CHRP, CCP, CEBS - these initials after your name tell the world that you possess special HR knowledge and skills recognized by peers and valued by employers. Recently, another certification was added to this list: Certified Recognition Professional or CRP.

The CRP designation is awarded by Recognition Professionals International, an 11-year-old, non-profit organization of employers that is devoted to studying, developing and promoting systems that enhance employee engagement and performance through recognition. Canadian sponsors of this education program include RBC and Rideau Recognition Solutions.

"We're the only association dedicated to recognition programs in the workforce and the only one with a certification program for recognition professionals," says RPI Executive Director Christi Gibson. "RPI has about 900 members from 500 to 600 companies, about 10% of which are international."

Doing all that well requires a unique skill set, and that's what the CRP program teaches.

"We started the program because people kept coming to us and asking 'How do you do this?'" says Gibson. "We went through years of research pulling together professionals in all of the fields and following all of the practices. We were intent on providing the training that professionals needed to reach the next level of expertise."

The CRP program has four modules (see sidebar) based on RPI's seven best practice standards for employee recognition systems. These systems standards are:

• * Recognition strategy.
• * Management responsibility.
• * Recognition program measurement.
• * Communication plan.
• * Recognition training.
• * Recognition events and celebrations.
• * Program change and flexibility.

Upon completion of the four instructor-led modules, those who pass the tests receive the CRP certification. CRP holders must be recertified every three years, which can be done by earning points through professional activities or by taking an exam.

Since the CRP program was launched two years ago, 83 recognition professionals have graduated, and 150 are now going through the program. All types and sizes of employers have sent employees through the program, including BMW, Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo, Rich Products Corp., Ohio State University, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Verizon, Boeing, Kelley Services, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, the Bank of Montreal and Halifax Regional Municipality.

Certification benefits

"For employers, the CRP designation is assurance that this person can identify the needs of the organization and create a successful recognition program, which includes applying, managing, measuring and maintaining the recognition systems," says Gibson. "It's definitely a resume sorter."

This will become increasingly important as the number of organizations with recognition specialists grows, she adds.

"This is a growing trend. More companies are looking at putting recognition professionals in the C-suite. For example, Cargill now has a Chief Recognition Officer. These employers know that you have to recognize employees across the organization, not just the visible ones such as sales reps." Indeed, 28% of RPI's members have a budget for formal recognition programs of $1 million or more.

"Recognition is becoming a career," agrees Lisa Massiello VP, operations and technology group, employee engagement and recognition at Wachovia. "Increasingly, internal communications and motivation is becoming a [separate] job. We're now seeing managers of employee recognition, which wasn't the case 10 years ago."

Massiello, who designs and manages recognition programs for her group's 16,000 employees, received her CRP designation last September. "It's added credibility to my role," she says. "It puts an exclamation point on the fact that we're professionals; we're not just party planners."

Most of the recognition professionals who go through the CRP program are seeking professional development, says Tom Miller, president of The Miller Company, which creates recognition and incentive programs. Miller served on the RPI's education committee when the CRP program was being designed, and he also completed the certification.

"They want a better understanding of how to do their job, and they want to add value to their companies," he says.

Roy Saunderson, president of the Recognition Management Institute, a 12-year-old recognition strategies consulting firm based in New York and Montreal, has also obtained his CRP designation. He believes the CRP courses provide "a total framework" for assessing the organization's needs and applying RPI's seven best practice standards to subsequent programs.

"People who go through the program say, 'Wow, I've never thought about recognition in this way,'" he says. "Most companies put a lot of money into formal recognition events, but they don't look at how effective they are. They leave too much in the 'feel-good' stage and don't move to the performance stage."

Nor do they realize that recognition programs must evolve. "You need to be constantly changing things," Saunderson continues. "It's important to be flexible."

In short, going through the CRP program gives recognition professionals "a different mindset that's extremely valuable" for the individuals and their organizations.

Miller notes that there's been an unexpected benefit for recognition professionals from the fledgling certification program.

"We're developing a common language around recognition and rewards, which makes it easier for HR and recognition professionals to talk. It enables everyone to be on the same page in terms of what the organization needs to get done."

The CRP curriculum

RPI's Certified Recognition Professional curriculum consists of four modules, each of which is presented as a day-long, facilitator-led course. The modules are:

CRP I: Structuring recognition programs for success

Participants will receive a foundational understanding of recognition-related definitions, will learn why recognition is important and will be introduced to survey trend data.

CRP II: Strategic planning and measurement

This course will cover targeted skills and tools needed by Certified Recognition Professionals® (CRP) to align recognition with corporate strategy, develop budgets and create meaningful measurements.

CRP III: Recognition management and maintenance

Participants will gain exposure to actual recognition-related job responsibilities, the challenges of multisite recognition implementation, outsourcing considerations, and change strategies and how to apply them. They will also learn tax implications and how to consider them in their budgeting decisions.

CRP IV: Applying recognition systems

This course outlines the cultural and motivational aspects of behavioral theory.Using real-world examples, participants in this program will learn how organizational culture defines recognition and how recognition supports culture.

The cost of each module is $545 for RPI members and $795 for nonmembers. The CRP program also can be taught on site, and RPI is investigating making it available online.

The next course will be offered at RPI's annual spring meeting in Naples, Fla. May 1, 2 and 6, 2009. For more information, visit the RPI Web site, www.recognition.org.

Lynn Gresham is senior editor of EBNC sister publication Employee Benefit News.