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THE PROCESS OF PROFESSIONALIZATION INCLUDES THE EVOLUTION
OF THE ATTITUDE AND APPROACH TO AN OCCUPATION THAT
MEMBERS OF THAT PROFESSION HAVE TOWARDS THEIR PROFESSION.
of that profession have towards their profession.
Professionalism is one strand in
the process of professionalization.
Professional regulation
Governments regulate commercial activity
to ensure the public interest is served
– including transactions between professionals
and consumers. Professional
regulation can be thought of as a form of
consumer protection.
The most common approach to the
regulation of professions in Canada is selfregulation,
where an occupational group
enters into an agreement with government
to formally regulate the activities of its
members in the public interest.
Professional self-regulation enables government
to have some control over the
practice of a profession without direct regulation,
but it’s an exceptional privilege.
Governments trust professionals to put
aside their self-interest in favour of promoting
and protecting the public interest.
This follows from the ethos of professionalism
– including a commitment to an
ideology of service. This ideology of service
is an integral aspect of self-regulation.
Like the Law Society of Upper Canada
or the Ontario College of Teachers, which
regulate the conduct of lawyers and
teachers in Ontario, HRPA regulates its
members.
As a regulator, HRPA’s mandate is to
protect the public by ensuring member
HR professionals are competent and act
in an ethical manner; and it was granted
self-regulatory powers by the Ontario
legislature through the Registered Human
Resources Professionals Act, 2013.
The government felt it was necessary for
the HR profession to be regulated for several
reasons: HR professionals are privy
to huge amounts of private data about
employees (including health and financial
information); they are responsible
for compliance with labour and health
and safety regulations; and, generally, HR
decisions may have a dramatic impact on
the lives of Ontario workers. Ultimately,
the time had come for HR professionals to
be formally regulated to protect the public
interest.
HRPA regulates member HR professionals
in a number of ways:
Rules of professional conduct: HRPA
members agree to abide by rules that commit
them to professional competence, legal
requirements, dignity in the workplace,
confidentiality, conflict of interest and
professional growth and support of other
professionals.
Public register: HRPA maintains
an official public register of all HRPA
members including membership status,
certification status, business contact information
and discipline history.
Competency framework and professional
HR designations (CHRP/
CHRL/CHRE): HRPA’s competency
based HR certification framework
tests a defined body of knowledge, and
the ability to apply that knowledge, at
three levels of HR practice: entry-level
(CHRP), professional-level (CHRL) and
executive-level (CHRE).
Continuing professional development
(CPD): HRPA members commit
to ongoing CPD to maintain their HR
knowledge and abilities. HRPA provides
the guidance and professional development
that members need to stay current
and advance in their careers.
Complaints, investigations and discipline
process: HRPA regulates and
governs the professional conduct of
HRPA members through the articulation
and enforcement of a code of ethics, rules
of professional conduct and standards
of practice. HRPA will investigate complaints
against members and can apply
discipline if there is a finding of wrongdoing
or incompetence after a fair and
transparent i 905.205.0496 | info@williamshrlaw.com | www.williamshrlaw.com nvestigation.
28 ❚ FEBRUARY 2016 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL