Each year the Association surveys our membership for feedback on programing and delivery. Invitations were sent April 2014 and members had until May 11, 2014 to respond. This year 853 members responded to the survey (completion rate varied per question), down from 1,458 in 2013. It is possible that this disappointing response rate is partially due to the decreased number of reminders sent during the survey period or a high number of external survey requests sent at the same time. The survey format and questions were consistent with the survey of 2013.

This year, the majority of members answering the survey made up a profile that was inconsistent with the majority of overall membership. Forty-nine per cent of surveyed members were between the ages of 35 and 54, and 38 per cent of respondents indicating that they have been with the association between 1-5 years. Twenty-five per cent of survey respondents had been practicing human resources between 5 – 10 years. These numbers represent a younger and less tenured group than the overall HRMA membership.

Generally, satisfaction with the Association remains strong with 80 per cent of respondents stating that their membership is valuable.

This group also indicated low awareness of activities and services that relate to recent partnerships such as the HRMA Employee Benefits Plan. Understandably, they have a very low participation rate in these services as well. Additionally, many of the respondents are unaware of research briefings, links, and guides available to them.

Currently, the highest level of participation is in activities and services including mingles/networking events, in-person professional development, roundtables, Annual Conference + Tradeshow, and online professional development. These events all drive the social and continuing education needs of our members and many of them do not have an additional cost to participate. Members have also indicated that the events or services that they feel to be the most valuable are those primarily related to continuing education and include prep courses, study groups, professional development, volunteering, and mentoring. The least valuable service in the eyes of respondents was sponsorship, which is a consistent theme in anecdotal feedback from members.

Consistent with previous years, the primary reasons members do not attend the Annual HRMA Conference + Tradeshow were price and lack of budget. Alternatively, the main reason that members did not participate in the HR Metrics Service was lack of interest in the subject matter. When citing reasons for not participating in HRMA professional development offerings, respondents indicated that location or choosing an offering from another provider were the primary factors.  This differs from the 2013 survey in which time and money were cited as the largest deterrents.

Finally, while other products like PeopleTalk and HRVoice.org were relatively well received in terms of satisfaction, opportunities continue to exist for improvements. For example, respondents said that they chose to read HRVoice.org only once/month; however, work is being done to update the electronic periodical daily. Further review and analysis must take place prior to any changes being implemented.

Action Planning
Work has begun to reorganize our advertising and sponsorship communications. It is recognized that this important source of revenue generation is also beginning to crowd out member communications related to a variety of other Association activities and offerings. The reworking of how such promotions and partnerships are organized allows for more original and repurposed content aimed at supporting practitioners in their roles.

In previous member value surveys, 98 per cent of respondents indicated that it was important that the Association provide membership with information on practices, trends, statistics and news about the HR profession. In response, HRMA has made concerted efforts in many of its initiatives to meet this request.

• The Association is, on its own and with contributions from local post-secondary institutions, developing a bank of research papers to release throughout the year.
• The professional development team is excited about the launch of PD On-Demand which will allow members, wherever they may be, access to high quality learning.
• The Advisory Councils throughout the Province and Territory continue to evolve networking events, providing not just social connections but genuine learning opportunities at hybrid events such as ‘HR Showcases’ where host companies provide site tours and presentations.

The Association will find additional mechanisms to seek feedback and strive to be an essential career companion to our membership while raising the value and awareness of the HR profession and the CHRP designation. We are grateful for the feedback and the ongoing commitment of our membership.

Congratulations to Lori Meyer and Mark Reynolds! Lori won an iPad mini and Mark won an iPad for completing our annual member survey.