Professionals predict licensing in 15 years
HR professionals are nearly evenly split on whether or not the profession should be licensed, according to a poll.
The Pulse Survey by Canadian HR Reporter and the Toronto-based Human Resources Professionals Association found 48 per cent of 1,054 respondents are in favour of some form of licensing while 43.7 per cent are against it.
Many respondents in favour of licensing believe it would guarantee a certain level of competence among professionals, which in turn would protect employers and the public.
“Licensing would raise the profession and give employers much more reassurance that the practitioners they have are knowledgeable and credible. The licensing would also provide a higher level of protection for the actual practitioner,” said Karen McGregor, corporate manager of organizational development and learning for Grey Bruce Health Services in Owen Sound, Ont.
Licensing would be especially helpful in the field of HR consultants, said Margaret Michaels, a 20-year HR veteran in Ottawa. Currently anyone can call himself an HR consultant, go into an organization and give advice, she said.
“I see an awful lot of chaos, I see a lot of deceit, I see a lot of people being led down the garden path by individuals who simply don’t have the education or credentials to back them up,” said Michaels. “I don’t know how they get away with calling themselves experts.”
However, HR is a very broad field, which can make it more difficult to devise a licensing system, she said. That’s why licensing should only come into play for HR professionals who specialize in a given field, such as labour relations or compensation, said McGregor.
Of those respondents who think the profession should be licensed, most believe HR professionals who represent employers or clients at adjudication boards should be licensed (76.4 per cent), followed by those who sign off on compliance-related documents (72 per cent), termination agreements (66.2 per cent), HR policy manuals (64.5 per cent) and executive compensation plans (57.9 per cent).
Many respondents also commented on which aspects of HR should be licensed, with many saying any professional who deals with legal or legislative requirements, such as health and safety compliance and employment contracts, should be licensed. Several also wrote professionals who are involved in collective bargaining, who oversee training and development program design, succession planning and organizational development as well as independent HR consultants should be licensed.
However, some respondents don’t think any aspect of HR should be licensed, regardless of the complexity of the work.
“If the case is that complicated and worrisome our company, and many I know of, would go to lawyers,” said Wayne Hulme, a 30-year HR veteran in Woodstock, Ont. Licensing would just be an added layer of government regulation the profession doesn’t need, he added.
When asked if licensing is realistic, 45.8 per cent of respondents say it is and 44.5 per cent say it isn’t. However, 52 per cent believe at least part of the profession will be licensed in the next five to 15 years, while 34.6 per cent believe it will never be licensed.
Licensing the profession is made especially difficult because many line managers also perform HR duties, said Thomas Holmes, a professor of HR management at the University of Toronto. Also, HR’s role is to advise managers and the senior ranks on HR issues.
“HR strictly supports management, therefore, there isn’t anything that HR does that they are totally accountable for,” he said.
Many respondents also feel licensing, or even the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation, doesn’t guarantee an HR professional will be better at the job than someone without those qualifications.
