Cause the Effect You Want: Part II—SHRM's People Manager Qualification

​This three-part series provides an overview of the professional development options available through SHRM Educational Programs and how they can help you Cause the Effect you want—in your career, your organization and your profession. 

This month's article explores the SHRM People Manager Qualification (PMQ). Last month, we discussed SHRM's Specialty Credential Program, and next month, we will review the five steps to achieving and maintaining SHRM certification. 

Earning the PMQ adds to your skillset as a SHRM credential-holder and earns you additional professional development credits (PDCs) that count toward recertifying your SHRM certification. But whether or not you are certified, the PMQ offers valuable information that transforms people managers into self-aware models of positive workplace culture. 

Today's Challenges in People Management 

SHRM research conducted in 2019 yields some staggering statistics regarding the current state of people management: 

• Managers hold the largest responsibility for turnover due to workplace culture.
• Over the past five years, the cost of such turnover has been $233 billion.
• Nearly 60 percent of workers who leave their jobs voluntarily do so because of their managers.
• One in three U.S. workers say that their managers don't know how to lead a team.
• A large majority of U.S. workers—84 percent—agree that managers who are poorly trained create a lot of unnecessary work and stress.
• HR professionals say 28 percent of their time is spent addressing problems caused by bad managers.
• Almost 6 in 10 U.S. workers feel that managers could benefit from training on how to better manage people.
• Half of U.S. workers feel that their own work performance would improve if their direct supervisors' people management skills improved. 

Meeting Challenges Means Developing Skills 

The SHRM PMQ can help HR professionals and staff managers alike tackle the issues listed above, plus many more. 

Success in the workplace means prioritizing the management of people, guiding employees' development, and cultivating a strong sense of collective purpose. The most successful organizations nurture and maintain a strong culture; the worst organizations are hindered by workplace toxicity. 

Earning the PMQ develops the critical skills and knowledge necessary for managing people effectively and transparently. SHRM's program prepares managers to lead in ways that strengthen the work culture and engage employees, thereby increasing productivity and retention. 

PMQ-credentialed people managers gain organizational credibility by learning how to work productively, balance their time and improve accountability. They are "people-ready": able to anticipate and handle the issues that plague inexperienced or inattentive managers, who often weigh down the HR department. Upskilling the people managers in an organization frees up HR professionals' time, so everyone can focus on the more strategic components of both HR and people management. 

Moving the Needle Toward Success 

The PMQ virtual learning experience is unique and highly interactive. It uses gamification, humor, augmented reality, role-playing and other elements—the "edutainment" factor—to put learning into practice. The characters and situations are compelling, relatable and reflective of today's workplace and lifestyles. 

As a PMQ learner, you'll follow the story of several friends embarking on their careers as people managers, tackling common issues. You'll participate in role-play scenarios whose outcomes will affect your team's "health meter," which gauges your progress toward improvement. 

As you move through the modules and assessments, you'll use the information provided by the meter to move the needle in a positive direction. You'll learn how to make better decisions, gain the skills and knowledge to handle a range of issues and lead your team, and become a better people manager. 

Connection to SHRM Certification 

If you're a current SHRM credential-holder, you will be pleased to learn that the PMQ, as a professional development activity in alignment with the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge™, is pre-approved as a way to accumulate PDCs—just like SHRM specialty credentials. In other words, you will be awarded 16.5 credits toward recertification in the "Advance Your Education" category by earning your PMQ. 

What's more, all PDCs earned through SHRM programs are recorded directly into your recertification account—you don't have to do it yourself. 

You can also leverage what you've learned through the PMQ program to earn additional PDCs in the "Advance Your Organization" category by applying your new skills and knowledge in a qualifying work project. 

In sum, the SHRM PMQ can help cause more of the effects that you want to see in your career and your organization. 

Next month, we'll focus on the five steps to achieving and maintaining SHRM certification. As the series concludes, you'll have a comprehensive pathway before you, leading to long-term success as an HR professional. 

Jeanne L. Morris is vice president, education at SHRM. Nancy A. Woolever, SHRM-SCP, is vice president, certification at SHRM.