USA 
United Kingdom
Step aside, LinkedIn.
Your days of professional humble brags, crying CEO videos, and cringe-inducing sales pitches barely masked as inspirational quotes are numbered. There’s a new sheriff in town that goes by the name of Bluesky and it’s proving to be a hit with HR professionals.
Ok, ditching the tried and trusted social media platforms right away would be too quick on the draw (last cowboy metaphor, I promise). LinkedIn will remain the platform of choice for networking, business-related news, and recruitment for the foreseeable future, so hold your horses (sorry) on deleting your account right away.
Besides, if Bluesky exists to usurp any social media platform, it’s been widely touted as a replacement for X, the artist formerly known as Twitter. Apparently AI slop, toxic feuds, and endless bot replies just aren’t that fun, anymore. Who’d have thought?
Described by some as the more intimate ‘afterparty’ to X, and by others as like the ‘good old days’ of Twitter, scores of people have defected from other social media platforms and decided to reach for the ‘sky (at this point, I can’t help it.)
The new-ish platform founded in 2021 hit 20 million users in November 2024 and has recently been racking up 1 million new users each day.
Among them are a swathe of HR professionals, who say the platform is a refreshing place to meet, network, share ideas, and bask in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
What is Bluesky and what’s important to know as a HR pro on the platform?
Beyond the chance to connect with yours truly, part of Bluesky’s wide appeal is its familiarity. The basic functions of the currently ad-free platform, even to a new user, are reminiscent of Twitter and other social media platforms.
There’s a 256-character limit on each post with the option to stitch longer content into a series (i.e. a ‘thread.’) Each post can also include a photo, video, gif, or external link.
Users are given a choice between two feeds, ‘Following’ and ‘Discover,’ depending on whether they wish to see posts from those they follow or to see posts that Bluesky’s algorithm thinks they might find interesting.
There are also the functionalities to like, repost, and reply to other posts; as well as to mute, block, and report other users.
Other articles can offer more technical insights on the algorithms and frameworks behind the platform, but those are the basics.
From my own experience on the platform so far, conversations among HR professionals and beyond are far more relaxed than LinkedIn.
Users tend to share individual thoughts, musings, perspectives, and ideas, inviting comments from their network, rather than aggressively trying to sell or dictate a narrative—the kind of thoughts you might share with a colleague while chatting over a coffee or catching up in the break at a conference. Sounds nice, right?
Why are HR professionals joining Bluesky?
To learn more about why Bluesky is proving to be so engaging for those eager to discuss all things work, people, and HR, I caught up with two HR professionals enjoying life on the platform.
“We needed a new, healthy platform where we can build community,” said Steve Browne, Chief People Officer at LaRosa’s Pizzeria. “When HR pros are more intentionally connected, then they do better work, and they also benefit from having a group of peers that are experiencing what they are. The profession is stronger when we’re connected and not isolated.”
In particular, Browne said he was pleased to see how easy some of the features are to use. “I like that we can use hashtags again to see common threads and converse,” he added.
Josh Rock, Talent Acquisition Manager at Nuss Truck Group, said the platform “brings back the community we had in the early 2000s on X.”
“It’s a refreshing place where we can have conversations, learn about topics of interest, and meet leaders or collaborators regardless of location again,” he continued.
Rock suggested that he has been unable to use X for collaborating with HR peers: “In recent years X has become overpopulated with bots, ads, and hashtags that get bombarded with garbage.”
‘All things people, HR, & culture’: Use HR Grapevine’s Bluesky HR starter pack
For those looking to quickly make the most of their time on the platform, ‘feeds’ and ‘starter packs’ allow users to group together posts and accounts in one place.
This enables users to see a stream of content posted by highly relevant accounts. Take, for example, Benjamin’s Home of HR, a starter pack which offers a (non-exhaustive) list of HR experts and professionals to follow, alongside a couple of handy feeds to keep up to date with.
In short, it’s a community of people talking about all things HR, people, & culture. And right now, community is vital for those work in HR.
Sage’s 2024 Changing Face of HR report revealed that while 57% of HR leaders say they love working in HR, a staggering 62% are considering leaving the field. HR Grapevine’s own research may explain why. According to our recent ‘Wellbeing in 2025: A key frontier for HR’ study, nearly half (48%) of responding HR professionals said their own wellbeing has decreased over the past 12 months.
Finding new ways to come together as a profession – to share problems and offer solutions; to commiserate difficulties and celebrate successes; to gather new perspectives and have fun – is absolutely vital for people professionals if we wish to tackle the widespread issue of burnout and stress in their industry.
The importance of HR community
Both Browne and Rock emphasized that Bluesky is proving to be a useful tool for connecting with their peers, and that community is vital for HR professionals.
“Collaboration is key for HR pros, and what sets us as a profession apart is how deeply connected they are to both colleagues and employees, building trust and acting as a bridge between teams both within our organizations and our HR community,” Rock said. “Situations come up where we could use a robust community for advice and support, or simply share our resources for the betterment of others. When one gets better, we all get better, and then the world becomes better.”
Brown agreed, noting that networks like Bluesky can help tackle isolation in the HR community. “No one performs well alone. No one. That is especially true in a field where our primary focus is people,” the CPO said. “If you’re not connected to other HR pros, you’re going to struggle, be frustrated and feel you lack support. HR communities fill that void and give HR pros a vehicle to share, encourage and listen to each other. I think they’re essential and wouldn’t be able to do what I do without them!”
Of course, Bluesky isn’t the only place those conversations will happen. But for now, it’s a refreshingly relaxed environment people in the business of people are connecting and simply having a nice time—and that’s good enough for me. See you there!
