Outrage: SHRM selling product, not only providing information

I wrote this to the HR Group and feel it deserves a posting here.
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I don’t usually write this type of email and if you’ve been on the list for awhile, you know this. If this email is not of interest to you, please delete. I won’t send a follow-up for over a month so this is not the start of some spam. Please do not send comments via email to me at this address: I don’t have time to read and respond right now. Thanks for understanding!

I’m a long-term SHRM member and I received an oversized glossy postcard from SHRM and then an email notifying me of a new product. They are offering as a product the mandated harassment prevention training in etraining format.

I’m truly outraged for a number of reasons.

A large part of my business is as a preventing harassment trainer offering workshops, webinars and etraining. I purchase materials, keep them updated, include recent cases along with business and personal experiences. I spend hours learning, researching and practicing this material and additional time and effort helping my clients with the proper paperwork. I pay a monthly fee for a webinar program and had purchased expensive software for the etraining portion. I pay for errors and omissions insurance solely because of this training.

Now SHRM, my professional organization, is selling an etraining product. I never expected that this organization would be my competitor and I feel so betrayed.

My prices are competitive with SHRM as they are with the CA Chamber of Commerce and I’m not worried about that aspect.

I expect SHRM to update us on new developments, train HR professionals on compliance issues, offer articles and a database of knowledge. They do all that very well and I’ve referred many people to SHRM over the years.

My concern is that they are using the membership database, and a portion of the dues to create and mail marketing materials for a product that will take away work from people like me. There is no way that a small company like mine can purchase the SHRM mailing list and have the marketing power and budget to compete.

I contacted Martin Schuebel, the contact for these projects and copied Sue Meisinger, the President of SHRM. Martin responded copying Bob Carr. I spoke with Martin over 40 minutes today.

SHRM’s mission on the website states: “SHRM serves the needs of the human resource management professional by providing the most essential and comprehensive set of resources available. In addition, the Society is committed to advancing the human resource profession and the capabilities of all human resource professionals to ensure that HR is an essential and effective partner in developing and executing organizational strategy.”

I believe the mission is to help professional development by providing resources not create a product and sell it directly to members, some of whom will financially suffer as a result.

I asked Martin if SHRM will also start doing comp plans for companies, doing their recruiting, offering outsourced HR solutions. Martin does not understand the analogy. Offering this type of product is a slippery slope. Once it’s “acceptable” for one product, others will soon follow – you can bet on that.

The back of the SHRM magazine has paid advertising. This is different than SHRM offering a product and selling it directly to members.

Martin said that the only things he has heard have been positive, but he’s only heard from a few people who have taken the course. I never saw the ads till this week and imagine others may be concerned but may not have had time to respond.

Martin said these decisions take time to make and they thought a lot and asked some members before offering the course. They did not poll vendors, trainers and consultants in California. He said that he would discuss this with Sue and Bob, but given the conversation I do not hold out much hope.

The only thing that will help is if you agree with my stance, please email Martin, Sue and Bob immediately. If you know a person or organization that may be interested in responding, please forward this email.

Again, the addresses are mschuebel@SHRM.org, Smeisinger@SHRM.org, Rcarr@SHRM.org.

Thank you.