I hope you, our members, are doing well and that you are navigating the challenges of recruitment, retention and responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic during this tumultuous time.
We have a lot happening at IPMA-HR, and I am excited to share details with you.
As many of you know, we have embarked on a refresh of our brand. This requires that we have updated data on our members and those we serve. Last November, we asked you to respond to a survey about your attitudes and perceptions regarding IPMA-HR to help us tailor products and services to your needs. We had a great response, and I want to say a big thank you to all who participated.
It was great to learn that the major reasons why members join IPMA-HR are professional development and credentialing, the fact that we are public sector focused and because we provide public sector news and information. When asked to rate the value of our professional development and educational offerings, members gave the highest marks to our webinars, certifications and training courses.
We are working to update our courses. In particular, we are focusing on keeping the content fresh and making sure we are addressing the most important concepts and issues. This is the best way we know to provide you with the information you need to succeed in your work.
We have also started work to ensure our certifications are continually updated to remain current, thorough, valid and reliable. Some of you may already have heard from us requesting that you provide input for our Human Resources Proficiency Questionnaire. Efforts such as these will allow us to maintain the standard of excellence all members expect from us.
Returning to the November survey, we asked members to rate the value of IPMA-HR products. Respondents gave the highest scores to our publications, HR News and HR Bulletin. We are thrilled you value these as much as we do, and we are always working to provide news and information about the most pressing issues you face.
I also hope all members know that they can submit articles on successes, case studies and experiences fellow members can learn from. You can access more information about writing for the magazine or contact us by going to HR News Guidelines for Writers.
The HR challenges you currently face and are struggling to resolve are centered on many aspects of recruitment, engagement and retention. Issues related to COVID-19 are also top of mind. Specifically, members who responded to the November survey mentioned workforce shortages, employee morale, vaccine mandates, resilience, issues around working remotely and COVID-19 policies.
Looking to the future, members indicated that the greatest HR challenges they foresee in the next five years are:
- Finding strong, qualified candidates;
- Compensation issues such as maintaining competitive pay, funding and keeping up with private sector wages;
- Staffing, recruitment and retention; and, to a lesser extent,
- Technology training and engagement.
Members provided a plethora of responses to the question asking which one resource, product or service they believe public sector HR professionals need right now. Top scorers were:
- Information and resources in general and, more specifically, on keeping up to date on laws, regulations and policies;
- Training in leadership, recruitment and retention, future-focused topics, supervisory training, diversity, inclusion and many more areas; and
- Having the opportunity to connect and network with peers.
In this month’s HR News magazine, you will see articles on recruiting, onboarding and retaining employees. I hope you find some takeaways to implement.
I look forward to providing the information and training you are seeking while we meet in person this year for the IPMA-HR Annual Conference 2022 in Washington, D.C. The conference is set for September 28-30, and I am beyond pleased to be back in person with you.
The conference, themed Beyond All Limits of Public Sector HR, will be better than ever, with a comprehensive, cutting-edge program covering all aspects of public sector HR and addressing your most pressing issues. You will be able to choose from three preconference workshops, more than 40 concurrent sessions and two featured keynote speakers. And there will be several receptions, so you’ll have plenty of time for networking and sharing knowledge with colleagues in addition to learning tactics and strategies in more formal ways.
Please visit conference the website to start planning your experience.
I am looking forward to getting to meet many of you in person!
Cara Woodson Welch
ipma@ipma-hr.org
01 April 2022
Category
HR News Article