At the HRPA, we have four core values that our staff and volunteers hold paramount, Respect, Integrity, Transparency and Accountability. Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed escalated levels of protest in the United States not seen since the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. In Canada, voices have been raised in solidarity with our American neighbours, while also raising awareness about racial inequities here. As we watch what is happening, our core value of integrity is needed now more than ever. This value states that we can be trusted and relied upon to do what we say we will do and act with honesty, professionalism, and a commitment to do the right thing.
The right thing to do is to speak out against racism, inequality, and limited access to justice and to do something about it. To truly demonstrate diversity and inclusion, HR professionals strengthen organizations and make businesses more resilient when their work force reflects the unique and diverse composition of the communities they serve. But we recognize that more work can be done, and believe that our members are constant learners and innovators who strive to ensure that the organizations they work for are equitable for all.
We encourage members to join our new online community forum on solutions and best practices in dealing with inequality and inclusion in the workplace. For the next six-weeks, HRPA would like to invite thought leaders and HR insiders to provide their perspectives about the best practices across all areas of HR that reduce bias, eliminate discriminatory practices and elevate equality.
HR professionals are more than their sum. They help shape and implement policies and procedures that promote inclusion and champion diversity to protect employees, foster respect for their organizations, and strengthen society. Simply put our members inspire professionalism when they enhance diversity and inclusion and strive to eliminate discrimination and exclusion in people practices.
On April 14, 2020 we welcomed KrisTierney as our new Vice-President, Human Resources & Learning.
Early this month I had the opportunity to speak with Kris about her experience as a Human Resources Professional in Ontario today.
Here are some highlights from that discussion.
Congratulations on joining HRPA! Can you share with us some of the things that attracted you to the role?
Kris: Thank you so much! There are several things that attracted me to the role, but in particular, I was struck by the focus and strength of the current strategic plan. The four key themes of the plan resonated with me on a personal and professional level, and I felt that I could make meaningful contributions in all areas.
My background will allow me to influence the plan and collaborate with the team to make it a success. As soon as I read it, I thought: “that’s a mission and a vision that I can get behind!” Plus, as I continued discussions with various members of the HRPA team, I was inspired by their commitment to drive the necessary changes that will benefit our HRPA team, our members, and the public at large.
I feel fortunate that I have worked with some very people-focused CEO’s and executive teams in the past, who have embraced HR as a strategic priority. However, I know that there are many business leaders who underestimate the strategic significance of highly trained and skilled HR Professionals in their organizations. HRPA is driving to change that, and I knew almost immediately that it’s a movement I want to be a part of.
You’ve been an HRPA member for a long time and you are also a CHRL, tell us about some of the changes you’ve seen in the HR profession in your 20+ years as a senior HR leader?
Kris: I remember when I first started studying business – the relevant HR course in the program was simply called “Human Relations”. It was more of a study in human behaviour and psychology than people strategies and workplace standards!
Over time, I’ve seen the wave of change in our profession gain momentum; first in education as HR became its own stand-alone degree, then when business leaders starting to adopt the idea of strategic HR, and finally with the passing of the Registered Human Resources Professionals Act, in 2013.
The trend that, I believe, has been the most significant is the shift in how HR is perceived and valued by business leaders and employees. We are seen as experts. Increasingly, managers are reaching out to their HR colleagues – not as simply those who do hiring and firing – but as partners and trusted advisors. We now co-create solutions to our workplaces’ most difficult problems. Despite this great leap forward, there is still more to do to advance the HR profession and cement HR’s value in all organizations and across all industries.
With the increasing complexity in workplaces today, what value can HR professionals bring to their organizations that will really make a difference to the company and to the employees who work there?
Kris: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a game changer for all of us, and I am sure it will define our life experiences for the future.
In particular, HR has been thrust into the spotlight over the last few months and boy, have we risen to the challenge! But, what we HR Professionals know is that we deal with things like this daily, granted on a much smaller scale. What I mean by this is that HR always has its eye on government policy and changing workplace standards. HR always has its eye on its company’s workplace policies and how it will impact the business. HR always has its eye on the employee experience and each individual’s changing personal circumstances. HR always has its eye on keeping payroll going. And so on.
In my view, there are two sides to HR: technical and human, and both can be quantified. On the technical side, good HR can ensure business practices and workplace standards reduce risk for an organization, including financial, reputational or legal risks. If not handled well, these can leave a lasting, and negative, legacy for a company that can be costly and time consuming. There is a lot to consider when setting up and running a business of any size, and a skilled HR Professional will help the business and its leaders navigate the various employment related rules and regulations. In doing so, business leaders will be left to focus on being successful rather than mitigating HR related damages.
But, let’s not forget the “human” in “Human Resources” where employee engagement, discretionary effort and retention are all key factors in organizational performance and productivity. Humans are complex and emotional beings, and ideas on a page or rules in a book can’t begin to address how the human experience impacts an organization, both positively and negatively. High vacancy rates, high turnover, and low engagement can cost businesses, potentially through lower sales, higher expenses, and wasted resources. HR Professionals as people experts can advise and counsel the business and its leaders to uncover, define and develop its culture to keep employees engaged, inspired, motivated and performing. The business wins financially, leaders win with high performing teams, and employees win with fair and inspiring workplaces.
I am not sure how organizations can win without HR Professionals on board.
You’ve joined HRPA at a time that HR professionals are spread thin in supporting their organizations with the global COVID-19 pandemic. What advice do you have for HR professionals to take care of themselves in these very challenging times?
Kris: First, let me say that I hope everyone is keeping safe and is doing well. HR Professionals are typically the first ones in the organization to lean-in and support employees and managers through challenging times, and often make personal sacrifices to do so.
So, my best advice is to take care of yourself as well, both physically and mentally. If you can, take time to rest and refresh. Find what works for you and build it into your day. You can also lean on each other for support. Stay connected via the HRPA Community, because no one understands what you’re going through better than other HR Professionals. Be honest with yourself and how you are feeling, and don’t forget that your company’s EAP applies to you too! Be well, and know that you are valued and valuable; the employees, managers and businesses you are supporting feel your impact.
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By: Louise Taylor Green, CEO, Human Resources Professional Association
Today, the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) takes an important first step.
The step is about the future; it’s about the potential of the HR profession; and it’s about the critical role that the HRPA will play.
We’re aiming high and taking absolutely nothing for granted.
HRPA members are experts at implementing modern people practices at the pace of, and in response to, the dynamic forces facing workplaces.
Today, leaders turn to HR professionals to guide them through what is most pressing:
The pandemic response;
Addressing issues of systemic racism;
Enhancing programs that bolster equity, diversity and inclusion;
Accelerating change adoption while implementing remote work and other organizational change;
Attending to physical and mental well-being at work;
Implementing talent programs that retain the best and brightest people; and
Upgrading skills and capabilities through learning and development that prepares workers and workplaces to thrive.
All of these actions underscore the value and impact of the HR profession.
Regulated HR Professionals are trusted by both employees and employers because they know how to navigate and plan for the increasing complexity of the new world of work.
They practice the highest standard of HR and are governed by our Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct.
Regulated HR Professionals are competent, ethical and professional.
Ontario business is just beginning to tap the potential of what HR Professionals can do for their bottom-line and culture, for growth and talent.
Before we get to today’s announcement, let’s first quickly look back at what allowed for this moment…..
Two years ago, the HRPA team shifted our energies to take stock of where we were, what we had accomplished, and most importantly, where we wanted to go.
When we paused, there was a long trail of success and achievement to make our members, Ontario business, and our maturing profession proud.
We had done well. But our eyes were to the future. Our eyes were to this moment and this step.
We were driven to increase our impact and to elevate the respect for the HR Profession.
We asked ourselves:
Imagine if all workplaces were transformed into high-performing organizations with healthy, strong cultures?
Imagine if all HR Professionals were performing HR to the full scope of practice in order to improve the performance of Ontario businesses?
Imagine if the general public increased their trust in regulated HR Professionals as competent, ethical and professional?
This is what we want to achieve. We no longer want to ‘Imagine’ – we want to raise the floor for the entire HR profession so that we can reach new heights.
With this foundation, HRPA and the Board of Directors designed a strategic plan for 2019-2021, themed ‘Inspiring Professionalism’. Taking stock allowed us to see clearly the value and impact of regulated HR Professionals.
The plan mapped how we would invest in raising professional standards and ensuring our broad audiences adopted and acted upon the highest levels of HR practice.
But talking stock also requires looking at the gaps and misses – where we needed to dig deeper.
In work, as in life, this is a critically vital, though difficult, exercise.
We discovered that our core audiences – those who mattered most to us – did not fully understand who we were or why we did what we do. What’s more, we weren’t consistent about how we explained it ourselves.
This was our opportunity and the subject of today’s big step.
HRPA is a Regulatory Association made up of over 24,000 members and students. We serve the public, our members, students and Ontario business. We are the regulator for the HR Profession in Ontario. We have a flourishing network of 26 Chapters. We set the standards for HR professionalism and protect the public by ensuring that the HR Professionals they interact with can be relied on for excellence in HR practice.
It’s a lot. And for some, it was confusing.
It was of critical and immediate importance that we answered the question ‘Why did the HRPA exist?’ in clear and transformative language.
Fast forward to today.
Today, we take an important first step, fully conscious and ready to articulate why we do what we do.
Today is the big reveal moment when we can share the branding journey we’ve been on. This is not about a new logo or new colour palette. Though both are fantastic.
This is about a journey we all start today. And it requires us all. To take the time to understand the brand, ask questions about our purpose and our value to our stakeholders, and then ensure that everything we do serves to meet the spirit of what we stand for, together.
From this moment forward, we will be able to share why we exist.
HR is no longer a back-office function. HR is driving organizational transformation and culture. We want business and society to know and believe in our value.
Moving forward we will be Ambitious. Bold. Strategic. Inspiring. These are the four characteristics of HRPA’s brand promise. In all that we do, we will seek to meet the spirit of these four attributes.
Our audience includes all those the HRPA seeks to serve. Some of us may serve one, some, or all of these in our day-to-day work. But know that whether we work with HR Professionals, CEOs and Business Leaders, Colleges + Universities, the General Public, Students, or the levels of Governments, all are served with the same passion and professionalism.
How do we bring this broad and diverse group of people and organizations together? We must identify the one thing we all care about and believe.
In a single statement, we exist because:
Better HR Makes Business Better
This is our rallying cry and the answer to why we exist.
We believe well-run businesses are essential to a thriving society. To ensure our corporate world is operating at its highest capacity, we need leaders who act as champions for positive change.
That’s why the HRPA exists — to ensure HR Professionals have the most up-to-date tools and the advanced skills to lead our workplaces into the future. HRPA members are held to the province’s highest standards, so Ontario workplaces can trust us to help unlock business growth and optimize employee potential. Only HRPA members lead and shape the highest-performing workforces, setting them up to handle whatever challenges come their way. Because the HRPA means better HR.
In everything we do, HRPA will ensure the highest of standards are set and met and our members are armed with the latest and best tools, because: Better HR Makes Business Better.
With this foundation, and on behalf of all of those who worked incredibly hard to masterfully bring us to this moment, I am honoured to reveal our new HRPA brand identity:
It is ambitious, bold, strategic, and inspiring. It captures our essence and differentiates our past learnings from our future potential.
Thank you for taking this step with us, and I look forward to going on this journey with you all.
Organizations need new thinking, and informed guidance to manage their most important resources – their people. That’s why the theme of the HRPA2020 Annual Conference and Tradeshow is Power Up HR.
The HR profession is empowering itself to embrace and harness technology, changing demographics and a truly global economy. We must equip ourselves with the tools and knowledge to take on the challenges of future, and HRPA has built this year’s conference with those specific needs in mind.
As HR professionals, we also have the privilege and the responsibility to elevate or “power up” our delivery of world-class human capital management in our workplaces. And we need to do all of this while ensuring that the administrative and transactional elements of HR are fulfilled flawlessly.
This work may be invisible to our employees and leaders but the consequences of not getting it right are high. The risk of data breaches, privacy violations, health & safety issues, unconscious bias in recruitment processes, errors in pension & payroll can all have catastrophic consequences on public confidence in a particular organization, its employees or the industry as a whole.
And the stakes are even higher with new disruptors like Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation or RPA, and Machine Learning. If they aren’t already in your industry or your workplace, trust me, they’re coming.
Technology will disrupt the way work is done and define what the work of humans actually is. HR is not immune — the work that HR does, and the way enterprise processes are fulfilled, will change dramatically. For some of us, these phenomena may seem like they’re happening to other people’s organizations or industries. I assure you, if you’re not feeling the impact yet, you will soon.
For example, artificial intelligence will radically accelerate the time to fill positions, and cuts out a lot of traditional HR processing. It can also increase the applicant’s positive experience and sentiment about the employer.
Yet, even with AI entering and workplaces transforming, they remain fundamentally human enterprises. In an era defined by change, the human resources profession has never been more essential to the workplace made up of people.
HRPA2020 demonstrates that HR professionals are leading the way in understanding and shaping the modern technology-enabled workplace. We are vital drivers of organizational transformation and excellence, and I’m confident that our dedication to our profession, and our desire to learn, adapt, and thrive, will power the next evolution of human resources.
I am excited to share with you some Human Resources Professional Association updates that make me particularly proud to be part of our profession and the HRPA family.
Diversity + Inclusion is an organizational best practice that brings out the most from our teams, adds the best to our cultures, and allows us to perform at the highest levels. More than anything, a strong and fully integrated D+I Program is simply the right thing to do.
I want to ensure HRPA is – and remains – a leader in Diversity + Inclusion and supports the best and latest thinking in this area.
As such, work is being done across the Association to ensure D+I is fully integrated into new and existing programs, processes, and values. This is a priority of mine and I am committed to making incredible strides to ensure D+I is part of everything we do.
Included below is a taste of just some of what is planned for the remainder of 2020.
I hope you will join us for upcoming events and please feel free to reach out if you would like to learn more about what HRPA can do for your career or organization.
CURRENT HRPA D+I INITIATIVES
A) Partner with Leaders in the D+I space
HRPA wants to be affiliated with the latest and best thinking. We have strategic partnerships with experts in D+I research and data acquisition, academia, law and regulatory changes, and business.
B) Professional Development & Learning
SIGN UP! Here is just a taste of what is coming and what you will be invited to attend soon:
Webinar Series, Part 1: Battling Systemic Racism in the Workplace (4 Events).
This series will examine many of the issues surrounding systemic racism. From the history of Black Lives Matter to current events triggered by the senseless killings of innocent Black men and women, our panels of experts will share their lived experiences, perspectives, and practical approaches to dealing with systemic racism in the workplace.
The series is hosted by the HRPA and features expert panelists, moderated by Laura Williams, Principal of Williams HR Law Consulting.
Dates and times:
September 28, 2020, 1:00pm – 2:30pm ET
October 14, 2020, 1:00pm – 2:30pm ET
November 2, 2020, 1:00pm – 2:30pm ET
November 26, 2020, 1:00pm – 2:30pm ET
Cost:
Members: FREE
Non-Members: $35 for one session or $100 for the entire series
C) HRPA Online Communities
We have created an internal peer-to-peer space for members to exchange experiences, best practices, and learnings.
D) Partnership and Research with Diversio
Diversio is a leader of insights and best practices of diversity, inclusion, and human rights. Through this strategic partnership, HRPA is conducting third party research looking at Ontario’s organizational approach to D+I. We will draw on these results to inform important discussions and to support HRPA’s advocacy work.
