Regarding "SHRM at a Crossroads": The article was interesting, but in my mind,
you may have gone too far toward "fair and balanced" and not deep enough into the
issues and accountabilities that SHRM has with its membership. My comments here
are about the national association only; many local chapters are super outfits.
I disagree strongly that SHRM is the "voice of the HR profession."
It could conceivably be the "voice of those with an interest in HR," but the profession
itself is largely underrepresented in the association. You simply cannot make claim
to being the "profession’s" voice while aggressively pursuing nonprofessional membership
in the quest for membership (and reserves) growth. The "$160 and an interest in
HR" membership requirement is laughable.
And never forget: Those incredible financial reserves (nearly
doubling in less than five years) are created on the backs of its members, who shell
out their companies’ bucks for high-priced seminars and related events, products
and so forth.
So, what would I, a 15-year member and lifetime-certified
SPHR, recommend that SHRM do differently?
1. Stop the "all things to all people" mentality. May be good
for association reserves, but it’s bad for the profession.
2. Embrace senior HR professionals. They used to have a "Senior
Forum" membership, where selectively screened members could become part of—and participate
in—relevant sessions and mailings. Later, this was "rebranded" as "Portfolio," and
then finally "HR Executive Network." Each succession diluted the effort significantly.
I’m sure it was financially driven. It originally featured full-day sessions (senior
people only) at the SHRM conference (otherwise of no value for senior pros), with
killer presenters like Ed Lawler.
3. Quit doing stupid things intentionally. In 2005, I was
invited to come to Phoenix—on my nickel— "as a senior-level member of SHRM" for
an event that was "our way to thank you for your membership and to hear from you
about what you want from SHRM." So, I shell out a grand or more for airfare and
a couple nights in Phoenix, and they get to thank me and get input? Did I mention
they also wanted me to pay a $50 "materials" charge for the event?? I was insulted.
4. Spend some resources on certification. Right now, it looks
more like a mail-order "credential" than a professional certification. Educate businesses
and the public. Make a concerted effort to raise the visibility. Do some heavy-duty
rebranding around this. It’s necessary.
5. Speaking of certification, give it some real requirements.
Disallow testing until all qualifications are met. Do away with lifetime certifications
(though I have one). Inject some rigor into the process and subsequent recertification
efforts.
6. Take a hint from corporate Sarbanes-Oxley requirements:
transparency. A few years ago, I asked—and it took me three months to receive—relevant
[IRS form] 990s. The current SHRM board is not representative; they are selected
not as representatives for membership, but on their ability to lead a business.
Sounds nice, but aren’t we a membership association? And don’t insult my intelligence
by saying that "the membership elects the board." Pre-chosen candidates, presented
singularly (no competitors allowed) will always win an election, whether here in
SHRM or in Venezuela.
Local, regional and state officers represent their constituency—why
not national? That coupled with the perceived secrecy surrounding board nominations
creates a profound lack of transparency.
7. Get their arms around HR Talk, the message forum on the
SHRM Web site. Anonymity rules, allowing petty people to thrash others constantly,
and the arbitrary deleting and locking of threads by SHRM sends a confusing message.
Provide moderation, as almost all other "professional" boards do, and eliminate
anonymity for regular postings.
D. Kevin Berchelmann
President
Triangle Performance
Spring, Texas
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I appreciate your efforts. This organization needs looking
into. Personally, I feel that we need to up the standards for becoming certified
(we compare very poorly with accountants and other licensed professions). In addition,
I’ve felt recently that SHRM has become a mouthpiece for management, not truly looking
at all sides of an issue. I’m not trying to imply that we shouldn’t be looking at
the issues from our respective businesses’ positions, but that we broaden our view
to those of our employees.
Wayne Musick, SPHR
Human resources director
WebsterRogers
Florence, South Carolina
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I read your blog item "From the Editor: Why We’re Writing
About SHRM" and was pleasantly surprised to read a voice and opinion interested
in the concept of SHRM and its practices and purpose.
For 12 years, I have practiced human resources as an outsider.
Formerly trained as an educator, I entered the field and first developed my acumen
through trial and error until finally achieving the SPHR certification in 2006.
Without question, SHRM projects the collective voice and represents millions of
HR professionals, but I find that representation somewhat limiting in the presence
of new and different approaches to HR. More so, the practice of HR prescribed to
me as leading or best practice often is not discussed or followed by "traditional"
HR practitioners, nor are the concepts written about in many SHRM publications.
What’s more, a new member to my team recently exclaimed how
she is "finally doing the real work of HR, like we’re taught in school and not as
it is practiced in most companies." I accepted her comment as a compliment. I do
not question SHRM’s purpose, intent or practice; however, I do wonder why others
cannot question those same elements without "upsetting the HR apple cart." I appreciate
your perspective and the chance to examine what others view as sacred and without
presumption.
Steven Youll
Assistant manager, human resources
Midwest Express Group
East Liberty, Ohio
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The cover story (“SHRM at a Crossroads”) in the February 4 issue of Workforce
Management magazine provided a wealth of information about the Society for Human
Resource Management. While a variety of topics were covered, three issues
deserve clarification.
First, as the world’s largest HR association, SHRM is proud to support every
segment of our profession, from college students pursuing HR careers to
executive-level professionals. Our mix of products, services and initiatives
reflects the diverse needs of our members, and, in turn, our members reflect the
general profile of the HR profession. As Workforce Management noted, we are
continuously exploring new ways to serve the different segments of the
profession, including HR executives in C-suites. As one would expect, this is a
smaller group, but readers may be surprised to know that the number of
executive-level members who belong to SHRM far exceeds the total membership of
any other HR association.
Second, SHRM’s exemplary record of financial management is one of our most
important success stories. By protecting assets and maximizing our value to
members, SHRM has been able to maintain the same dues level for more than 17
years while continuing to develop an array of new products and services.
Maintaining stable, adequate reserves is an important part of sound fiscal
practices. As your article reported, SHRM has managed its reserves in a prudent
manner comparable to that of other large not-for-profit organizations with
hundreds of thousands of members, diverse sources of revenue and significant
capital investments. What the article did not explain is that an individual
membership organization like SHRM is required to meet a higher standard for
reserves than a corporate membership organization like the American Bankers
Association because there is greater risk. Based on independent comparisons from
Moody’s Industry Outlook, our reserves are in the “average” range, which should
be reassuring to our members.
Finally, we make smart decisions about how to serve our members because we
listen to our members. This is a major reason for SHRM’s success.
For example, our members have told us that diversity, workforce readiness and
sustainability are critical issues in their organizations and for the future of
HR. In response, SHRM is investing in extensive research to develop new ways for
HR professionals to lead change in these priorities.
To help advance the profession, we launched a new multi-platform
communications campaign to educate non-HR audiences about the value and
importance of human resources. This effort includes media outreach, partnerships
and SHRM-sponsored advertising on CNN, Fox Business Network and National Public
Radio and in The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek. By creating a higher
profile for our profession among journalists, opinion leaders and government
officials, we are connecting HR to the major public policy issues under debate.
To continue to set the agenda for the HR profession, we’ve partnered with the
academic community to develop teaching tools for colleges and universities that
provide undergraduate and graduate degrees in HR education. In so doing, SHRM is
investing in future HR professionals.
And we’ve devoted significant resources to expanding and redesigning the SHRM
Web site because we know access to timely information is vital to our members’
success. The site will include new tools for social networking, video and
professional development.
This year, SHRM will celebrate its 60th anniversary. We look forward to
continuing our service to HR professionals at every stage of their careers and
at every level in their organizations.
Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR
President and CEO, Society for Human Resource Management
= Member Only
