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TODAY’S BUSINESS DEMANDS AND INCREASED
WORKPLACE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS CONVERGE
TO CREATE THE NEED FOR A MORE “PROFESSIONAL”
HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSION
By Bill Greenhalgh
It has been several decades since the “personnel
manager” has evolved into the
present-day “HR professional” when referring
to someone who practices human
resources management. But what does this
title mean?
Do we mean that (1) this individual belongs
to a profession, or (2) this individual
earns his or her livelihood practicing HR
management?
Let’s consider two well-known (non-
HR) professionals for guidance: Usain Bolt,
Olympic gold medalist and 100-metre sprint
world record holder; and Brian Greenspan, arguably
Canada’s best known criminal lawyer.
Both are “professionals,” but the meaning
changes upon close inspection. Bolt is recognized
as a huge talent in his field and is
universally acknowledged as a professional
athlete not just because he is paid for his efforts
but because he is an exceptionally good
sprinter.
Greenspan is a brilliant lawyer, and like
Bolt, because he is outstanding in his area
of expertise, the public acknowledges his
professional status. However, he is also
recognized as a professional because he is licensed
to practice law in Ontario by the Law
Society of Upper Canada and so is a member
of the legal “profession.”
BEING PROFESSIONAL VS BEING
A PROFESSIONAL
In the first instance, Bolt is considered a professional
because he has crossed over from
being a talented amateur to someone who
has sufficient talent and commitment to earn
a living at sprinting. The same is true of professional
musicians, golfers or artists.
A member of the “professions” (as in
medicine, law or engineering), on the other
hand, is considered a professional because
they have made a public commitment to
a high standard of performance, integrity
and public service and they are held to this
by the regulatory body that licenses them
to practice their profession. In this instance,
protection of the public is of greater importance
than financial gain.
In parts of the world where HR has
made the greatest strides (such as the UK,
Australia, the U.S. and Canada), HR is developing
into a true profession (as in law or
medicine) that requires protection of the public.
Ontario has seen the biggest advance, with
the passage of the Registered Human Resources
Professionals Act, 2013, which confers regulatory
powers on the Human Resources
Professionals Association (HRPA) to oversee
the Ontario HR profession in the public interest.
The legislation means HRPA-member
CHRPs/CHRLs/CHREs are now placed in
the same category as doctors, lawyers, engineers
and accountants.
However, a complicating factor is that
“human resources professional” is not a protected
title – anyone can call themselves an
HR professional (just as anyone can call
themselves an engineer or an accountant).
This means some individuals who call themselves
HR professionals are members of a
profession and some are not. The public
may not always be clear about the difference;
the key is to differentiate those who call
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HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2016 ❚ 23