TL;DR: Five HR Slack communities were taking new members on 11 October 2026: Resources for Humans, the Leapsome Community, BambooHR’s HR Heroes, The People People Group, and the Secret HR Society. Most are free and ask for a short application. PeopleGeeks has paused new Slack sign-ups, and Hacking HR now runs its community on its own platform.
Last updated 11 October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Three of the five communities are run by HR software vendors, so expect occasional product news alongside the peer advice.
- According to the Leapsome Community page, it has more than 10,000 HR leaders and is free.
- According to the Secret HR Society, it has more than 1,700 members and expects 4 to 5 years of HR experience.
- No Australia-specific HR Slack community with a public join route turned up, so Australian practitioners mostly join global ones.
- Activity, moderation, and professional fit matter more than raw member numbers.
What’s in this article
What are Slack communities?
A Slack community is a Slack workspace that people join to talk about a shared interest, rather than to do their day job. HR Slack communities bring HR and People Ops professionals together to ask questions, share templates and resources, and compare how other organisations handle the same problems. Most are free, and many screen applicants.
Whether you are an integral part of your organisation’s HR department, collaborate closely with the People Operations team, or specialise in employee relations, there is a Slack community for your interests. Being an HR professional means keeping up with current themes and technologies, and that takes continuous learning. Through these communities, you can exchange resources with peers, offer insights, and test strategies for improving your workplace culture.
Think of a Slack community as a Facebook Group, a subreddit, or a Discord server built around one interest. What sets HR communities apart is their workplace focus, which attracts professionals keen to improve workplace culture and sharpen their skills. According to Slack, you can use the same email address to join as many workspaces as you like, so joining one does not disturb your work account.
While Slack serves your own workplace, a community connects you with peers elsewhere, on your own schedule. So you can ask how another organisation handled a restructure, a pay review, or a new award, and get an answer from someone who has done it.
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How do you choose the right Slack community?
Choose a Slack community by checking three things: how active it is, how well it is moderated, and whether its members do work like yours. A busy, well-run community with peers at your level beats a bigger one full of promotion. Joining two or three and keeping the one you actually open is a sensible approach.
Just as the right study group matters at school, the right community shapes what you get out of it. Weigh these factors before you join:
- Community activity: Choose an active community with enough members to keep conversations moving. Smaller groups allow more personal discussion, while a larger community is easier to learn the norms in first.
- Moderation matters: Prefer well-moderated communities, and read the rules and channel descriptions before you post. Following the guidelines is courteous, and it avoids awkward moments.
- Professional alignment: Look for members who do your kind of work. A community of senior practitioners sharing credible resources is worth more than a busy general chat.
Consider time zones too. For an Australian HR leader, a community centred on North America will be busiest overnight. Suppose you post a question about a restructure at 2pm in Melbourne. In a US-centred community, the replies arrive while you sleep, which is fine for advice but slow for anything urgent.
Finally, check who runs it. Several of the largest communities are run by HR software vendors. They are useful, free, and well moderated, but they also share their own product news. Worknice sells HR software as well, and some of these vendors compete with it, which is worth knowing as you read the list.
The 5 best Slack communities for HR and People Ops professionals
Every community here was checked against its own website on 11 October 2026 for a working join route. Member figures appear only where the community’s own page states them. No single community suits everyone, so the “Best for” line matters more than the order.
Resources for Humans
Best for: HR and People Ops professionals who want a large, busy community for quick peer answers.
Size and reach: Not stated. Its page on Lattice’s website gives no member count.
How to join: Apply through the Resources for Humans page on Lattice’s website. The Lattice Community team reviews applications every weekday, and friends must apply themselves rather than be invited.
Key strengths: Free, moderated by the Lattice Community team and volunteer ambassadors, and focused on People Ops resources and advancing HR practice.
Watch-outs: Run by Lattice, a performance management vendor. Its size means conversations move fast, so threads can be hard to follow.
Cost: Free.
Leapsome Community
Best for: HR leaders who want Slack plus events, webinars, and a newsletter in one membership.
Size and reach: According to its community page, more than 10,000 HR leaders, with many location-based channels.
How to join: Apply through the Leapsome Community page on Leapsome’s website.
Key strengths: Slack is described as the heart of the community, with channels for topics such as performance management, hiring advice, employee engagement, and AI. In-person and virtual meetups add a second way to connect.
Watch-outs: Run by Leapsome, an HR software vendor. Many of its live sessions are run from Europe and the US, some in German, so they may fall outside Australian working hours.
Cost: Free, described as “free forever”.
BambooHR HR Heroes
Best for: HR generalists who want an open community with no screening step.
Size and reach: According to BambooHR, more than 7,000 peers.
How to join: Sign up through the HR Heroes Community page on BambooHR’s website. A confirmation email explains how to set up a free Slack account if your company does not use Slack.
Key strengths: Open to all HR professionals and business leaders, not only BambooHR customers. Members can invite colleagues, and the community shares tips, practices, and questions.
Watch-outs: Run by BambooHR, an HRIS vendor, and the community page says it shares news on BambooHR releases. Customer-only programmes sit alongside it.
Cost: Free.
The People People Group
Best for: HR and talent acquisition leaders in Canada and the US who want a curated, senior peer group.
Size and reach: According to the group, more than 6,000 members across North America.
How to join: A short application on The People People Group website, and every application is reviewed.
Key strengths: Not run by a vendor, with no product pitching. It adds monthly roundtables, AMAs, member dinners, and an annual summit to its Slack workspace.
Watch-outs: Built for North America, so Australian members will find most events and conversations out of hours.
Cost: Free membership, with a paid TPPG+ tier for more programming and events.
Secret HR Society
Best for: Experienced HR leaders who want a smaller, high-trust peer network.
Size and reach: According to its website, more than 1,700 HR professionals from tech start-ups and large corporations, with Berlin as a notable hub.
How to join: Referral by an existing member, or a direct application through the Secret HR Society website. It expects 4 to 5 years of HR experience.
Key strengths: Founded in 2015 and not run by a vendor. It combines Slack with virtual and in-person meetups, and its guidelines ask members not to use it for sales.
Watch-outs: Selective by design, and its in-person activity centres on Europe rather than Australia.
Cost: Not stated on its website.
Which HR communities have moved off Slack?
Two well-known HR Slack communities have changed. PeopleGeeks, run by Culture Amp, has paused new Slack sign-ups while discussions move to its Culture First Chapters platform. Hacking HR now points members to local chapters and learning pods on its own platform, and its community page no longer mentions Slack.
According to Culture Amp’s community page, existing members can keep participating in the Slack community, but new members are directed to Culture First Chapters. So anyone searching for PeopleGeeks today should look there rather than for a Slack invite. Culture Amp was founded in Melbourne, so its community has long had a strong Australian presence.
Hacking HR remains a large global HR learning community, with free events and paid programmes. Its local chapters include in-person meetups, which may suit Australians who want face-to-face contact rather than a chat channel.
Other communities that appeared on HR Slack lists in 2023, including #People, #PeoplePeople, HRtoHR, and POPs United, could not be confirmed from an official page with a working join route. They may still exist, but they are left off the list until they can be checked.
Are there Australian HR Slack communities?
No Australia-specific HR Slack community with a public join route could be confirmed on 11 October 2026. Australian HR professionals mostly join global communities and filter for local channels. Local peer networks tend to run through professional bodies, such as the Australian HR Institute (AHRI), and through in-person events rather than Slack.
That gap has practical consequences. Global communities answer general questions well, such as how to structure a performance review or run an engagement survey. However, they cannot advise on the Fair Work Act, modern awards, or state long service leave rules, because most members work under other systems.
So treat global community advice as a starting point for anything legal. For instance, a US member’s view on terminating an at-will employee does not translate to an Australian unfair dismissal context. Check Australian questions against the Fair Work Ombudsman, your award, or an employment lawyer.
How do you get the most out of an HR Slack community?
Get the most out of an HR Slack community by reading before posting, introducing yourself with your role and context, and asking specific questions. Search the archive first, because common questions have usually been answered. Then give back by answering what you know, sharing templates, and thanking people who help.
Specific questions get better answers. “How do you handle performance reviews?” draws generic replies, whereas “How do you calibrate reviews across three entities with different managers?” draws people who have done it. Strip out anything confidential first, including employee names, salaries, and details that identify a person.
In your quest for the right community, remember that these options are a snapshot of a changing scene. Do some research of your own to find communities, on Slack and beyond, that suit you. With the right one, you get faster answers, a wider network, and peers who understand the job.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Slack community for HR professionals?
It depends on what you want. Resources for Humans and the Leapsome Community suit people wanting a large, free, busy community. BambooHR’s HR Heroes suits anyone wanting no screening step. The People People Group suits North American leaders, and the Secret HR Society suits experienced leaders wanting a smaller, referral-based network.
Is PeopleGeeks still on Slack?
Partly. Culture Amp has paused new Slack sign-ups for its community while discussions move to its Culture First Chapters platform. Existing members can keep using the Slack community, but new members are directed to Culture First Chapters instead. Check Culture Amp’s community page for the current joining route.
How do I join the Secret HR Society?
Ask an existing member for a referral, or apply directly through the Secret HR Society website. The society expects at least 4 to 5 years of HR experience and a track record as a modern, innovative people leader. It has more than 1,700 members, with Slack, virtual meetings, and in-person meetups.
Are HR Slack communities free?
Most are. Resources for Humans, the Leapsome Community, and BambooHR’s HR Heroes are free, and The People People Group offers free membership with a paid tier for extra programming. The Secret HR Society does not state a fee on its website. Several communities still require an application before you can join.
Are there HR Slack communities in Australia?
No Australia-specific HR Slack community with a public join route could be confirmed in October 2026. Australian HR professionals mostly join global communities such as Resources for Humans or the Leapsome Community. For local peer networks, professional bodies such as the Australian HR Institute and in-person events are the main options.
About the author
Graham Martin is Co-founder of Worknice, an Australian HRIS built for mid-to-large organisations. He has spent more than a decade working with Australian People and Culture teams on HR systems, compliance, and payroll integration.
Related reading
- Signs your workplace culture is stalling: five signals worth raising with peers before they become problems.
- The A-Z HR glossary: common HR terms you will meet in community threads.
- 74 common HR abbreviations: decoding the acronyms HR communities use constantly.
- AI tools for HR professionals: tools members often recommend for faster HR admin.
Sources
- Lattice, “Resources for Humans: HR & People Ops Community”. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- Leapsome, “The Leapsome Community: For HR leaders who want more”. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- BambooHR, “Connect With Other HR Heroes: Discover BambooHR’s Vibrant Community”. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- The People People Group, “Membership” and “The Best HR Slack Communities to Join in 2026” (6 June 2026). Retrieved 11 October 2026: https://www.thepeoplepeoplegroup.com/blog/best-hr-slack-communities
- Secret HR Society, “The community of forward-thinking HR professionals” (About us, Membership, Our Guidelines & Values). Retrieved 11 October 2026: https://www.secrethrsociety.com/
- Culture Amp, “Community forum”. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- Hacking HR, “HR Community and Chapters”. Retrieved 11 October 2026: https://hackinghrlab.io/community
- Slack, “Join a Slack workspace”. Retrieved 11 October 2026: https://slack.com/help/articles/212675257-Join-a-Slack-workspace
