Canadian HR Reporter

Canadian HR RepoRteR September 22, 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 'HRMA' new face of B.C. Association's extensive rebranding includes new logo, tagline By Sarah DoBSon brItIsh coLumbIa's HR association has officially unveiled its new name and logo as part of a major rebranding exercise. For- merly the BC Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA), the organization is now called HRMA. Good people practices aren't really bound by provincial bor- ders and many members have opportunities in other regions, including other countries, said Christian Codrington, senior manager, professional practice, at HRMA in Vancouver. And in today's digital economy, the asso- ciation's service level should re- flect its commitment to support and engage members — wher- ever they may be. "(With) the combination of those things together, plus the equity we already had in the mar- ketplace under the name of BC HRMA, we said, 'Let's drop the 'BC' and let's go through an exer- cise to ensure that our brand com- mitment to our members and to the profession is up to date.' And that also speaks to the reinven- tion, if you will, or the new look or new design of our corporate logo." HRMA worked with an adver- tising company to develop and roll out the new look. e exer- cise included a review of media around the HR profession and feedback from members through a survey, said Codrington. "We also tried to project out what we'd like the profession to look like, as well as how we could support our members, over the next five to 10 years." rough that, the association decided on its brand essence us- ing four words, with matching co- lours: powerful (red), trustworthy (blue), authoritative (orange) and informative (grey). e new logo features a stylized "h" joined with an "R" in a square and is meant to reflect the breadth and reach of the profession, said Codrington, with the connect- ing line representing a bridge be- tween operations and people or a tent to symbolize inclusiveness. "We sought to communicate the profession's breadth, reach and leadership in business. e square offered strength and clar- ity which supports the brand es- sence," said Donna-Jay Crowe, creative director and lead strate- gist at myron advertising + design in Vancouver. "Logos are very important to professional service organiza- tions like HRMA, to the point of the organization living up to its brand promise to members, the businesses it engages with, gov- ernment and the public." HRMA also has a new tagline: "e voice of the HR profession." "We felt it clearly communi- cated the aspiration of the orga- nization, removed any ambiguity about what the organization did, and clearly communicated hu- man resources as a profession (not an industry, sector, etcet- era)," said Crowe. Members were given a sneak peek of the new look at the as- sociation's annual conference in April and then voted on the initia- tive at the annual general meet- ing in June. It was unanimously accepted, said Codrington. "Our members are very posi- tive around the new look, the new feel… we've received pretty posi- tive feedback." to the Competency Framework is the addition of two new areas of expertise — strategy and HR metrics, reporting and financial management — to the previous seven functional areas of knowl- edge (professional practice; en- gagement; workforce planning and talent management; em- ployee and labour relations; total rewards; learning and develop- ment; and health, wellness and a safe workplace). Strategy can include, for ex- ample, impacting an organization and HR practices by "bringing to bear a strategic perspective that is informed by economic, societal, technological, political and de- mographic trends to enhance the value of human resources." And metrics can involve con- ducting comprehensive HR au- dits "by sampling policies, pro- cedures, programs and systems to identify strengths and areas for improvement and to ensure compliance." "ose were much more de- fined now in operations in HR and they really needed to stand alone, so we've broken those two out and now they will be measured as well, independently — not under one professional practice," said Newcombe. "at's an obvious evolution in the profession. As key contribu- tors, HR professionals have a strong understanding of the busi- ness metrics they're using now, as well as the ability to strategize as part of the executive team. You have to have that to be a key player — they're mandatory skills in the business person." e addition of the two new functional areas reflects what people are doing already, said Codrington. "We're acknowledging what the profession has been evolving towards, plus the increasing pres- sures on the discipline to be well- adept at showing their value." e new framework also out- lines five enabling competencies needed to complete the profes- sional's skill set: strategic and systems thinking; professional and ethical practice; critical problem-solving and analytical decision-making; change man- agement and cultural transfor- mation; and communication, conflict resolution and relation- ship management. The enabling competencies have always been a key part the human resources framework, said Newcombe. "We have elaborated on them due to their importance, which is the ability to translate the techni- cal knowledge required of an HR professional into the practice of HR in an effective and efficient manner — in summary, putting the competencies into practice." The framework specifies the proficiency level at which each competency is to be demonstrat- ed and how it will be assessed, she said. To certify for the CHRP, people taking the National Knowledge Exam (NKE) in November 2014 will write the same exam while the 2015 exams will reflect the changes made to the competency framework and weight the ques- tions more equitably, said Henkel. CHRP < pg. 1 5 enabling competencies in framework ACRoss CANAdA Canada loses 11,000 jobs in August, jobless rate stays at 7 per cent Drop of 111,800 for private sector Economists question August job numbers after last month's botched effort had predicted net gain of 10,000 jobs Canada should reward teachers who improve student achievement: Report Financial bonuses, other incentives should be based on student success Saskatchewan keeping tabs on Canadian worker layoffs at potash jobsite reports of temporary foreign workers kept on payroll CPP hiding rising costs, which have more than tripled since 2006: Report Says transaction, external management fees to blame Few jobless in Toronto collecting EI benefits System out of step with labour market realities: expert ARouNd tHe woRLd Harvard survey of company executives finds many foresee stagnant or lower pay for workers also predict fewer openings, full-time jobs Despite higher joblessness, Europe surpasses U.S. in keeping people working europe also boosting proportion of women in workforce Connecticut catering company CEO resigns over dog-kicking incident incident prompted outcry on social media U.S. fast-food workers arrested in protests for wage hike 86 arrested in 150 cities U.S. companies added 204,000 jobs in August, latest sign of healthy hiring Fifth straight month of solid gains hrreporter.com FeAtuReD ViDeo Understanding data in benefit plans Mike Sullivan, president of Cubic health, explains to Canadian hr reporter TV how employers can save on costs by better understanding the data service providers can share

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