Some members of HRPAO "don't like it"
Local chapter presidents of the Ontario HR association say they are hearing from members angry about recertification requirements for the professional designation.
Several of the chapter presidents who talked with Canadian HR Reporter say flaws in the Certified Human Resources Professional recertification process have members upset. Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario maintains the number of unhappy members is relatively small and it is just a question of getting used to the change.
New national standards for the CHRP designation came into effect in March. One requirement, new for members of the HRPAO, is that CHRP holders recertify every three years.
Beginning in 2006, CHRP holders must either write a three-hour exam (with a 70 per cent grade required to pass) or complete and document professional development exercises. Those going the latter route will have to submit a recertification log and application form. The log must include all receipts and supporting documentation and three per cent of all logs will be audited.
CHRP holders must obtain 100 points awarded for a range of activities grouped into five categories: continuing education, instruction, leadership, new work projects/initiatives, and research publication.
Recertification will be on the agenda when chapter presidents meet with HRPAO in Toronto next week. (Also scheduled to be discussed at the Sept. 16 meeting is the requirement making a university degree mandatory for CHRP applicants. For more on this check out the "Related Articles" link below.)
Some members have a problem with the recertification process, said Allan Jeffers, president of the Durham chapter, just east of Toronto. But the question is, how many?
Jeffers sent an e-mail to more than 300 Durham chapter members. About 13 people responded. Many members were away on summer vacation so it is hard to tell how representative the 13 responses are, he said. But for those who responded, it was clear how they felt, he said. “They don’t like it. They don’t necessarily disagree with the concept, but they don’t like the process or the criteria.”
But Monica Belcourt, president of HRPAO, said very few members are unhappy with the recertification process. Out of nearly 13,000 members (about 4,600 of whom hold the CHRP), the association has only fielded 130 complaints. Most were simply looking for clarification about the requirements, she said. The lack of clarity in the recertification log has already been addressed and a new draft of the log was released to members on July 24, she added.
Any time you introduce change there are going to be some people who resist, she said. But often, people who say they don’t like the process haven’t even tried it. They just look at the log and think it is too onerous. Once they sit down and actually look at it, they will find it is not that difficult, she said.
Jeffers said some members feel the process emphasizes academic experience and undervalues practical experience. When people are already working 40 to 60 hours a week, it is difficult to find time to take courses. Others express concern about bearing the costs of professional development while working for an organization that doesn’t support training.
“I had a lot of people tell me that they are not going to renew their membership with the association because of the recertification process,” said Jeffers.
The most common complaint is that there are not enough opportunities for recertification activities away from the big cities, said Jeannie McQuaid, membership director for the Quinte chapter. Some of the members also feel there is too much emphasis on things like teaching or developing courses, “things that aren’t normal HR practitioner activities,” she said. “I think it ticks some people off.”
Another common complaint is that there is a limit on the number of points that can be obtained in each category, she said. “If someone wants to do professional development and get 90 per cent of their points from that, then why should that not count?”
Of the Quinte chapter’s 75 members, about 35 have the CHRP, said McQuaid. Of those, about 15 expressed concerns about recertification. Similar to what Jeffers heard from the Durham members, most are not opposed to recertification in theory; they are just unhappy with how it is being run, she said.
No other parts of the country have expressed concerns about the recertification process, says Anne Charette, president of the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations, the body that oversees the national standards. Outside of Ontario and Quebec, recertification was already mandatory for other provincial associations. CHRP holders in Ontario who are unhappy about it probably just don’t understand what is required. For most people the hardest part will be documenting professional development, not actually completing the necessary requirements, she said.
“Any HR practitioner who is truly a professional is going to easily do the professional development required to remain certified. The very nature of what we do means we must stay current with legislation. That means reading something or going to a seminar or workshop. Those are all points,” she said. Simply by completing the normal activities that HR professionals have to do to stay on top of their jobs will take them a long way to recertification, she said.
“It would be like a doctor not determining what new pharmaceuticals are in the market. It is that basic,” she said.
The national process is closely modelled on one that has been in place in British Columbia for years. Sarah Hood, chair of the Vancouver Island chapter of the British Columbia Human Resources Management Association, said the new process created for the national standards is actually better than the B.C. system. “I have not heard any complaints from members about the recertification process being more difficult or more challenging,” she said.
Hazel Gilchrist, president of the Kingston, Ont. chapter, said members are taking the recertification process in stride. “I haven’t had any negative comments,” she said. Since the recertification process was introduced in March, HRPAO has conducted “all sorts of communication” with members.
But, changes are needed to make it easier for members outside of Toronto to get professional development, she said. Either more funding should go to the chapters or more workshops should be held outside Toronto. In the past, Kingston has held mostly half-day workshops, but it will now hold more one- and two-day workshops to make it easier for members to accumulate points.
To prepare for the meeting Sept. 16, chapter presidents were asked to complete the recertification log themselves to get a better sense of what it would take for CHRP holders to recertify. Gilchrist hadn’t yet gone through the exercise, but “my past president did this and she was almost at 100 points after one year,” she said.
Several of the chapter presidents who talked with Canadian HR Reporter say flaws in the Certified Human Resources Professional recertification process have members upset. Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario maintains the number of unhappy members is relatively small and it is just a question of getting used to the change.
New national standards for the CHRP designation came into effect in March. One requirement, new for members of the HRPAO, is that CHRP holders recertify every three years.
Beginning in 2006, CHRP holders must either write a three-hour exam (with a 70 per cent grade required to pass) or complete and document professional development exercises. Those going the latter route will have to submit a recertification log and application form. The log must include all receipts and supporting documentation and three per cent of all logs will be audited.
CHRP holders must obtain 100 points awarded for a range of activities grouped into five categories: continuing education, instruction, leadership, new work projects/initiatives, and research publication.
Recertification will be on the agenda when chapter presidents meet with HRPAO in Toronto next week. (Also scheduled to be discussed at the Sept. 16 meeting is the requirement making a university degree mandatory for CHRP applicants. For more on this check out the "Related Articles" link below.)
Some members have a problem with the recertification process, said Allan Jeffers, president of the Durham chapter, just east of Toronto. But the question is, how many?
Jeffers sent an e-mail to more than 300 Durham chapter members. About 13 people responded. Many members were away on summer vacation so it is hard to tell how representative the 13 responses are, he said. But for those who responded, it was clear how they felt, he said. “They don’t like it. They don’t necessarily disagree with the concept, but they don’t like the process or the criteria.”
But Monica Belcourt, president of HRPAO, said very few members are unhappy with the recertification process. Out of nearly 13,000 members (about 4,600 of whom hold the CHRP), the association has only fielded 130 complaints. Most were simply looking for clarification about the requirements, she said. The lack of clarity in the recertification log has already been addressed and a new draft of the log was released to members on July 24, she added.
Any time you introduce change there are going to be some people who resist, she said. But often, people who say they don’t like the process haven’t even tried it. They just look at the log and think it is too onerous. Once they sit down and actually look at it, they will find it is not that difficult, she said.
Jeffers said some members feel the process emphasizes academic experience and undervalues practical experience. When people are already working 40 to 60 hours a week, it is difficult to find time to take courses. Others express concern about bearing the costs of professional development while working for an organization that doesn’t support training.
“I had a lot of people tell me that they are not going to renew their membership with the association because of the recertification process,” said Jeffers.
The most common complaint is that there are not enough opportunities for recertification activities away from the big cities, said Jeannie McQuaid, membership director for the Quinte chapter. Some of the members also feel there is too much emphasis on things like teaching or developing courses, “things that aren’t normal HR practitioner activities,” she said. “I think it ticks some people off.”
Another common complaint is that there is a limit on the number of points that can be obtained in each category, she said. “If someone wants to do professional development and get 90 per cent of their points from that, then why should that not count?”
Of the Quinte chapter’s 75 members, about 35 have the CHRP, said McQuaid. Of those, about 15 expressed concerns about recertification. Similar to what Jeffers heard from the Durham members, most are not opposed to recertification in theory; they are just unhappy with how it is being run, she said.
No other parts of the country have expressed concerns about the recertification process, says Anne Charette, president of the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations, the body that oversees the national standards. Outside of Ontario and Quebec, recertification was already mandatory for other provincial associations. CHRP holders in Ontario who are unhappy about it probably just don’t understand what is required. For most people the hardest part will be documenting professional development, not actually completing the necessary requirements, she said.
“Any HR practitioner who is truly a professional is going to easily do the professional development required to remain certified. The very nature of what we do means we must stay current with legislation. That means reading something or going to a seminar or workshop. Those are all points,” she said. Simply by completing the normal activities that HR professionals have to do to stay on top of their jobs will take them a long way to recertification, she said.
“It would be like a doctor not determining what new pharmaceuticals are in the market. It is that basic,” she said.
The national process is closely modelled on one that has been in place in British Columbia for years. Sarah Hood, chair of the Vancouver Island chapter of the British Columbia Human Resources Management Association, said the new process created for the national standards is actually better than the B.C. system. “I have not heard any complaints from members about the recertification process being more difficult or more challenging,” she said.
Hazel Gilchrist, president of the Kingston, Ont. chapter, said members are taking the recertification process in stride. “I haven’t had any negative comments,” she said. Since the recertification process was introduced in March, HRPAO has conducted “all sorts of communication” with members.
But, changes are needed to make it easier for members outside of Toronto to get professional development, she said. Either more funding should go to the chapters or more workshops should be held outside Toronto. In the past, Kingston has held mostly half-day workshops, but it will now hold more one- and two-day workshops to make it easier for members to accumulate points.
To prepare for the meeting Sept. 16, chapter presidents were asked to complete the recertification log themselves to get a better sense of what it would take for CHRP holders to recertify. Gilchrist hadn’t yet gone through the exercise, but “my past president did this and she was almost at 100 points after one year,” she said.
