CLIMBING THE PROFESSIONAL LADDER : HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTITIONERS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

The human resource practitioner is centrally involved in the management of people in an organization. In the Singapore context, there has always been an emphasis on human resource as a key factor in economic development. Yet, one often hears of the little recognition accorded to the human resource function in the organization. As the only institute that represents the human resource occupation, the Singapore Institute of Human Resource Management (SIHRM) is constantly trying to promote the status of this occupation. Despite this, many human resource practitioners do not take up membership with their professional association. This study thus considers the experience of the human resource practitioner in the organization. It aims to bring into view how these experiences give rise to the human resource practitioners' self-definition as professionals. This self-definition would be analysed in relation to their attitudes toward human resource management as a profession. The implications of these findings are then used to clarify the relationship between the individual and institutional levels of the occupation.