Every once in a while, I’m able to find an opportunity that delivers such an outsized benefit for my investment that I’m sure I must look comically cautious in my approach – like wearing full football pads while trying to tackle a butterfly! Years ago I had one when I folded my consulting practice into the halls of Lockton and there was another when I met this beautiful and enchanting elementary kiddo counselor from Topeka Public Schools, but those are tales for another time. Today’s story is around a new professional endeavor we’re kicking off at Lockton around the SPHR and PHR professional certifications. How wonderful is it that I get to help our Associates pursue the credentials that our clients treasure so much? Our employer-clients benefit through better trained service teams, our Associates benefit with career development and recognition, and even Lockton benefits with our employer-of-choice reputation. This is why Lockton has been named as a Business Insurance Best Place to Work in Insurance several years in a row, because we invest in our Associates.
Over the years I’ve discovered in myself a passion for helping people achieve professional certifications. I certainly benefited from the help and wisdom of others when I sat for my tests. (Rich Reda at Lockton and Keith Wiedenkeller at AMC come to mind instantly, but any list I’d offer here would certainly be incomplete!) Paying it forward seems like the best honor I could offer to repay their investment. That fits particularly well here at Lockton where many of our Associates are in that stage of career where they’re finished with formal schooling but have not completed the industry-specific work we’re all challenged to do by our clients and peers.
This October we’re launching an Associate study group for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR®) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®) certification from the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). Why join a study group you ask? Studies show that people who participate in study groups do better on tests as they keep each other accountable and learn the material better re-teaching it to each other. (University Counseling and Consulting Services, University of Minnesota) Not to mention that there is joy in the commiseration of testing, fueling camaraderie among fellow testers. And I can only imagine that it will be really fun too! (Yes, HR is fun!) I’ll get to cheer on my co-workers from all over the country as they prepare for the mid-2015 exam while hearing their stories, and perhaps sharing a few of mine as well!
For the last three years or so I have led a Lockton CEBS (Certified Employee Benefits Specialist) study group that has given me so much joy as I watched participants achieve a certification I’d objectively stack next to most master’s programs for depth and difficulty. Staying involved with this type of continuing education has helped me not only stay sharp regarding our industry’s issues but also helped me get to know scores of Lockton’s new Associates who share the same my passion for benefits. We will likely start in on CEBS again in Q3 of 2015 when this PHR/SPHR Associate study group concludes, but it will be nice to take a break with some new material!
Surprisingly, there’s a little controversy with this decision. (Actually, I’m 100 percent sure that it surprises no one that something I’m doing has a little controversy!) Recently, the biggest HR association group, SHRM, or the Society for Human Resources Management, just announced their own SHRM-branded certification. With their huge membership base, I’m sure they’ll get a lot of uptake eventually, but it’s left a lot of us scratching our heads over how this isn’t just a huge expression of association egocentricity. While I’ll certainly take their certification transfer when I’m eligible in January 2015, I’m not sure that I trust that all the rough edges will be polished in time for our study group’s needs.
HRCI has said publically that the SPHR and PHR designations are not going away. Since most of our educational webinars (like the July 24 ACA FT/PT Compliance one I spoke on) are already set up for continuing education credits for attendees, we know that the vast majority of folks who ask for continuing education forms are SPHR and PHRs seeking their recertification credits. Many of the clients I’ve worked for over the years have held these designations, but certainly not everyone had them. Since HR has such a common “trial-by-fire” pedigree, it’s often that folks find themselves in an HR career without starting out their career with that as their North Star. Many folks pick up the duties because someone needed to at the time, and years later find themselves in a rewarding and ever-changing journey without end. Perhaps certifications can help to fill in the gaps between formal schooling and the knowledge we each need on a daily basis to lead our companies?
In some of the marketing around their new designation, I found a highly interesting and convicting piece of data from Hank Jackson, SHRM President: “Currently only 12 percent of HR professionals are certified— well under the levels found in other professions.” I know professional certifications can offer comfort to employer-clients that their brokers and consultants understand their needs and point of view. It’s my hope that Lockton’s new Associate study group will help increase this number and the overall abilities of our teams to “Live Service” daily.