As the dust settles from the fallout between the Society of Human Resource Management and the Human Resource Certification Institute, we surveyed HR professionals industry wide to find out what the general consensus was.
More than three-quarters of HR professionals surveyed online by HRM America agreed that the SHRM-HRCI split was motivated by the former’s desire to increase revenues. Just over one in 10 (13%) thought the move was for the good of the industry, 4% thought it was political, and 5% were unsure.
- 86% of those with HRCI certifications were satisfied with their existing HRCI certification
- 50% of those with HRCI certifications intended to continue to be HRCI certified
- 45% of those surveyed said it was too early to say whether they would take up the new SHRM certification
- 53% said new competencies in a certification were not important
- 63% said it has made them view SHRM more negatively
Full survey findings please
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On our previous story on the topic, we also received various comments from furious readers, including:
This change concerns me greatly. I have held my PHR for over 7 years, and was just recently SPHR certified. This was an expensive and extensive process. Now what? I truly don't want to spend any more money or time on this. Which will be the "preferred" certification? Which will be more widely recognized? This situation has me nervous and frustrated. I look forward to getting more information and clarification. BTW: I have always taken great pride in my certification. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. – Joy Knutson
Disappointing that our professional organization has flubbed up on the basics of "change management" - something Human Resources Professionals should excel at. This will cause confusion among hiring employers, degrade the value of any certification, and create (further) ill-will toward our industry. How can we ever expect that "seat at the table" so many of us have worked so hard for when the organizations that represent us /certify us can't even communicate properly. I am disheartened - and embarrassed. – Sabra Smith
I am disgusted at the way this all went down. I worry this move by SHRM is going to hurt the profession more than help. I fear a brand new certification will not be recognized right away by employers, who may decide to not even reimburse for it. A new certification system will have its bugs due to the fact these things cannot be developed, tested, and deployed quickly. … I have decided not to attend SHRM 14 and rather follow the announcement on Twitter. SHRM can spin it however they want, but if it quacks like a duck... – Steve
However, there were also some positive observations in the survey. One SHRM member, who was HRCI certified, said, “I think SHRM is committed toward make sure the HR Profession continues to advance. Its unfortunate there is so much controversy and so many negative feelings about this issue. HRCI tests "knowledge" and the new SHRM certification will be testing "behaviors - how well HR Professionals execute the knowledge." Both are important in the advancement of our profession.”
Most of the issues that professionals held with SHRM had to do with the way the changes were announced, with many citing poor communication. One apparent SHRM insider even said their opinion of the organization had changed in a negative way, saying “Those in higher level volunteer positions with SHRM were not even made aware of this change. We have been flooded with questions and have no answers to provide. It seems to be specifically for revenue and membership.”
Full survey comments please
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