Canadian HR Reporter

The CPHR Manitoba we see today has changed tremendously over the past five years and is exceptionally well positioned for continued growth and influence over the next five years. "In 2013, when we established this strategic plan, we were a very different organization than we are today," says Ron Gauthier, Chief Executive Officer. "We had recently stabilized from a financially precarious position, so it was to the Board's credit that they established goals that stretched us in the areas we needed to prioritize." Their mission remains — to advance the human resources profession and drive business excellence. The four pillars of the strategic plan provided the framework for that day to day work that has incrementally resulted in a dynamic change. They were: - position the association and profession as thought leaders with significant influence; - promote the CPHR brand; - grow the membership to 2,500 by 2019; - and become self-regulated by 2019. And while not all of them have been achieved, the progress is exciting. In 2013, the organization was known as HRMAM and the designation was the CHRP. While there was significant leadership demonstrated by members and volunteers inside the organization, the external visibility and recognition was low and the role of thought leadership was narrowed specifically to a few key events. Today, CPHR Manitoba enjoys very strong brand recognition, with 62% of Manitoba Chamber members in Winnipeg and 43% of members in Manitoba aware of the CPHR designation; and 86% of Manitoba Chamber members value designated professionals who abide by a Code of Ethics. "This spike in awareness among our target markets is significant, considering only 3% of business leaders across Canada knew the old name, CHRP, just five years ago," adds Ron Gauthier. "CPHR is becoming a well-known workplace name." Thought leadership reaches deeper than external communication to influence government and business leaders, post-secondary education and ongoing professional development and significant progress has been made here, as well. Government and Business "Our strategic partnerships with the Chambers of Commerce have granted us a platform to showcase the value and importance of HR in the workplace," says Janice Harper, Board Chair. "In turn, we're seeing an increase in the demand for CPHRs in Manitoba's workplaces." CPHR Manitoba participated in CPHR Canada's third annual Day on the Hill to reinforce that CPHR Canada is the national voice for HR, encouraging employers and government alike to recognize and hire designated HR professionals. Post-secondary Education This year alone, CPHR Manitoba recognized two more post-secondary programs through the Post-Secondary Institute (PSI) Accreditation Program. Since its launch three years ago, CPHR Manitoba has accredited eight post- secondary HR programs in Manitoba. "Our team has been connecting with students across Manitoba, educating them about the HR industry, the CPHR designation and becoming a member of CPHR," adds Janice Harper. "We've also been working with post-secondary students that are part of the CPHR Manitoba PSI Accreditation Program." Professional Development (PD) The accreditation program also includes external PD partners, whose offerings contribute to the opportunities for members to expand their knowledge base in areas that are relevant to their careers in timely and convenient ways. And of course, the CPHR Manitoba conference has grown steadily year over year, attracting the best local and national HR expertise. Membership While not the 2,500 goal established in 2013, CPHR Manitoba's membership reached 1,564 this year - a 5% increase over last and a 15% increase over the past five years. This is the highest membership number in the history of the Association. "Our number of CPHR Candidates are the greatest contributor to our growth in membership," says Ron Gauthier. "Our proactive positioning with the accredited post-secondary institutions in Manitoba also contributed to this growth." Going forward, the 2011 National Household Survey highlights potentially 2500 more HR practitioners for CPHR Manitoba to reach. Self-Regulation Finally, terrific progress has been made toward self-regulation. CPHR Manitoba presented their submission to government for self-regulation in 2017. Communication with members, post- secondary education leaders, business leaders and government has continued throughout this time. "We have heard a great deal of support from all the communities involved," added Gauthier. "Business and post- secondary education leaders have publicly expressed their support for self-regulation; and we are in ongoing dialogue with government about the positive impact this will have on our business climate and about the nature of the legislation itself." Looking forward "Over the past five years, HR has moved squarely into the limelight for business leaders around topics like leadership and integrity, artificial intelligence, inclusion and reconciliation and of course, competitiveness and business performance in ways we couldn't have predicted," added Janice Harper. "As we develop our new five-year strategic plan, we recognize that we need to face change bravely and purposefully and keep the mission of advancing our profession and driving business excellence at the core of all of our decisions." At the 5 year point for their strategic plan, CPHR Manitoba reports significant progress in each of their four key areas and they prepare to establish a new strategic plan to lead the organization through the next five years. Ron Gauthier Janice Harper CPHR Manitoba Moves the Needle Again Establishing our Leadership Position Become a CPHR ™ . For more information visit CPHRMB.ca

• Cover