Society for Human Resource Management

Infobox Organization
name = Society for Human Resource Management


size = 120px
caption =
motto = "Leading people. Leading organizations."
formation = 1948
type = Professional body
headquarters = Alexandria, Virginia
location =
membership = 225,000
language =
leader_title = President & CEO
leader_name = Susan R. Meisinger
num_staff = 340
website = http://www.shrm.org

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), is a professional association which represents workers in the field of human resources. SHRM works to promote the role of human resources as a profession, and provides education, certification, and networking to its members while lobbying Congress on issues pertinent to personnel management and human resources.

Background

Originally founded in 1948 as the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA), the organization operated on a volunteer basis until 1964, at which time it established an official headquarters in Berea, Ohio, and began hiring staff members. In 1984, the headquarters was moved to Alexandria, VA, and in 1989, the organization officially changed its name to the Society for Human Resource Management. Today, SHRM has over 300 staff members and over 225,000 members in 125 countries. [ [http://www.shrm.org/about/ SHRM Website: About SHRM] ] [ [http://shrm.org/about/mission.asp SHRM Website: SHRM's History and Mission] ]

Lobbying activity

SHRM is involved in lobbying governmental bodies regarding workplace law and industry practice. For example, in April 2008, SHRM announced in a press release that its representatives had appeared before the US Senate to petition for changes in the administration of the Family and Medical Leave Act. [http://www.shrm.org/press_published/CMS_025255.asp#P-4_0 SHRM Press Release: Who Does the Work When Employees Take FMLA Leave?]

Additionally, the organization announced in the November 2003 issue of its "HR Magazine" that it had submitted a position paper to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suggesting factors the agency should consider when determining how to amend the definition of the term "job applicant" for the purposes of record keeping required by companies in order to comply with affirmative action and anti-discrimination laws. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_11_48/ai_111170596 HR Magazine, November 2003: SHRM submits definition of 'job applicant' to EEOC] ]

In 2003, the SHRM conducted an e-mail survey of its members intended to gauge the effectives of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and provide feedback on how the commission could improve its operations. It presented the results of this survey to the EEOC at a meeting on September 8, 2003. [ [http://www.eeoc.gov/abouteeoc/meetings/9-8-03/olson.html Remarks of Camille Olson, Society for Human Resource Management, to the EEOC, 9/8/2003] ]

In November 2006, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the U.S. Department of Labor established an alliance with SHRM to encourage and promote the employment of people with disabilities. [ [http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/odep/odep20061963.htm ODEP News Release: U.S. Department of Labor Forms Alliance with SHRM to Promote Employment of Workers with Disabilities [11/13/2006 ] ]

Education

In the late 1960s, faced with the task of establishing human resources as a profession, the then-ASPA determined that it would be necessary to establish a certification program. Years of efforts to that end culminated in the creation of the ASPA Accreditation Institute, or AAI, which began offering certificates in 1976. The organization was later renamed, in 1979, to the Personnel Accreditation Institute, and then, when the ASPA changed its name to SHRM in 1989, the PAI changed its name to the Human Resource Certification Institute.

The testing offered by the organization has likewise changed repeatedly over the years, but today the HRCI offers three certificates: Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR). In addition to testing, SHRM also offers courses to help prepare for the exams. [ [http://www.hrci.org/aboutus/history/ HRCI Website: About Us] ]

Publications and events

SHRM publishes a monthly periodical called "HR Magazine" and a quarterly periodical called "Staffing Management Magazine". The organization also distributes a variety of online newsletters on various topics related to the field of human resources, and the SHRM website has been described by the "New York Times" as a source of "excellent information for the human resource professional as well as for employees". [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E6DE1739F933A25750C0A961958260&sec=&spon= Sreenivasan, Sreenath. "Web Transforms World of Personnel". "The New York Times", March 10, 1997] ] SHRM also hosts seminars and annual conferences on various topics, as well as an event known as the "HR games", in which undergraduate students who are members of SHRM can compete in a series of contests testing their knowledge of the field of human resources. [ [http://www.shrm.org/students/hrgames/CMS_017585.asp SHRM Website: About HRGames] ]

Local Chapters

SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters located all over the world, including school and professional groups. A list of all chapters can be found at [http://www.shrm.org/chapters/ http://www.shrm.org/chapters/] .

External links

* [http://www.shrm.org/ Society for Human Resource Management Website]
* [http://www.hrci.org/ Human Resource Certification Institute Website]

References