Practical applications of Act 1020 (2) - Practitioner’s opinion

Another practical application of the new act is the provision of professional training and development opportunities for members. 

The CIHRM-Ghana will be responsible for providing these opportunities, which will help members to enhance their knowledge and skills in the field of human resource management.

This will result in a more competent and skilled workforce, which will contribute to the development of the human resource management profession in Ghana. 

It is strongly suggested that the current curricula run by the Institute will be revamped and revised to reflect the specific and realistic needs of organisations in Ghana as well as to meet global standards of practice.

A fusion of global and local standards will help create a more robust practice knowledge for certified HRM professionals in Ghana.

Code

The act also provides for the establishment of a code of professional conduct for practitioners of human resource management in Ghana.

This code will outline the ethical standards that practitioners are expected to adhere to in the practice of their profession.

By adhering to this code, practitioners will promote trust and confidence in the profession and ensure that the interests of employees and organisations are protected.

The act also gives the CIHRM-Ghana the power to issue licenses and certificates to qualified practitioners.

This will ensure that only qualified practitioners are allowed to practice human resource management in Ghana.

It will also promote the credibility of the profession and ensure that organizations can trust the competence and expertise of practitioners.  

These standards will also help to manage misconduct of HR practitioners who lead organisations in the path of destruction in their decision making and professional HR advice.  

Perhaps, this is one of the most important aspects of the new Law which will cure the current limitations of HRM practice in Ghana today, so that the industry is properly sanitised of incompetent, non-qualified ‘wanna-be’ pseudo HRM practitioners who have invaded the industry by storm.

The act also provides for the promotion and protection of the interests of the human resource management profession in Ghana.  

The remuneration of HR practitioners until recently was quite problematic as it did not reflect the value HRM brings to the success of an organisation and the bottom line.  

Indeed, it is common knowledge and belief that HRM practitioners find it difficult to quantify and forcefully advocate their contribution to organisational success.  

This new Law will set the standards for HRM remuneration to properly cater for the hardworking HRM professionals out there.

Interests

The CIHRM-Ghana will be responsible for advocating for the profession and representing the interests of its members to relevant stakeholders.

This will ensure that the human resource management profession is recognised and more respected in Ghana.  

Further, the new Law requires the CIHRM-Ghana to provide professional development programs for HR practitioners.

The new Law empowers the CIHRM-Ghana to set standards for recruitment and hiring processes in Ghana.

The standards may include guidelines for creating job descriptions, conducting interviews, and making hiring decisions.

These standards will ensure that organisations in Ghana use fair and objective criteria when hiring employees.

The new Law requires HR professionals in Ghana to abide by a code of ethics and conduct.

This code will outline the professional standards and values that HR professionals should uphold in their work.

For example, HR professionals may be required to maintain confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, and treat employees with respect and fairness.  

The new Law gives the CIHRM-Ghana the power to investigate and resolve complaints against HR practitioners registered and certified by the Institute.  

The new Law will certainly create more career opportunities for HR professionals in Ghana.

As organisations become more aware of the importance of HR management, they may create new positions and offer higher salaries to attract qualified candidates.

This will help to raise the status of HR management as a profession in Ghana and attract more young people to the field.

In conclusion, the CIHRM-Ghana Law is a great strategy for organisational productivity in Ghana, as it seeks to and creates the opportunity to regulate the Human Resource Management space.  

And I am so looking forward to the implementation and establishment of all the structures envisaged under the Law to start reaping the benefits of the various HR interventions on a national scale.

The writer is a HRM & Labour Consultant.