HRCI SPHR Certification Exam Syllabus

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute HR plans that are aligned to the organization’s strategic plan (for example: HR strategic plans, budgets, business plans, service delivery plans, HRIS, technology)
• Evaluate the applicability of federal laws and regulations to organizational strategy (for example: policies, programs, practices, business expansion/reduction)
• Analyze and assess organizational practices that impact operations and people management to decide on the best available risk management strategy (for example: avoidance, mitigation, acceptance)
• Interpret and use business metrics to assess and drive achievement of strategic goals and objectives (for example: key performance indicators, financial statements, budgets)
• Design and evaluate HR data indicators to inform strategic actions within the organization (for example: turnover rates, cost per hire, retention rates)
• Evaluate credibility and relevance of external information to make decisions and recommendations (for example: salary data, management trends, published surveys and studies, legal/regulatory analysis)
• Contribute to the development of the organizational strategy and planning (for example: vision, mission, values, ethical conduct)
• Develop and manage workplace practices that are aligned with the organization’s statements of vision, values, and ethics to shape and reinforce organizational culture
• Design and manage effective change strategies to align organizational performance with the organization’s strategic goals
• Establish and manage effective relationships with key stakeholders to influence organizational behavior and outcomes

Knowledge of:

• Vision, mission, and values of an organization and applicable legal and regulatory requirements
• Strategic planning process
• Management functions, including planning, organizing, directing, and controlling
• Corporate governance procedures and compliance
• Business elements of an organization (for example: products, competition, customers, technology, demographics, culture, processes, safety and security)
• Third-party or vendor selection, contract negotiation, and management, including development of requests for proposals (RFPs)
• Project management (for example: goals, timetables, deliverables, and procedures)
• Technology to support HR activities
• Budgeting, accounting, and financial concepts (for example: evaluating financial statements, budgets, accounting terms, and cost management)
• Techniques and methods for organizational design (for example: outsourcing, shared services, organizational structures)
• Methods of gathering data for strategic planning purposes (for example: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats [SWOT], and Political, Economic, Social, and Technological [PEST])
• Qualitative and quantitative methods and tools used for analysis, interpretation, and decision making purposes
• Change management processes and techniques
• Techniques for forecasting, planning, and predicting the impact of HR activities and programs across functional areas
• Risk management
• How to deal with situations that are uncertain, unclear, or chaotic

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate and forecast organizational needs throughout the business cycle to create or develop workforce plans (for example: corporate restructuring, workforce expansion, or reduction)
• Develop, monitor, and assess recruitment strategies to attract desired talent (for example: labor market analysis, compensation strategies, selection process, onboarding, sourcing and branding strategy)
• Develop and evaluate strategies for engaging new employees and managing cultural integrations (for example: new employee acculturation, downsizing, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, global expansion)

Knowledge of:

• Planning techniques (for example: succession planning, forecasting)
• Talent management practices and techniques (for example: selecting and assessing employees)
• Recruitment sources and strategies
• Staffing alternatives (for example: outsourcing, temporary employment)
• Interviewing and selection techniques and strategies
• Impact of total rewards on recruitment and retention
• Termination approaches and strategies
• Employee engagement strategies
• Employer marketing and branding techniques
• Negotiation skills and techniques
• Due diligence processes (for example: mergers and acquisitions, divestitures)
• Transition techniques for corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, offshoring, and divestitures
• Methods to assess past and future staffing effectiveness (for example: cost per hire, selection ratios, adverse impact)

Responsibilities:

• Develop and evaluate training strategies (for example: modes of delivery, timing, content) to increase individual and organizational effectiveness
• Analyze business needs to develop a succession plan for key roles (for example: identify talent, outline career progression, coaching and development) to promote business continuity
• Develop and evaluate employee retention strategies and practices (for example: assessing talent, developing career paths, managing job movement within the organization)

Knowledge of:

• Training program design and development
• Adult learning processes
• Training and facilitation techniques
• Instructional design principles and processes (for example: needs analysis, content chunking, process flow mapping)
• Techniques to assess training program effectiveness, including use of applicable metrics
• Career and leadership development theories and applications
• Organizational development (OD) methods, motivation methods, and problem-solving techniques
• Coaching and mentoring techniques
• Effective communication skills and strategies (for example: presentation, collaboration, sensitivity)
• Employee retention strategies
• Techniques to encourage creativity and innovation

Responsibilities:

• Analyze and evaluate compensation strategies (for example: philosophy, classification, direct, indirect, incentives, bonuses, equity, executive compensation) that attract, reward, and retain talent
• Analyze and evaluate benefit strategies (for example: health, welfare, retirement, recognition programs, work-life balance, wellness) that attract, reward, and retain talent

Knowledge of:

• Compensation strategies and philosophy
• Job analysis and evaluation methods
• Job pricing and pay structures
• External labor markets and economic factors
• Executive compensation methods
• Non-cash compensation methods
• Benefits program strategies
• Fiduciary responsibilities
• Motivation concepts and applications
• Benchmarking techniques

Responsibilities:

• Design and evaluate strategies for employee satisfaction (for example: recognition, career path) and performance management (for example: performance evaluation, corrective action, coaching)
• Analyze and evaluate strategies to promote diversity and inclusion
• Evaluate employee safety and security strategies (for example: OSHA, HIPAA, emergency response plan, building access, data security/privacy)
• Develop and evaluate labor strategies (for example: collective bargaining, grievance program, concerted activity, staying union free, strategically aligning with labor)

Knowledge of:

• Strategies to facilitate positive employee relations
• Methods for assessing employee attitudes, opinions, and satisfaction
• Performance management strategies
• Human relations concepts and applications
• Ethical and professional standards
• Diversity and inclusion concepts and applications
• Occupational injury and illness prevention techniques
• Workplace safety and security risks, and strategies
• Emergency response, business continuity and disaster recovery strategies
• Internal investigation, monitoring, and surveillance techniques
• Data security and privacy
• The collective bargaining process, strategies, and concepts (for example: contract negotiation, costing, administration)