What a year for HR: The biggest HR stories of 2012

It has been a jam-packed year for HR – from sweeping legislative changes to ongoing debate about performance reviews and navigating the challenges of working alongside social media, 2012 hasn’t seen a dull moment.

BY Stephanie Zillman 20 Dec 2012

HC has been at the forefront of breaking news in HR management, and a look back over the past 12 months reveals what an exciting year it has been for HR professionals.

In the first quarter of the year, debate around the idea of scrapping performance reviews got the forum buzzing. “I can't see how scrapping a performance review is a positive thing! Performance reviews give staff the opportunity to negotiate rewards based on their performance,” one reader commented. Nevertheless, numerous readers applauded a commenter who said few businesses seem to get benefit from out-dated performance reviews. “They don't seem to impact the bottom line, motivate staff, create better relationships, develop capability, skill up staff, or assist with implementing strategy – all the things they were designed to do. If the activity you are pursuing doesn't do what it is intended to do then drop it!” So will the performance review live to see another year? Only time will tell.

HC’s story in June, The reason female execs leave is not glass ceiling, was also a catalyst for debate. Many readers agreed that female talent principally leave organisations due to toxic work environments, bullying, and poor management – not the ‘glass ceiling’ as often thought. And wherever there’s gender politics, there’s discussion of the pay gap and quotas for women on boards.

Ever the hot topic, the use social media in the workplace dominated headlines in 2012. We’ve borne witness to messy legal fallouts from employees behaving badly, but also employers ruling the web waves with an iron fist. One way or another social media is certainly here to stay.