leadership matters
The theme of this year’s HRPA
Annual Conference & Trade
Show is the “Business of HR” –
how human resources is evolving
from the back room to the boardroom,
from tactics to strategy and taking ownership
of the business and its outcomes.
Let’s unpack this, and examine it
through a historical lens.
Not long ago, I came across an old
plaque from the old Personnel Association
of Toronto (PAT) – the forerunner of today’s
Human Resources Professionals
Association (HRPA).
It was dated Jan. 19, 1976, and was presented
by the PAT directors to the staff
for their efforts to improve members’
“competence in the field of personnel and
industrial relations.”
While HRPA’s mandate remains the
same, the profession has advanced dramatically
since then – and we have come
THE MORE COMPLEX THE WORK OF A PROFESSION,
THE HIGHER THE LEVEL OF COMPETENCE
REQUIRED; AND THE GREATER THE CONSEQUENCES
OF INCOMPETENCE, THE MORE THOROUGH
THE CERTIFICATION PROCESS MUST BE.
a long way from the days of the “personnel
department,” managing things like payroll
or vacation requests, and reporting into finance
and accounting.
I began my own career in the early
‘80s, working as a recruiter in the personnel
department for CAE Electronics in
Montreal, and that role probably hasn’t
changed that much as the quest for top talent
has always been a core HR function.
Although the recruiter role has changed to
a more strategic talent management role,
utilizing social media tools to attract the
By Philip Wilson, CHRE
best and the brightest professionals, it is
still fundamentally the same as when I
commenced my career.
But what we do with that talent – hiring,
training, employee development,
leadership, rewarding and recognition,
coaching and engagement – has evolved
into an HR function that’s so crucial to organizations
today.
Today, the chief human resources officer
(CHRO) works directly with the
CEO and the senior leadership team, providing
guidance on business strategies,
rawpixel/shutterstock.com
The Business
of HR
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ 7