By DR. AMY S. DUFRANE, SPHR
Sitting down to write this month’s article, I couldn’t help googling other organizations celebrating their first 50 years. It was exciting to learn that HRCI is in good company: sharing our golden jubilee with FedEx, ICF, Special Olympics – and even Hip-Hop! HRCI has achieved a number of significant milestones in our support of the HR professional, and I’m proud to honor our growth. Here’s a quick “sizzle reel” of where we started – and some thoughts on where the next 50 years will take us.
In 1973, The American Society of Personnel Administration Accreditation Institute (AAI) – known as HRCI today – was founded. It was a pivotal time in U.S. history, with greater attention on the obligations of employers to support change driven by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972. The term “personnel” started to fade, replaced by “human resources.” As HR professionals, we began to focus less on administrative responsibilities and more on compliance and social change.
In 1976, AAI administered the first HR exams. That was also the same year ASPA began awarding the PHR and SPHR certification designations. Fast-forward to 1990, and the organization officially changed its name to HRCI. It’s hard to gloss over how much changed in those years: compensation inequities widened; President Reagan terminated striking air traffic controllers; the labor force restructured as more women entered the workplace. The importance of HR escalated to new levels, necessitating more guidance from standards and certifications.
By 1996, the first HRCI-certified professional was elected to the U.S. Senate, representing the state of Wyoming. Michael Enzi, PHR, served on the Labor and Human Resources, Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committees. As a fun fact, he was also the first senator to question why he couldn’t bring his laptop onto the Senate floor for the sake of efficiency.
By 2001, HRCI was also committed to relying on technology to advance the role of HR professionals. The website located at hrci.org was launched. That same year, HRCI was awarded the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) Accreditation for PHR and SPHR. In 2004, we debuted computer-based testing (CBT), and the GPHR exam was introduced. In 2008, HRCI earned accreditation from the NCCA for GPHR and PHRca.
The new millennium unveiled numerous exciting opportunities for HRCI, which saw the PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification grow to be the HR industry standard. The compensation research firm, PayScale, conducted a national study validating that HR professionals with HRCI certifications earned more. And in 2014, HRCI became a separate entity.
In less than a decade since that action, HRCI has launched aPHR, aPHRi, PHRi, SPHRi, published several books, created a robust catalog of HRCI learning and recertification products (which we add to every month), and produced our popular webinar series. In 2020, HRCI became the first to offer the online delivery of HR Certification Exams through OnVue (Pearson Vue’s online proctoring exam delivery system.) HRCI was repeatedly acknowledged as the de facto credentialing and learning organization for the human resources professional and the only one serving growing global requirements.
HRCI’s momentum has been nothing short of dazzling in the last two years. In May 2021, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) appointed HRCI as the International Secretariat for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 260 on Human Resource Management. ISO TC 260 is responsible for the development of a series of standards for human resource management practices and processes. Honored to be selected for this important initiative, HRCI sees it as a natural expansion of our responsibilities to the HR community.
Equally powerful was the launch of our organizational-level certifications, which were built on ISO standards. The Human Resource Standard Institute (HRSI) enables business and HR leaders to ensure their HR practices align with global standards. HRSI’s initial certification focuses on diversity and inclusion, in line with ISO standard 30415:2021 HRM – D&I.
Like any entrepreneurial journey, the first 50 years of HRCI have been a wild ride. Similar to the role of the HR professionals that we serve, the highly individualized nature of the people business needs firm guidance with plenty of flexibility. HRCI has learned so much in our first 50 years, and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with our community for the next 50 and beyond. Stay tuned for the many enhancements HRCI will be implementing over the next 12 months that will impact HR professionals around the globe. As actor and rapper Ice-T said when commemorating the first 50 years of Hip-Hop: “Look to the future, support, effect change!” I couldn’t have said it better myself, other than to add that HRCI is always here for you.
