We have begun the journey to review the HR Management Standards. We will undertake this important review at the People Factor Summit, scheduled for 7 and 8 September 2022, with the HR community.
Before we consider the decision and journey to review the HRM Standards, let’s briefly revisit the history and development of the Standards. The momentous task of developing the HRM Standards was undertaken in 2013 by the South African HR community through the leadership of the SABPP and other stakeholders. This follows the SABPP’s engagement with HR professionals in all nine provinces of South Africa in 2011 and the ‘snapshot’ of HRM that emerged. The late Marius Meyer together with Penny Abbott (2019) captured this snapshot as follows in their publication: “The major message from these road-shows was that HR practitioners lacked a professional identity given the absence of a national framework on HR professionalism” (p26). Thus, the SABPP began the journey then to develop a System Model and standards of good people practices for the South African context and guidelines for the application thereof within organisations. More than 500 HR managers and practitioners joined the SABPP in this journey.
“The guidance in [the HRM System Model and standards are] intended to be flexible. The use of these guidelines can differ according to the size, nature and complexity of the organisation, as well as its objectives and scope in wishing to implement an HRM system” (ibid).
Since then, our context has certainly evolved. We have been reflecting on our evolving context and our people practices therein in our Fact Sheets, Leadership Standard, and the Labour Market Scenarios for example. We continued our engagements with the HR community on our changing contexts and contingencies through our various Committees, Student Chapters, forums such as the SA HR University Forum, and various conferences and webinars.
In 2022 we made the call to review the HRM Standards. In April 2022, we began the journey. A working group was constituted of stakeholders in the HR community to deliberate on our evolving context and what the review would entail. The working group included those who previously participated in the development of the HRM Standards, those who have been actively involved in the Standards since its launch, HR auditors certified by the SABPP, and other thought leaders and senior members of the HR community. At our upcoming People Factor Summit we will continue this journey of reflecting on our evolving context and the process for the review of the Standards. As with the development of the Standards in 2013, together as a HR community we will review the proposals for the review of the HR Standards at the PF Summit.
On day one of the Summit, we will engage with the thought leaders that we have gathered. They will provoke our thinking on critical issues in South Africa and help facilitate our deliberations on these. This will set the scene for day 2 which begins with the masterclass on the Strategic HRM Toolkit we will launch then. Thereafter, we will deliberate on the review of the Standards through the day.
We invite you to be part of this important journey. Together as the South African HR Community we can achieve this critical milestone and ensure we sustain good people practices in the changing world of work. In 2013 we had had completed the momentous task of developing the HR Standards System and the application thereof within organisations with more than 500 HR managers and practitioners participating. In 2022 we can certainly take up that legacy and set the tone for the future of people practices in SA.
You may register here for the PF Summit: https://events.mm3.co.za/Event/?Id=8b191c28-797a-4c3d-b249-8b6e5691fe86
Reference
Meyer, M., and Abbott, P. (2019). National HRM Standards in South Africa. Houghton: SABPP.
