leadership matters
Human Resources,
Human Rights
By Brenda Clark, CHRE
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
This issue’s cover story is all about the evolution
of human rights in the workplace
– and we’ve certainly come a long way in
that respect.
The days when workplace discrimination, reprisals
and harassment had no legal recourse are – for
the most part – behind us. But HR has a pivotal role
to play in ensuring that human rights legislation is a
living, breathing part of an organization’s culture, instead
of simply a set of words that carry little to no
weight in actual workplace practices.
Writing good policies, communicating them effectively
and enforcing them successfully are difficult
enough. But weaving awareness of and respect for human
rights into the fabric of workplace culture can be
a challenging task.
It’s a task that can’t be accomplished by just anyone
– it requires a level of expertise, knowledge and
competence that is above and beyond the HR requirements
of the past.
This ain’t your grandmother’s HR – and that’s
where self-regulation and enhanced designations
come in.
Since the passage of the Registered Human
Resources Professionals Act 2013, the Human
Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) has
REQUIRING HR PROFESSIONALS TO HAVE A THOROUGH
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF EMPLOYMENT LAW IS
NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT’S NICE TO HAVE – IT’S MISSIONCRITICAL
FOR ANY ORGANIZATION THAT WANTS TO SUCCEED
AND THRIVE IN TODAY’S EVER-SHIFTING BUSINESS LANDSCAPE.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ OCTOBER 2016 ❚ 9