Unfair to compare HR to law or medicine, say survey respondents
Although the question of whether HR is a true profession is not new, it seemed worth revisiting. And based on the fact there were 2,235 respondents to the latest Pulse Survey, it would appear the question is still relevant.
At first blush, the answer to the core question is overwhelmingly “yes” — 85 per cent said HR is indeed a true profession — but the comments present a more shaded picture. Many respondents seem to want to qualify their endorsement of this statement. Some said it is preposterous to even question HR’s status as a true profession.
A relatively small minority — 7.8 per cent — said HR is not a true profession. Most often, these respondents felt HR was simply another business function, such as sales or marketing, but not a true profession.
The survey intentionally did not provide a definition of a true profession. And it is clear from the comments there are many differing points of view on what it means. Many focused on where HR might be falling short — such as the lack of an established body of knowledge, accountability and a greater ethical perspective or that there are too many ways individuals can become HR professionals. Still others noted HR will not be a true profession until it is licensed. Those who are interested in a discussion of what it means to be a profession could refer to Eliot Freidson’s book Professionalism: The Third Logic.
A number of respondents felt comparing HR to established professions such as medicine, law, engineering or accounting was not fair because HR is a new or emerging profession. As one respondent noted: “All the pieces were there but we have to give it some time.” Interestingly, the respondents who had the lowest proportion of agreement to the statement “HR is a true profession” were those with non-HR professional designations, at 68.4 per cent. The other groups were all close to 85 per cent (no professional designation at 84.4 per cent, Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation holders at 87.6 per cent and those with an HR designation other than the CHRP at 84.1 per cent). Perhaps this relates to the “big disconnect” (see my comments below) between how HR professionals see themselves and how other professionals see them.
“Being a profession” and “acting professionally” are not the same thing — 72 per cent agreed HR professionals demonstrate a high degree of professionalism or better and 67.1 per cent indicated the degree of professionalism among HR professionals has increased at least somewhat over the past five years. Many respondents noted there is a small minority of HR professionals who lack professionalism and damage the reputation of all HR professionals.
And then there is the big disconnect. Although 85 per cent of respondents said HR is a true profession, only 30 per cent felt others outside the HR profession see HR this way. This is a big gap by any measure. Many reasons were given as to why there is such a disconnect — such as the administrative role of HR in many organizations. A number of respondents suggested it would be interesting to have non-HR business types fill out the survey. It would be interesting indeed to see if the disconnect is really as big as HR professionals think it is.
Finally, 69.3 per cent of respondents indicated the professionalization of HR is still an important issue for the profession. This response, combined with the perception the level of professionalism is increasing among HR professionals, suggest there is strong support for pushing forward with the professionalization agenda. Comments suggest such efforts should focus mainly on setting higher standards for entry into the profession and stronger consequences for HR professionals who fall short of professional standards.
Despite the progress that has been made, the HR profession is clearly a work in progress but there is strong desire to move forward.
Claude Balthazard is director of HR excellence and acting registrar of the Human Resources Professionals Association in Toronto. He can be reached at [email protected].
