This page describes what the program contains — the subject areas, how they fit together, and what a participant can do afterward that they could not before.
People new to HR, including those moving from administration or another function, who need the framework of the field rather than depth in one corner of it.
Practitioners who learned on the job and have expertise with gaps — competent at what their employer does, untested at what it does not. This is the most common participant and frequently the one who benefits most.
People who are the entire HR function in a smaller organization and need working competence across everything, because there is nobody to refer to. Our seminar on running an HR department of one addresses that situation directly.
The statutory framework HR operates within — discrimination and equal opportunity, wage and hour rules, leave entitlements, disability accommodation — and the obligations attaching to each. Not legal training, but enough to recognize when a situation has legal dimensions.
Job analysis, descriptions that reflect actual requirements, lawful interviewing, selection criteria and the documentation supporting a defensible decision.
Pay structures, job evaluation, the FLSA classification questions that generate substantial liability, and benefit program administration. See also compensation training.
FMLA, ADA accommodation, state entitlements and how they interact — the area where mistakes are most frequent and most expensive.
Performance management, discipline, grievances, investigations and termination, with emphasis throughout on documentation.
Personnel files, retention requirements, confidentiality including the separate handling of medical information, and the reporting a function is expected to produce. See HR recordkeeping requirements.
Each subject can be studied separately. The program's value is that they are taught as a connected whole.
An employee absence can simultaneously engage FMLA, the ADA, workers' compensation, a company policy and a payroll question. A termination engages performance documentation, final pay rules, benefits continuation and potential discrimination exposure.
Practitioners who learned these areas separately handle each competently and miss the interactions — which is precisely where the expensive mistakes occur.
The program runs in person and by video conference, which suits participants who want scheduled structure rather than self-direction. It is intensive rather than extended — appropriate for material that benefits from concentrated exposure and immediate discussion.
A generalist certificate is deliberately broad. Specialised certifications go deep in a single area and are a sensible next step once your responsibilities concentrate — FMLA certification, COBRA training, cafeteria plan certification and 401(k) administration are the common ones.
For the underlying decision, see is an HR certification worth it, and for entry-level options HR certifications for beginners.
No. Participants with some experience generally get more from it, because they have real situations to attach the material to.
The legal content is US-specific. The practice content transfers more broadly.
Either a move into a broader HR role, or a specialized certification in whichever area the work concentrates on.
See the HR generalist certification program, or HR management training for the stage after.
Recommended In-Person Seminars
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