Practitioners see HR as true profession but still see need to raise profile, professionalism
While most human resources practitioners think HR is a true profession, more work is still needed to raise its profile with other professionals, according to the latest Pulse Survey.
The survey of 2,235 Canadian HR Reporter readers and members of the Human Resources Professionals Association found 85 per cent believe HR is a true profession.
“I think we’ve come a long way,” said Cheryl Sproul, a Toronto-based HR executive with 30 years of experience.
The creation of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation, the recertification process to ensure practitioners maintain a stable body of knowledge and the code of ethics have all helped the profession evolve, she said.
“I think we’ve done a reasonable job of putting into place the structures that are required for a professional designation. We are definitely defining ourselves as a profession,” said Sproul.
But only 30.9 per cent of respondents think other professionals see those in HR as true professionals and 69.3 per cent think the professionalization of HR is still an important issue.
“There’s still some work to be done,” said Brian Hughes, a 20-year HR veteran in London, Ont.
Over the past few years, HR has moved from an administrative function to one that has a strategic impact on the organization, he said. But not everyone sees that and it’s up to HR practitioners to raise the profile of the profession.
“The individuals within the profession have to take the initiative and truly engage within the business and develop those internal relationships,” he said.
They also need to be seen as advocating for the overall business, not just for employees, he added.
While, on a general level, there is a high degree of professionalism among HR practitioners, there is still room for improvement when it comes to developing business acumen, said Hughes.
“The best way to be seen as a professional is to know the business you are in and bring value to the business by leading an organization to (higher) levels of capability,” he said.
Professionalism improving
However, the majority of respondents think the profession is moving in the right direction, with 67.2 per cent saying the degree of professionalism — defined as the attitudes, values and behaviours associated with being professional — among HR professionals has improved over the last five years.
And the vast majority (93.7 per cent) of respondents said HR professionals demonstrate at least a fair degree of professionalism.
The best way for HR to continue to evolve as a profession and for practitioners to become true professionals is for experienced HR practitioners to mentor those just starting out, said Sproul.
“I believe there should be a strong onus placed on the HR veterans to establish, demonstrate and foster the appropriate values and ethics and behaviours that constitute an HR professional,” she said.
Accreditation requirement?
But not all respondents view HR as a true profession. Unlike law or medicine, which can only be practised by people who have a specific designation, there is no such requirement for working in HR, said Virve Georgresson, who has a law degree and the CHRP.
“Anybody can go out there, claim to be an HR person and work in HR. Lots of people work in HR for years and years and never get any accreditation,” she said.
“Furthermore, the licence to practise a profession can be revoked for various reasons, such as incompetence or unethical behaviour, but not so for a person doing HR work.”
