Professional certifications in human resources: a comparative study and a proposal for Spain

Abstract

The human resources function lives −suffers− in Spain a permanent debate between the generalized consideration that people are the center of the activity of any organization and many business practices that do not always just reflect this reality. Human resources professionals themselves devote a very relevant time to claiming that their role is not frequently recognized and that other functional activities −such as finance, marketing or logistics− do receive that recognition of their technical specificity and their unique value. In other countries, the existence of institutions and associations −centennial, in some cases− that subsequently certify and confirm the certification of their members with deontological, technical, methodological and continuous development criteria contribute decisively to the professional reputation of the function of human Resources. By studying the opinion of local professionals about this situation, we will understand if the problem is whether that the need for the human resources function is not perceived or that its professionals do not have enough social strength. We will also propose some initiatives that could serve −as they have done in other countries with success− for human resources function to reinforce its social prestige, its professional reputation, its effectiveness and its organizational value.