Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners calls for passage of HR Bill
The Institute of Human Resource Management Practitioners (IHRMP) has called on Parliament to pass the Human Resource (HR) Bill in order to attain the status of a charter and be recognised by law.
The bill, which has gone through all the legal processes, was submitted to Parliament before the recess and the Institute was hopeful that by the middle of 2019 it would be passed.
Dr Edward Kwapong, the President of National Governing Council, IHRMP, speaking at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Institute, said the bill if passed would give the Institute legal recognition and a charter status so that they are recognised by the state because they have been established by law.
The AGM, being held under the theme: “A proposed Approach to Building a thriving Organisation in the Age of Disruption”, was to take inventory of happenings in the past year, give them the opportunity to share thoughts on topical issues, and strengthen networking amongst them.
He said the bill if passed would empower them to regulate the practice of HR in the country to the extent of licensing practitioners.
“It would also enable us come out with code of ethics to regulate the practice of HR. Right from recruitment, through training, through performance management, reward management, career development standards would be set to ensure that organisations and companies follow these standards.”
Dr Kwapong said the law would also enable them sanction members who misconduct themselves or do something unethical and when HR practitioners are maltreated they can also be defended.
He said the bill, which was drafted about six years ago, has gone through the process of vetting by the Attorney Generals department, to ensure the legality of it and how it conforms to legal standards and drafting procedures.
“It later got submitted by the Ministry of Education to cabinet in June 2018. The Institute’s officials were invited and interacted with the Cabinet Sub Committee and thereafter eventually got approved by cabinet in July 2018. The HR bill was gazetted in August 2018 and is now in Parliament after which it would be accented to by the President.”
Highlighting some of the achievements of the Institute during the year under review, he said there was an increase in associate membership from 458 to 578, while full membership increased from 1,200 to 1,310 and the certified HR practitioners also increased from 45 to 65.
Dr Kwapong said total income also increased from GH¢1.29million in 2016 to GH¢1.61million in 2017, a net increase of GH¢324,260.33.
“Total expenditure of the institute for the same period also increased by GH¢339,694.77 to GH¢1.41million in 2017 as compared to GH¢1.07million in 2016.
The Institute recorded a net surplus of GH¢197,692.21 in 2017 as compared to 2016 net surplus of GH¢213,127.00, representing a seven percent decrease in net surplus.
He said the Institute also organised HR forum for members in good standing, established a new branch in Tarkwa, made some recruitments, commenced the building of a HR complex annex, reviewed its Professional Certification Programme syllabus, engaged in some HR professional services, engaged some stakeholder to strengthen relationship and involvement as well as other collaborative efforts among others.
The President said in 2018, the Institute would pursue its growth agenda aggressively by tapping into opportunities in the regions for increased membership and patronage of their programmes.
Mr Deon De Swardt, Head, Business Development, Mercer, South Africa said the world of work was changing and to be able to address the current disruptions, HR practitioners and leaders must think about global trends in order for their organisations to be able to adapt to the changing world of work.
He said for HR organisations to be successful and build thriving organisations in this age of disruptions it was important to adopt a people strategy to understand the world of work outside the organisation. Align a vision, define the future, determine strategies, design solutions and drive performance.
“Organisations must have an employee value propositions to be able to define employee experience that would make the right talents want to join, stay and deliver their best. They must also create an environment that creates growth and a culture where people can think differently.”
Thriving in a disrupted world means reinventing how to work, having an empowered workforce, reimagining workforce, health, wealth and career strategies, to create a more productive and resilient organisation.
Mr Swardt said “a thriving workforce is defined by trust, transparency, connectedness, approachability, saying a thriving workforce unlocks employee potential and when people lead healthy lives, feel confident about their financial future, they bring their passion and creativity to work then businesses grow strong and agile”
He urged them to thrive in this age of disruptions, saying it would give them the chance to redefine the world of work, build a better talent agreement, and give them the opportunity to create a new HR environment.
Source: GNA