HRIA ensures best practices in province’s HR departments

With its membership growing by 14 per cent a year, the Human Resources Institute of Alberta has evolved into not only a valuable resource for individuals and companies, but also a governing body that acts as a united voice for the HR profession.

As the organization overseeing the province’s human resources sector, the HRIA ensures standards and practices are being met in HR departments throughout Alberta.

“It’s critical to ensure that there is a level of professionalism out there, and that is what the HRIA does — it makes certain that a level of competency and consistency is being met and maintained,” says Todd den Engelsen, the chair of the HRIA board of directors.

“During the last few years we have also been focusing on giving HR a united voice when it comes to various types of government legislation, like workplace standards or occupational health and safety legislation.”

With more than 5,000 members on its roster, the HRIA was founded in 1984 in an attempt to build networking opportunities and provide HR practitioners with educational and professional development resources, among other services.

Albertans working in the HR profession can become Certified Human Resources Professionals (CHRP) through HRIA. The designation is nationally recognized and ensures proven expertise, a commitment to continual learning and ethical practices.

“There are many direct benefits to becoming certified,” says den Engelsen.

“It automatically opens you up to a network of other professionals, it gives you numerous opportunities for ongoing learning and development, and often there is a monetary gain. A recent HRPA survey revealed that HR practitioners who are certified earn more and are promoted faster.”

There are also benefits to employers who hire certified HR practitioners, den Engelsen adds.

“For example, if a company is hiring someone to develop its benefits plans, compensation packages or strategic plans, a CHRP designation ensures they can trust and rely on the candidate’s expertise and professional practice,” he says.

There are more than 2,800 CHRPS in the province.

In order to become a certified member of HRIA, an individual must have a university degree, relevant professional experience, and pass two exams — the national knowledge exam and the national professional practice assessment exam.

These criteria, in particular the exams, ensure that CHRPS have a common body of knowledge and subscribe to set performance standards.

HR is key to the success of any business. The HRIA has a presence in every workplace sector in Alberta; members can be found in large-scale operations through to small businesses.

Run by a non-profit board, the HRIA is a founding member of the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA), which gives HR issues a national and international voice and represents more than 40,000 members across Canada.

The HRIA currently has plans underway to launch a marketing campaign to raise awareness and profile of the CHRP designation.

“The HR profession really does impact everyone, and it functions at all levels — if the bulk of your executive team is nearing retirement, you turn to an HR expert to develop a succession plan. If your CEO’S compensation plan ends up in the media, you turn to an HR expert to make sure that it’s well done and can stand up to the scrutiny,” says den Engelsen.