About this time each year, I receive notification that SHRM will be having their annual election for their Board of Directors.  I usually gloss over the names, as few, if any, know how individuals are chosen for the vaunted position, and I rarely have heard of those that are on the ballot.  When the ballot arrives, I give a quick vote for the slate of candidates, and it really doesn't register much more on my mind.   It's very hard to challenge the status quo, as the SHRM Members for Transparency tried to do.

However, this upcoming election is different.  Why?

Steve Browne is running for the position.

While there are many great attributes about Steve that make him a worthy addition to the SHRM Board of Directors, I'll highlight two:

1.  Steve Browne knows SHRM inside out as an active volunteer.

Unlike most candidates for the SHRM Board of Directors, Steve rose through the ranks of SHRM volunteer leader.  Not only has Steve served on his state SHRM conference committee, but has served as OHSHRM State Director and President of the Greater Cincinnati HR Association.  In addition, he served on the SHRM Membership Advisory Committee (SHRM MAC).  Based on this experience, Steve will be an active and responsible voice representing the thousands of individuals who volunteer for SHRM on a regular basis.

2.  Steve Browne is active on social media.

When was the last time you saw a tweet from Immediate Past Chair Bette Francis of Twitter?  What about current SHRM President and Board member Hank Jackson?  Or Jeffrey Cava?  It'd be a miracle, because they are not on Twitter.  Current Chair Brian Silva?  One entire Tweet.  The most active member appears to be Jorge Consuegra, who has made a whopping 51 tweets since joining Twitter in 2007.  While being active on Twitter isn't really that big a deal or should be a determinant for Board status, it does demonstrate an active effort to advance the HR profession.  Steve Browne has 35,000+ tweets and over 27,000 followers.  In addition, he sends out a weekly e-mail called The HR Net (sign up here) that promotes the best in HR.  He also blogs regularly at his own blog, Everyday People, as well as a contributor to CareerBuilder's Talent Advisor Portal.  He is one of the most active individuals highlighting what is great about the HR profession and HR professionals.

So, when that ballot does arrive in your e-mail inbox.  Don't hesitate to vote for Steve.

This is my fifteenth straight year of attending the SHRM Annual Conference.  Here are my quick impressions from day 1:

• As always, kudos to the many volunteers helping to support the Annual Conference.  If you have an opportunity, be sure to thank the many individuals who give up their time to make the conference succeed
• Special shout out goes to Terry Starr and the Dice team for sponsoring the SHRM15 Blogger lounge.   The SHRM bloggers are here to provide content and perspective on the going-ons and we hope you get a few positive takeaways from them.
• Magician and entertainer Penn Jillette gave a rousing opening highlighting what it takes to thrive in Las Vegas, echoing the theme of the conference.  However, I wonder if the 100 pounds he lost referred to his silent partner Teller, who was nowhere to be seen.
• CEO Hank Jackson's opening address most likely resonated with first time attendees.   However, was there anything unique in his points that couldn't have been said in 2013 or 2014?  How is HR different today than it was one or two years ago?  How has SHRM changed in what they do this year compared to what they did last year?
• I was not looking forward to Coach K's keynote, and, being from Wisconsin, it was certainly crushing to have to revisit the "highlights" of Duke's championship win over the Badgers.  However, I appreciated his three main points of employees and employers needing to be adaptable, taking ownership of their actions (does this include flopping on the court?), and demonstrating one's feelings.
• Most embarrassing use of Twitter - the continued reference to @coachkwisdom, an account that is neither affiliated with Duke University nor Coach K.  While I am sure the manager of the account appreciated the attention, be better people.

Onto day 2....

• 
  

I've been a SHRM student chapter advisor for nearly 20 years.  For most of that time, I have brought several dedicated students each year to  SHRM Annual, who want to advance their learning as they pursue a career in HR.

Dedicated students are giving up nearly a week of their summer break, sacrificing a few days of work where they earn tuition money, to attend SHRM Annual, often on their dime.  Students have raised money through the student chapter during the academic year to attend, or they are paying for hotel, airfare, food, discounted conference registration and other incidentals out of their pocket.

However, we are not unique. There are many student advisors as well as hundreds of student members across the country who do the same.  Some colleges, including my own, even offer course credit to students who attend the conference

One of the highlights of the conference for them (as well as me) was a stand alone student conference on Saturday and Sunday morning prior to the start of the SHRM Annual Conference.  Faculty members could meet and discuss the future of HR education.  Students get to share best practices and ideas with their peers across the country. SHRM also highlights quality student chapters as well as recognizes the advisor of the year award.

But, of particular note, was the quality of the programming that was geared directly to students.  HR leaders such as Laurie Ruettimann, Jennifer McClure, John Hudson, Matt Charney, Meredith Soleau, Jon Petz, Simon Bailey, Joe Gerstandt, Clint Swindall, Libby Sartain, Tim Sackett, and Ryan Estis have provided quality content to those attending.  Several have offered content multiple years.

Unfortunately, after 20+ years, SHRM will no longer be offering the student conference at this year's meeting in Las Vegas. Like everyone else, students would have to pay extra to attend the Saturday Pre-Conference One-Day Workshops.

So, I reach out to my dedicated readers for suggestions for alternative HR activities to students arriving early to the SHRM Annual Conference.  Unfortunately, a Zappos tour is not available as the last tour is on Friday, June 27 at 1:00 pm.

Are there other plant tours one might take?  Are their readers out there getting into Vegas early, who might be able to give 45 minutes to an hour of their time on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning to sit with a few students and discuss a HR topic of their choosing?  Starbucks is on me.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions to enhance the learning of the HR leaders of tomorrow.

The big news from SHRM HQ on Monday was the announcement of the creation of a new certification program for HR professionals.

While the SHRM online staff discuss the details of the competency program, it was unfortunately very short on details regarding a whole host of questions.

What happens to current professionals who hold PHR/SPHR/GPHR certification?  While SHRM CEO Hank Jackson states that a clear path for currently certified individuals to the new model is in the works, as someone who just spent considerable time recertifying, I'm curious as to what this path holds.  Will we have to take the new exam?  Will we have to pay a fee for this exam?

Further, you have many professional chapters and state councils trying to develop programming for monthly meetings and state conferences. While SHRM indicates they will support the PHR and SPHR certification until January 2015, many chapters are already planning programming for the 2015 year. As the availability of earning recertification credit is often a strong driver for attendance, will certified professionals continue to push on hoping that SHRM will work it out, or will they wait it out until more answers are forthcoming?

What happens to those HR professionals who are getting ready to take the exam?  I already know at least one person who is questioning whether or not to take the exam next month, after spending significant money and time preparing.  Will SHRM be refunding those who spent money on the SHRM Learning System?  What happens to PHR prep courses many chapters will be offering in the fall?

What happens to the Assurance of Learning exam?   Less than 5 years ago, the HRCI made major changes regarding eligibility for the PHR exam - individuals must have two years of exempt level experience prior to taking the test.  Several years have gone into developing an alternative, the Assurance of Learning exam, so that students could demonstrate their had a strong understanding of the HR body of knowledge.

However, given that the competency model will be focusing on behavioral proficiency at four different professional levels, including "entry," does the exam go away?   Do I continue to promote it to my students (as student chapters get credit for such action on the merit award)?

Why announce now?  Usually such an announcement would be made with a big splash at the SHRM Annual Conference next month.  Perhaps SHRM wanted to get ahead of it early, so questions such as the above, can be asked and answered, and a more detailed plan will be made clear then.

In any case, I will be waiting with bated breath for answers.

UPDATE: The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) has issued a statement here.
SHRM has provided an updated and FAQ here.

UPDATE 2: SHRM will allow those currently certified to transition to the new certification free of charge.  To do so, one must have proper certification documentation, sign the SHRM Code of Ethics, and complete an online educational module on HR competencies.  More details here

The new HR certification is based on the SHRM HR Competency Model, which consists of nine primary competency domains defined with behavioral proficiency standards across four professional levels – entry, middle, senior and executive.  The new certification is focused on teaching and testing practical, real-life information that HR professionals need to excel in their careers.  - See more at: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/HRNews/Pages/SHRM-Certification.aspx#sthash.bHwElfJe.dpuf

The new HR certification is based on the SHRM HR Competency Model, which consists of nine primary competency domains defined with behavioral proficiency standards across four professional levels – entry, middle, senior and executive.  The new certification is focused on teaching and testing practical, real-life information that HR professionals need to excel in their careers.  - See more at: http://www.shrm.org/Publications/HRNews/Pages/SHRM-Certification.aspx#sthash.bHwElfJe.dpuf

Yesterday, my good friend Trish McFarlane was lamenting the poor state of HR Technology understanding amongst practitioners

Why is #HR technology the weakest area for practitioners? Any ideas #hrevolution ? #hcmworld
— Trish McFarlane (@TrishMcFarlane) February 5, 2014

I noted a few reasons:

@TrishMcFarlane little to no good books on HRTech; rarely part of any curriculum; not emphasized in certification #HRevolution #HCMWorld
— Matthew Stollak (@akaBruno) February 5, 2014

Trish concurred and made a compelling point:

#HCMWorld @akaBruno HR technology should be mandatory in college #hr programs so they are ready for the new role of HR in orgs.
— Trish McFarlane (@TrishMcFarlane) February 5, 2014

A 2013 SHRM Survey of 372 HR faculty (out of 1,723 invited to participate) backed this up, with 61% of faculty citing Human Resource Information Systems was a perceived deficiency in HR training offered to undergraduate HR students (Risk Management, and Mergers and Acquisitions were the 2nd and 3rd cited deficiencies).

However, a quick search of "HR Technology" on Amazon or the SHRM Bookstore provides, at best, a cursory or superficial look at the subject.

Given this background, what, ideally, would you see as a critical item or subject in a book on HR Technology?  Do you feel there is a quality book out there that I am missing?  Chime in.

I was saddened to hear the news today of the departure of Curtis Midkiff, Director of Social Engagement, from SHRM for greener pastures at the American Red Cross. 

I, of course, am happy that Curtis found an opportunity that he was excited to pursue, but it will definitely be a loss for SHRM.

I first met Curtis when I was chosen as one of five inaugural SHRM Blog Squad members for the SHRM Annual Conference in San Diego.  No one was exactly sure what the SHRM Blog Squad would do, but it was enough of a success, that SHRM brought it back the next year, and again, and again.  And what was just a small endeavor 4 years ago blossomed into an enterprise comprising 50+ members sharing their insight, tweets, blogs, etc. at the Annual Conference each year.  In addition, he was instrumental in bringing a little extra flair to the Monday night SHRM Tweetup, including a party with DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Without Curtis' vision and efforts, I am not sure SHRM would have embraced social media as readily as they have done, and I hope they continue to do.


So, best wishes in the next step in your career, Curtis.  The American Red Cross is lucky to have you.

Four years ago today, some 50-odd people (or is it 50 ODD people) descended upon the Hilton Seelbach in Louisville, KY to attend the first HRevolution unconference.  Put together by Trish McFarlane, Ben Eubanks, Steve Boese, and Crystal Peterson as an alternative to the mega SHRM Annual Conference, HRevolution attempted (and continues to emphasize) to bring a new voice to the future of HR.   Topics for that first day included:

• Blogging Basics - tools, platforms, getting started
• Advanced Blogging Topics - hosting, building an audience, promotion, aggregation
• Social Media in HR - building the case, learning the tools, planning the strategy, executing the plan, measuring the results
• New Technology you can use - Demo and discussion of some exciting new technologies for information sharing and collaboration, low-cost (some even free), low maintenance, and really cool

Since its inception, it has had five iterations, with the latest in Las Vegas.  

For me, it has been a truly transformative event, both personally and professionally, as I have gone from a simple attendee, to presenter, to planner.

Significant friendships have formed.  People who never met prior to the event have taken trips together.

Its spawned the ever popular 8 Man Rotation series.

Its even led to marriage, as 6-time attendees Frank Zupan and Tammy Colson met in Louisville, fell in love one year later in Chicago at the 2nd HRevolution, and married four years later on the eve of the 6th event.

So happy anniversary HRevolution....here's to many more.   Anyone interested in St. Louis in May 2014?

On Tuesday, September 10, a lively chat was held regarding the relationship between SHRM professional chapters and volunteers, and student programs.  Nearly 129,000 impressions were made, and nearly 36,000 accounts were reached according to Tweetreach.com.

Here are the questions and answers that took place:

Q1 - What are the benefits of working with a SHRM student chapter? 

The participants found a number of reasons to engage with student chapters:

• Students were going to be their future peers; the professional chapter's future depended on them
• Student chapters provide quality access to interns, as well as served as a source to fill future vacancies
• To break down generational barriers
• To fill a programming niche at the professional chapter, as students choose and present a topic of interest to professionals

Q2 - What are you, your professional chapter or State Council doing to support your SHRM student chapter?

• Providing free professional chapter membership to students
• Mentoring
• Providing for discounted, or free, registration at chapter meetings, or the state conference
• Providing speakers
• Job shadowing opportunities
• Offering the opportunity to tour a company's plant or workplace
• Financial support - $500 if the chapter earns a Superior Merit Award, $250 if they earn a merit award
• State Council offers $100 to each student chapter that submits a merit award

Q3 - What are the biggest challenges you face in working with a SHRM student chapter?

• The schedule often made planning difficult with the academic calendar running from August-May, which the professional chapter goes from January to December.
• Student turnover made building relationships difficult
• Students often lacking the time to connect or showing interest in the professional chapter 

Q4 - What could SHRM be doing to help address those challenges?

• Make working with student chapters a bigger part of SHAPE
• Address current chapter bylaws to create a student member category
• Examine new ways for chapters to communicate with students
• Be clearer with professional chapters about the challenges inherent in working with student chapters

Q5 - Based on tonight’s discussion, what is one thing you will do to help your student chapter this year? 

• Create a Student Core Leadership Area representative for the chapter
• Create a membership category for students
• Be more aggressive in connecting with the student chapter(s) in the area
• Expand opportunities for students at the state level
• Encourage greater volunteering among professionals with the student chapter
• Utilize Tara Fournier, SHRM's Manager of Member Engagement, as a resource 

Per usual, SHRMChats will take place at 8PM EDT, 7 PM CDT, 6 PM MDT and 5 PM PDT on the second Tuesday of the month.  Look for the next SHRMChat to be held October 10, where the focus will be on SHRM Chapter Membership issues.

With September in full swing, it means a return to campus for students.  And, for some, it means getting ready for year with their SHRM student chapter.   Student leaders are perusing their 2013-2014 Student Chapter Merit Award planning guide in an effort to not only provide quality programming and services to interested students, but to earn recognition for their efforts as well. 

Some of the critical components for the success of a student SHRM chapter include a dedicated advisor, a supportive professional chapter (with a dedicated liaison), and State Council support.  From assisting student chapters with speakers sharing insights on the HR profession to providing mentors or financial support, SHRM volunteers play a crucial role in developing student leaders and future HR professionals.

With that in mind, here are the questions for the College Relations #SHRMChat

 Q1 - What are the benefits of working with a SHRM student chapter?

Q2 - What are you, your professional chapter or State Council doing to support your SHRM student chapter?

Q3 - What are the biggest challenges you face in working with a SHRM student chapter?

Q4 - What could SHRM be doing to help address those challenges?

Q5 - Based on tonight’s discussion, what is one thing you will do to help your student chapter this year?

Per usual, our chat will take place at 8PM EDT, 7 PM CDT, 6 PM MDT and 5 PM PDT on the second Tuesday of the month (in this case, September 10, 2013).

In the wake of the HuffPost Top 100 Most Social HR Experts list, and the significant number on the list who do not have HR certification, was a comment made by one of those top 100 members:

As a recruiting practitioner I really see no value personally or professionally in being a SHRM member or gaining a certificate. Unless someone could give me a really good reason to the contrary.

Certainly, if one goes to the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) website, the benefits are laid out:

• show you know the most current principles and core practices of HR management
• become more marketable when you compete for top HR positions
• raise your professional confidence among your staff and your peers 

What, unfortunately, is lacking is demonstrable evidence showing the true impact of certification both professionally and on the organization, such as:

• certified HR professionals earn 13.2% higher salary than their non-certified peers
• organizations with certified HR professionals have 12.2% greater retention of high performing employees
• organizations with certified HR professionals have 14.6% less EEOC complaints than organizations led by non-certified HR leaders

In December 2012, Human Resource Management Review dedicated a special issue to the value of HR certification research (Sadly, it is likely that 99.9% of HR professionals will not read the several articles contained therein, as it is behind a paywall).  Of particular note, is the lead article, "What is the value of human resource certification?  A multi-level framework for research" by Mark L. Lengnick-Hall and Herman Aguinis.  They state:

With the increasing popularity of the SHRM certification program as well as the proliferation of other similar certifications, it is time to determine (1) what certification measures and how well it does it; and (2) what difference having certification makes to individuals, to organizations, and to the HR profession.

To answer the above, and as the title of their article suggests, Lengnick-Hall and Aguinis create a multi-level framework for research shown in the figure below:

According to Lengnick-Hall & Aguinis,
 

The figure depicts three important elements: (a) time, (b) macro-level effects, and (c) micro-level effects. First, the starting time begins with the implementation of the organizational staffing practice of using HR certification as a selection tool. This staffing practice represents a contextual (top-down) effect on the organization's individual KSAOs because all potential HR professional employees will be recruited using the HR certification predictor. HR certification is used as a selection tool because it measures human resource management knowledge

Accompanying the figure are 14 testable propositions, including:

• Proposition 2: Individuals with undergraduate or master's degrees in human resource management or related disciplines will not benefit as much (increased hiring probability, higher salaries, and faster promotion rates) from an HR certification compared to individuals without such degrees
• Proposition 3: As assessed by longitudinal research, we predict that individuals with undergraduate or master's degrees in human resource management or master's degrees in business administration will obtain more C-suite positions and perform more effectively in these roles compared to individuals who have certifications such as SHRM's PHR or SPHR
• Proposition 4: Using HR certification as a selection tool will be positively associated to individuals' HR management knowledge
• Proposition 5: Certified HR professionals will perform better (i.e. effectively diagnose and resolve HR problems, design and implement HR programs aligned with organizational objectives, etc.) on the job than do non-certified HR professionals
• Proposition 6: A greater proportion of certified HR professionals who have shared HR knowledge in an HR department will lead to higher unit-level performance
• Proposition 11: A greater proportion of certified HR professionals in the HR function will lead to more favorable perceptions by multiple constituents regarding the value-added contribution of the HR function in the organization and thereby enhance HR department reputation
• Proposition 13: A greater proportion of certified HR professionals in an HR department will lead to higher HR department effectiveness

Certainly, answering the propositions listed will be a difficult process, and perhaps this is why such research is lacking.  As Cohen (2012) notes in the same issue:

In order to test Proposition 2, data would need to be collected from a single huge organization with a large enough population of HR professionals who are covered by the same compensation plan to test the proposition. You would need archival data of salary trends, certification status, educational achievements, promotions, performance data, and so forth to comparatively test for the differences in salary and advancement.  A study of just HR professionals, outside of the archival factors mentioned many not provide accurate or generalizable information.  Titles may or may not be comparable across organizations so unless the data comes from a single organization where title, responsibility and other variables can be controlled, the results may not reveal anything meaningful.

Nonetheless, these questions are of critical importance to the profession, and I echo Aguinis and Lengnick-Hall's (2012) challenge to the SHRM Foundation: Issue a call for proposals for empirical research on the value of HR certification.

At 3:00 P.M./2:00 P.M. Central, I'll be the featured Twitterati on #nextchat focusing on the transition into a career in HR.  The questions will be:

Q1. If you are currently practicing HR, would you encourage others to join the HR profession? Why?
Q2. Is a specific HR degree or certification necessary to get into HR? Does it depend on the specialty? Why?
Q3. What professions (Legal, Sales, PR, Marketing?) can most easily transition into HR and why?
Q4. What is the biggest obstacle to breaking into a career in HR and what are ways to get around it?
Q5. How can you get experience in HR when you can’t get a job in HR until you have experience?
Q6. Can building a personal brand on social media help someone more quickly break into the HR field? How?
Q7. Can attending a popular HR conference like SHRM Annual help you transition into a career in HR? How?

More details can be found here

Please join and share your thoughts.

There were lots of mediocre ads during the Super Bowl.

However, the ad of the night, for me, was the Dodge Ram Farmer ad, featuring some brilliant still photography, and the iconic voice of Paul Harvey.  Check it out below:

 

I anticipate that SHRM is rapidly working on a "So God Made A HR Professional" ad, perhaps in time for the Annual Conference in June.

So, if you were SHRM...

What should the ad say?

Who should do the voice over?

On Tuesday, the monthly #SHRMChat focused on the vexing topic of chapter programming - where do you find your speakers?  The lack of collaboration among chapters sharing information about successful speakers was noted as well as a desire for a Yelp-like tool where chapters could identify good (and not-so-good) speakers.  Hearing about this, the St. Norbert College SHRM chapter sprung into action and put together a tool using list.ly for chapters to utilize in addressing the programming issue.  Sharing the details is guest blogger, Jenna Ray Hines, President of SNC SHRM: 

Have you ever had a difficult time finding a quality speaker in your region for your SHRM Chapter or Conference event? 

We have created Crowdsourcing SHRM Chapter Speakers for that exact reason. 

We wanted to create an outlet for chapters to find and recommend quality, cost efficient speakers within their respective regions. After a chapter has a quality speaker, they can post on their list.ly regional page to promote the speaker and presentation topic as well as mention if it was HRCI-approved. 

This social media tool will be useful for chapters to collect ideas, collaborate, and share successes. 

We are using list.ly, a social media website that allows users to create and share lists that other users can build upon, to host our five regional lists. Each one of the regional pages represents one of the five SHRM HR regions and can be used by them to collect their list of recommended regional speakers:

As you can see, not only are details such as speaker name, date he or she spoke, HRCI-credits, SHRM event, who recommended the speaker, and details about his or her talk included, you can give thumbs up or down to a particular speaker.

To learn more about Crowdsourcing SHRM Chapter Speakers go to your regional page below:

Southwest Region
Southeast Region
North Central Region
Northeast Region
Pacific West Region

Of course, this tool is only as good as the people who contribute to it.  Be sure to add a speaker who you felt excelled, and share the list with chapter leaders in your region.

Thanks to Jenna for the post.  If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact Jenna (@jennaray21) or me....and, note, Jenna will be graduating in May of 2013 and looking for a job in HR.

It's my birthday next Tuesday, and I'll be celebrating with a good burger and watching the Cubs and Brewers battle for 4th place at Miller Park.  Given I am in my forties, I pretty much have most of my material wishes satisfied.  So, here's what I wish for:

1.  If you are a SHRM member, please vote in the 2013 Elections.  Whether it is for the SHRM approved slate, the SHRM Members for Transparency slate, or the 8 Man Rotation slate, let your wishes be known!

2.  Make a contribution to the SHRM Foundation.  I haven't been shy about my support for the SHRM Foundation -  they advance the HR profession, and they may very well be the best part of SHRM.  Plus your donations are tax deductible.  Learn how you can donate here.

If all else fails, I have an Amazon wish list here.  Ha.

I've been on the road most of the day traveling from Michigan to Wisconsin, but I wanted to respond to Laurie Ruettimann's post on the current SHRM election.  She was kind enough to vote for me, along with the rest of the 8 Man Rotation (Lance Haun, Tim Sackett, Kris Dunn, Steve Boese) for the 2013 SHRM Board of Directors.

I can't speak for the rest of my 8 Man Rotation brethren, and I am not sure I will have the time in 2013 to attend the SHRM Board meetings, along with the concomitant requirements of serving, but, if elected:

1.  I will not fly first class.  I'll settle for an exit row along with frequent delivery of Diet Coke to my seat from a flight attendant.

2.  Any monies received from serving on the Board will be redirected immediately to the SHRM Foundation.

Also, note that the8manrotation.com will be up and running by 2013.

In the meantime, while voting for the 8 Man Rotation for the 2013 SHRM Board of Directors, you can read the 2010 edition and the 2011 edition of "The 8 Man Rotation - A Look at Sports and HR."

Thanks for the support Laurie