Liane aims to radically change the way people communicate and contribute so they can accomplish amazing things together. Who couldn't benefit from that? Follow the Teamwork Doctor stat!

If you don't have a crystal ball that can see your organization's future, Liz Weber is the next-best thing. As a strategic planning expert with her own consulting firm, Liz helps companies prepare for their future and trains their leaders to become stronger and more effective. Liz has travelled the world spreading her wisdom, but as a follower you can share it from the comfort of your easy chair.

HR transformation consultant and strategic advisor Mark Stelzner doesn’t shout, but when he speaks, people listen. He’s the founder behind Voice of HR, the insights broadcasting division of global HR consulting company IA|HR, and he’s worth a follow just to see the posts he is reading and the questions he’s asking in the HR industry.

“If you get an arm amputated do you still have to go to all hands meetings?” - @mattcharney

Matt Charney isn’t your typical HR influencer. He’s snarky, cynical, and brutally honest, and he has an opinion to share about everything that’s happening in HR right now. He might not be your thing, and that’s OK. We think that’s a good thing.

We hope you have a storm cellar nearby, because Meghan Biro is an information tornado. When she’s not tweeting or retweeting about the most current events and insights in the HR industry (which, believe us, she is), she’s the CEO of TalentCulture, an online content community where professionals can teach, learn, and discuss every aspect of business culture.

Like your HR insights with a dash of snark? Follow Suzanne Lucas, who writes and speaks as the one and only Evil HR Lady. She makes complicated HR topics easy to understand and offers cut-to-the-chase advice that's always worthwhile and never dull. Don't just follow Suzanne—stop what you're doing and bookmark her Evil HR Lady website right this minute!

Torin Ellis is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. His Maryland boutique helps forward-thinking recruiters apply these principles as they attract, nurture, and retain outstanding talent. Torin proudly calls that his "life's work." Taking that work wherever he can, Torin is also the host of Sirius XM's Career Mix, author of Rip the Resume, and he travels the world as a popular speaker at leading employer branding/HR/HR tech events.

Trish McFarlane is a former HR executive and HCM product leader with over 20 years of experience in Big 4 public accounting, PR, healthcare, manufacturing, and IT. So she’s got some street cred to back her up as author of the HR Ringleader blog and CEO of the online podcast network HR Happy Hour, which covers every corner of HR from the latest technology to talent management strategy.

Elisa’s experience includes more than 15 years in HR, recruiting and business development primarily with small to mid-sized businesses. A true Xennial (the micro generation between Gen X and Millennials), she is often an early adopter with a natural curiosity for all things – Especially people! Her passion for the HR profession is obvious: She is a member of the Forbes Human Resource Council, has served as the President for Salt Lake SHRM, co-founded DisruptHR SLC, currently serves as the Executive Director for Utah SHRM and acts as an advisor and member of several business-focused groups. Elisa holds the SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PRC and SHRM Talent Management Specialty Credential certifications. A true believer of the global impact HR can have on creating a better human experience, her career path now focuses on the advocacy and influence for the progression of the HR function within the business environment.