Canadian HR Reporter

Canadian HR RepoRteR July 14, 2014 2 NEws Recent stories posted on www.hrreporter.com. Check the website daily for quick news hits from across Canada and around the world. web O n t h e SHRP no longer offered by Saskatchewan's HR association Ontario only province still granting senior designation, held by about 200 HR professionals By Sarah DoBSon introduced five years ago, the Senior Human Resources Professional (SHRP) designation is still a rarity in Canada, with just four SHRPs in Saskatchewan and about 200 in Ontario. So it might not come as a com- plete surprise to hear the Sas- katchewan Association of Human Resource Professionals (SAHRP) has announced it will no longer grant the designation. "e focus for the SAHRP will be on the granting and recertifi- cation of the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation," it said in a release on its website. "e work of the national body (Canadian Council of Human Resources Association), with in- volvement from the provincial as- sociations over the past couple of years, has focused exclusively on the CHRP to ensure the qualifica- tions and standards in achieving the CHRP designation are consis- tent nationally and are both reli- able and valid." Low numbers a challenge In some respects, the low num- ber of SHRPs in Saskatchewan is a revelation, according to Gary Mearns, vice-president of HR at Federated Co-Operatives in Saskatoon. An SHRP, he said he knows others in senior roles in the province who would certainly qualify. "It's maybe a reflection of the busy lives that people have in se- nior roles that maybe they haven't taken the time, or potentially (it's) the perceived value as to really what difference is it going to make — there's always some of that too," said Mearns. "First of all, you've got to mar- ket something pretty extensively to get people to see the value of it. But I think that's the big part of it: Why do it, what is it really going to do? Maybe people haven't thought about that it's necessarily going to change a whole lot for their career, and again it's the time factor." When Mearns applied, it was partly about setting an example, he said. "I've been strong in my career about the whole importance of raising the profile of the HR role in organizations, so I saw this as a natural evolution," said Mearns. "I try to always encourage my team members within my HR group… to constantly upgrade their skills and their knowledge and why it's important to stay cur- rent in your field, so I feel I have to lead by example." JoAnne Trotter, director of change and learning at McCain Foods in Toronto, and an SHRP, is unsure about the impact of the SHRP on her career. "I'm not sure it's as prevalent out in the public. It's known with- in the HR profession but I couldn't say if someone actually looked for SHRPs in order to select me as a candidate. I don't think it's as well- known yet, so I think there's still some marketing that needs to (be done)," she said. "CEOs and business leaders, I don't think, are as familiar with the standards of our profession as they might be with the standards of accounting." But it's still very valuable, said Trotter. "It is a differentiator because of the assessment process," she said. "ere aren't hundreds of SHRPs, there is a limited number within a broad range of human resources professionals, so it's more of an elite group and their profession recognizes that and offers speci- fied opportunities for SHRPs. "It, to me, recognizes a different level of maturity within the pro- fession, and when I say maturity, it's just not about tenure, it's about breadth of experience and strate- gic application. And demonstrat- ing some capability, like the ability to have a breadth of knowledge and experience, and sit at the table versus being transactional… I mean, you can be 20 years in HR but reach a level (where) you haven't applied strategy, you are just doing transactional HR." Ontario focuses on multi-level value In introducing the SHRP, the HRPA wanted to provide value at all levels, said Bill Greenhalgh, CEO of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) in Toronto. "At the time, we were finding that there was a tendency for the organization to really cater to people at the entry level and the mid-level, but not much focus at the senior level. "So it wasn't just a matter of introducing a new designation, it was actually a combination of the designation itself and then pro- grams and activities for people at that level that were relevant and appropriate. "It was a chance for us to in- volve senior people in the as- sociation and provide programs and networking and what I would call narrow and deep programs of professional development." e HRPA realized from the start there was a limited num- ber of potentials for the SHRP — probably about 500 in total in Ontario — according to Green- halgh, adding they thought it would take some years to get to that number. "It's moving along, it's healthy and… there's a sort of virtuous circle there — the more people join, the more people are in- terested in joining, that kind of thing," he said. "And it's not an easy designation to get. If there is one comment that we've received back, that we've been working on, is that it is quite cumbersome and difficult. But then it's a very valuable des- ignation so, to some extent, you have to walk a fine line here." It's possible some of the other provinces don't have many peo- ple in that senior category, but Saskatchewan's decision does not affect the designation in Ontario, he said. "All the provinces are fully re- sponsible for their designation, so our designations are offered with- in Ontario. ere is comparability across the country. We, of course, recognize the CHRP, although (it's) awarded in slightly different ways in different provinces, but… 99 per cent of the time, each prov- ince is focused on its own desig- nation, within its own territory, so the fact that we have a SHRP, it's basically for our members, and if other associations want to pick it up and run with it, they're welcome to do so. But again they would be awarding it within their own geographic region." Out-of-province options An HR professional from another province could pursue the desig- nation in Ontario since there is no residency requirement. How- ever, she would have to become a member of HRPA to be granted and hold the designation, accord- ing to Mara Berger, co-ordinator in the office of the registrar at the HRPA. "Since no other province grants the SHRP, they would need to contact the HR association in the other province to determine whether that association would mutually recognize the designa- tion once it has been granted in Ontario if they would like to have the SHRP recognized in that prov- ince as well." e SHRP would have more value if it was offered across Can- ada, according to Trotter. "It would be nicer if it was of- fered Canada-wide," she said, be- cause it would have more auspices to it and greater transportability. "It would be in everybody's best interest to maintain it as a national designation." To make a success of the des- ignation requires a threefold ap- proach, said Greenhalgh, with activities around promotion, re- tention and exclusivity. "ere's no point in having a designation if it's just a piece of pa- per… ere have to be benefits in having it. We've done a lot of work in making sure that there is value in getting it, there's exclusivity in it in terms of some of the programs that we offer… and you've got to make sure that as the numbers grow, they become ambassadors for the program itself," he said. "When you've got 150, 200, that helps a lot; if you only have single figures, then it's very difficult to maintain it, but you really have to kind of put time and effort in to get that momentum upfront, to get the big rock rolling and, after you've got it rolling, you just need to keep pushing it every so often to keep it moving." An HR professional from another province could pursue the sHRP in Ontario but he would have to become a member to be granted the designation. AROuND CANADA New anti-spam law won't put a stop to all unwanted emails, says legal expert Most firms not prepared for new legislation: Lawyer Edmonton woman charged with human trafficking, hiring foreign workers illegally Maximum penalty is $1 million fine or 1 year in jail Activists push for guaranteed minimum income for Canadians Goal of giving each Canadian $20,000 as a basic amount — whether they're employed or not Confusing EI rules have created fear among Atlantic Canadian workers: Report Claimants afraid they may be forced to work out-of-province Saskatchewan ready to start writing OHS tickets Summary offence Tickets for workplace safety infractions could be handed out as of July 1 Supreme Court rules Walmart must compensate workers at closed Quebec store Company modified working conditions without valid reason: ruling AROuND tHE wORlD Ikea increases hourly pay by 17 per cent, the most in 10 years raises tied to cost of living for each location India's Modi eyes first labour overhaul in decades to create jobs agenda includes relaxing laws around hiring, firing of workers U.S. top court rules for companies on birth control mandate Business owners can object on religious grounds to covering birth control in health insurance Japan jobless rate hits 16-year low Labour market continues to tighten, reflecting recovery U.S. Supreme Court ruling seen unlikely to alter past NLRB decisions Court's decision will trigger 'short-term chaos' as labour board re-evaluates 1,000 past decisions Britain to clamp down on abuse of zero-hour worker contracts 125,000 workers barred from seeking work with another employer Credit: Anindito Mukherjee (Reuters) Credit: Petr Josek Snr (Reuters)

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