Human Resources
Human Resources Courses
aPHR® Exam Prep
Our online, self-paced six-module HR management course provides comprehensive preparation for the Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR™) certification exam, with tips, practice questions and a full-length 125-question practice exam.
This completely online and self-paced, six-module Human Resources management course provides comprehensive preparation for the Associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR™) certification exam. The course includes exam-taking tips, a detailed diagnostic test, practice questions at the end of each module, and a full-length, 125-question practice exam. Over 300 practice questions address the six knowledge areas covered in the aPHR™ exam.
Students have 180 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day.
After this class, you will be able to:
Behavioral Interviewing: Selecting the Best Fit
Access the resources and tools to recruit top performers and make the best hiring decisions possible. This course uses behavioral-based interviewing techniques, emphasizing in-depth questioning to help assess a candidate's fit and potential success.
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Review the hiring laws and bias that have an effect on the hiring process.
- Identify how and why it is important to have an interview plan based on defining hiring criteria and performance standards needed for the position.
- Demonstrate and create behavioral questions to uncover evidence of skills, fit, track record and motivators that assist in predicting a candidate’s success.
- Distinguish and appraise answers and write quality feedback to coordinate with your hiring recommendation.
Building Employee Engagement and Winning Commitment
Inspiring commitment is a key to enhancing organizational efficiency and boosting employee engagement. Utilize our helpful guidebook as you develop a fresh perspective, effectively communicate with colleagues, and motivate employees towards success.
- Describe the three types of commitment and implications of each
- Increase awareness and use of best practices for enhancing influence and motivation and mitigating resistance to change
- Practice analyzing situations to identify the types of commitment that exist and needs to be encouraged
- Identify barriers to commitment and change
- Practice developing awareness and use of proactive influence tactics to gain commitment for timely and meaningful information based on a simple request
Cybersecurity for Human Resources Professionals
This course introduces cybersecurity concepts to those who work in the field of HR. Particular focus is placed on working in conjunction with technical departments to deliver effective training and policies regarding corporate security to staff.
This course grants 3 PDUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Exhibit a foundational understanding of cybersecurity
- Responsibly advocate for HR's role in cybersecurity policy and training
- Develop the communication tools necessary to interface with technical and security professionals in the workplace
- Identify major legislation in relation to workplace cybersecurity
- Enumerate specific programs that HR professionals should implement in regard to employee training and motivation for cybersecurity
- Display the knowledge and mindset to participate in strategic planning around the topics of cybersecurity, governance, incident response, and business continuity
Employee Rights
We'll consider the relationship between HR and ethics, employment laws that protect the rights of workers, and appropriate procedures for disciplining and terminating employees. The second half of the course will focus on unions and labor relations.
From establishing an ethics code to handling disciplinary issues, human resource managers play a key role in protecting the rights of employees by ensuring they are treated fairly, and that appropriate laws and policies are enforced. In this course, you will learn about issues relating to employee rights in the workplace. We'll consider the relationship between HR and ethics, employment laws that protect the rights of workers, and appropriate procedures for disciplining and terminating employees. The second half of the course will focus on unions and labor relations.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
Employee Selection
We'll discuss the process of selecting the best candidate from a large, diverse pool of high-quality applicants: conducting effective job interviews, asking questions to elicit relevant information, and avoiding potentially discriminatory questions.
Hiring the right staff for the job can be make or break. In this introductory-level course, you will learn about the process of selecting the best candidate from a large, diverse pool of high-quality applicants. Based on D. Quinn Mills' book, Principles of Human Resource Management, the course discusses how to conduct an effective job interview, asking questions that elicit relevant information, and avoiding questions that might be seen as discriminatory. You will also consider how to discover more about a candidate through the use of reference checks, background checks, and testing. Earn SHRM and HRCI credit as you develop your understanding of this critical human resources element.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
Essentials of Human Resources Management
From legal matters to selecting qualified employees, we'll cover a variety of HR issues. Includes the SHRM Essentials of Human Resource Management as an introductory course—this is a comprehensive overview of human resource roles and responsibilities.
After this class, you will be able to:
- Describe the roles and responsibilities of the human resources function in an organization and that of the HR practitioner
- Understand which human resources laws affect HR departments and operations of the organization
- Effectively and fairly: interview, recruit, retain, and develop employees
- Ensure quality performance measures and assessment processes for employees
- Introduction to various types of compensation and pay for performance programs as well as benefit programs and government mandated benefits
- Achieve measurable employee development and retention goals
- Comprehend and minimize workplace risk management
- Appreciate and utilize HR Systems and Technology
HR Current Topic: Buzzworthy Benefits
In this course, participants will learn about increasingly popular employee benefits, including paid leave for new parents, student loan assistance programs, and employer-sponsored volunteerism policies.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Describe different methods of student loan assistance
- Explore the effects of legislative acts and the role of taxes in loan repayment
- Explain the components of tuition reimbursement programs
- Explore workplace policies for maternity and paternity leave
- Describe how government acts affect paid leave policy
- Identify the components of employer-sponsored volunteerism policies
HR Current Topic: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
How do you know if your organization is diverse and practices inclusivity? What initiatives produce measurable results? Come examine the concepts of diversity and inclusion while gaining the tools necessary to support an inclusive workplace.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Define and distinguish diversity and inclusion
- Identify and understand the federal laws created to bolster diversity and inclusion in the workplace
- Explain how diversity and inclusion goes beyond compliance with the law
- Define and distinguish discrimination and prejudice
- Explain unconscious bias
- Identify different types of unconscious bias
- Describe the importance of organizational culture and its relation to diversity and inclusion
- Identify and understand different types of initiatives to foster workplace inclusion
- Explain how different metrics can be used to track and gauge the effectiveness of initiatives
- Understand the importance of progressive policies and initiatives
- Understand how to formulate an inclusive workplace given employer responsibilities and an evolving social landscape
HR Current Topic: Employee Classification
HR professionals will receive an overview of different employee classification types, important regulations related to employee classification, and action steps for maintaining compliance.
This course grants 0.15 CEUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Explain why employee classification is important for businesses and organizations to consider
- Describe potential consequences of misclassification
- Define common terms related to employee classification
- Identify key differences between employees and independent contractors
- Name the basic regulations outlined in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Determine whether an employee would classify as exempt or nonexempt under the FLSA
- Understand key elements of maintaining employee classification compliance
HR Current Topic: Flexible Work Arrangements
This course grants .15 CEUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Identify different flexible work arrangements
- Describe the effects of flexible work arrangements on work-life balance
- Explain the advantages and disadvantages of remote work
- Describe health and wellness guidelines for flexible work arrangements
- Explain components of a flex time work arrangement
- Recognize the costs and benefits of a compressed work schedule
- Explain advantages and disadvantages of different job shares
- Distinguish between independent contractors, full-time employees, and gig workers
- Distinguish between permanent part-time employees, temporary part-time employees, and seasonal part-time employees
- Explain reasons that employees choose phased retirement
- Describe how phased retirement can affect benefits
HR Current Topic: Handling Workplace Violence
Join us to explore the causes and signs of violence in the workplace, with tips on how to diffuse dangerous behavior and restore a positive, safe work environment.
This course grants 0.15 CEUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Define workplace violence
- Identify the warning signs of violent behavior
- Explain the causes of violence in the workplace
- Describe strategies for resolving dangerous conflict
- Discuss the role of emotions in people's behavior
- Identifying bullying behavior and address its presence in the workplace
- Explain ways to prevent and deal with assault and sexual harassment in the workplace
- Describe ways to handle active shooter and hostage situations
HR Current Topic: Marijuana and the Workplace
Participants will learn about the importance of creating and communicating clear workplace policies that address employee drug use. Students will also work to identify signs that an employee might be impaired and how to address those concerns.
This course grants 0.15 CEUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Define and identify "safety-sensitive" jobs
- Understand zero-tolerance policies for drug use in the workplace
- Explain key components of second chance agreements
- Understand the reasons employees use marijuana for medical reasons
- Describe the responsibilities towards employees with medical marijuana cards
- Explain how and when to use drug tests for employees
- Identify the symptoms of marijuana-related impairment
- Explain the steps taken for an employee suspected of impairment
- Describe how to encourage employees to participate in Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
- Identify the Federal acts that affect marijuana impairment in the workplace
- Understand how to formulate an effective workplace drug policy given an employer's responsibilities and evolving legislation
HR Current Topic: Pay Equity
Come explore the importance of developing workplace policies that address unfair gaps in employee pay. Learn about tools that can help inform those policies—including survey and pay audits—and best practices for their implementation.
This course grants 0.15 CEUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Understand the difference between equal pay and pay equity
- Identify the criteria for equivalent jobs or work of equal value
- Explain the main reasons for pay gaps
- Distinguish between controlled and uncontrolled pay gaps
- Recognize gender-dominated industries
- Summarize federal and state legislatures that address pay equity
- Describe the workplace grievance procedure
- Explain processes and reasons for data reporting and pay audits
- Understand the connections between surveys, negotiations, and pay gaps
- Explain effects of equal pay policies
HR Current Topic: Promoting Employee Well-being
Learn how to develop a working environment that prioritizes employee health, happiness, and comfort, including various techniques for creating a positive workplace culture. Work to identify common stressors that may threaten employee well-being.
This course grants 0.15 CEUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Define and explain well-being
- Define and distinguish between stress vs. anxiety
- Identify potential stressors in the workplace
- Describe the relationship between employee well-being and HR
- Understand the current state of employee well-being in the country
- Identify different types of programs that can help assess and promote employee well-being
- Describe the importance of organizational culture and its relation to employee well-being
- Identify and understand the federal laws created to protect the well-being of employees in the workplace
- Explain the effect of employee well-being on business
- Explain how different metrics can be used to track and gauge the effectiveness of wellness programs
HR Current Topic: Recruiting Multi-Generational Employees
Recruiting multi-generational employees is crucial in a world where more individuals are putting off retirement and making later-in-life career changes. While the benefits of a multi-generational workforce may seem obvious, they can easily be overlooked in an effort to meet other organizational goals. In this course, you will learn the differences between current generations that are working together. You will explore various considerations for attracting, recruiting, and retaining an age-diverse workforce. You will also learn how age-diversity can influence a company's success, innovation, and productivity.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
HR Current Topics Badge
This badge includes the courses listed below. See individual courses for full descriptions and learning objectives.
- HR Current Topic: Buzzworthy Benefits
- HR Current Topic: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
- HR Current Topic: Employee Classification
- HR Current Topic: Handling Workplace Violence
- HR Current Topic: Marijuana and the Workplace
- HR Current Topic: Pay Equity
- HR Current Topic: Promoting Employee Wellbeing
- HR Current Topic: Flexible Work Arrangements
- HR Current Topic: Recruiting Multi-generational Employees
- HR Current Topic: The Future of Work
Please note: Access to the course site will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day.
HR Ethics Series: Defining Business Ethics
This course provides an introduction to business ethics, laying a foundation for how the study of right and wrong can (and should) shape the way organizations conduct business, including the role that HR professionals play in the process.
This course grants 1.5 PDUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Describe the role of ethics in the workplace
- Identify the intersection of human resources and ethics in business
- Recognize qualities of an effective code of ethics
- Understand how to implement and assess a code of ethics within an organization
- Describe some of the major ethical frameworks used in developing business ethics
- Summarize the three components of the ethical triangle: individual ethics, leadership ethics, and governance and control
- Recognize the varied influences involved in ethical decision-making
- Outline ethical models and guidelines
- Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios
HR Ethics Series: Ethical Decision Making
We’ll introduce learners to the principles and processes involved in making ethical decisions—that is, making decisions that are based on close examination of different ethical frameworks, the notion of right and wrong, and moral standards.
This course grants 1.5 PDUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Discuss the process of making moral decisions
- Compare moral versus nonmoral standards
- Define and construct strong moral arguments
- Describe various models for ethical decision making
- Identify the fundamental ethical principles that guide our decision making
- Consider the origins of our moral principles
- Discuss the concepts of groupthink and diffusion of responsibility
- Apply ethical principles to employee relations scenarios
HR Ethics Series: Globalization and Ethics
We'll examine the qualities of globalization and the issues and ethical challenges that can arise when businesses and organizations participate in the global economy.
This course grants 1.5 PDUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Define globalization, the tragedy of the commons, and global market failures
- Examine various emerging global issues
- Understand how ethics, culture, and universal values shape ethical frameworks within organizations
- Identify ethical concerns surrounding supply chain, outsourcing, and working conditions
- Describe the harmonization of business ethics
- Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios
HR Ethics Series: Issues in the Workplace
Join us to review common workplace issues and strategies to address these challenges. HR professionals play a crucial role in supporting employee well-being -- we'll discuss the role of HR in preventing and resolving issues in the workplace.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Define employee rights in the areas of employment at will (EAW), the duty of loyalty, and the duty of confidentiality
- Describe concerns surrounding job discrimination and affirmative action
- Identify issues related to health, safety, and risk in the workplace
- Recognize common signs of harassment and types of sexual harassment
- Determine strategies for confronting and eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace
- Describe the concept of civil liberties in the workplace
- Understand factors that can lead to job dissatisfaction
- List methods for helping employees achieve greater work-life balance
- Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios
HR Ethics Series: Leadership and Organizational Ethics
Via business scenarios and real-world examples, this course addresses how leaders build ethical organizations: leadership by example, best practices, and techniques to effectively deal with a crisis or an ethical lapse.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Recognize the role of leadership in setting the ethical tone for an organization
- Describe the principles for building an ethical culture
- Identify the difference between ethics and compliance
- Explore how leadership requires setting an ethical example
- Illustrate leadership strategies for dealing with ethical lapses
- Describe the role of leadership during an ethical crisis
- Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios
HR Ethics Series: Theories of Ethics
We'll explore the ethical theories of utilitarianism, ethical relativism, egoism, and Kantian ethics while also discussing the role religion plays in the development of ethical systems.
Ethical dilemmas confront those in business with the fundamental question: "What's the right thing to do?" But the "right" thing is often difficult to determine and an unexamined patchwork of ideas inform the decision. In order to better understand how to judge right and wrong, this course introduces some foundational ethical systems and explores their implications for business decisions, with a particular focus on the role human resource professionals have in safeguarding ethics in a business environment. Should a business focus on following the rules or on the effects the decision will have? Can self-interest play a role in making an ethical decision? This course presents the ethical theories of utilitarianism, ethical relativism, egoism, and Kantian ethics. It also explores the role religion plays in the development of ethical systems.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Define consequentialist and nonconsequentialist theories of ethics
- Recognize utilitarianism and apply it to an organizational context
- Describe Immanuel Kant's approach to ethics and apply it to an organizational context
- Analyze the elements of moral decision making
- Identify the relationship between religion and morality
- Define ethical relativism
- Identify the role of individual integrity and responsibility
- Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios
- Recognize the relationship between HR and the ethics department
HR Ethics Specialist Badge
This badge includes the courses listed below. See individual courses for full descriptions and learning objectives.
- HR Ethics Series: Building an Ethical Organization
- HR Ethics Series: Capitalism, Inequality, and Justice
- HR Ethics Series: Common Ethical Challenges
- HR Ethics Series: Corporations and Corporate Social Responsibility
- HR Ethics Series: Defining Business Ethics
- HR Ethics Series: Ethical Decision Making
- HR Ethics Series: Globalization and Ethics
- HR Ethics Series: Issues in the Workplace
- HR Ethics Series: Leadership and Organizational Ethics
- HR Ethics Series: Theories of Ethics
Please note: Access to the course site will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day.
HR In Times of Crisis
Learn how businesses respond before, during, and after crises and the critical role that human resource (HR) professionals play in this process. Explore both short and long-term responses, including management reorganizations and protocols for staff.
Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Distinguish between different kinds of crises and their impacts
- Summarize safety precautions taken before, during, and after crises
- Explain how crises affect workforces
- Describe effective communication strategies used during crises
- Explain management reorganizations used during crises
- Identify causes of stress and anxiety associated with crises
- Explain health and wellness programs for employees
- Describe available benefits and insurance changes
- Summarize how federal acts and government benefits impact businesses affected by crises
- Describe the role of human resources in facilitating workplace transitions
Leading Inclusively and Equitably Across Differences
Our interactive half-day session will challenge participants to gain awareness of their biases, including unconscious predispositions. Interactive exercises will provide knowledge, skills, and effective tools for successfully leading diverse teams.
- After completing this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe the elements of workplace that values diversity, equality, equity and inclusion
- Explain how unconscious bias and stereotyping impact interactions
- Develop communication skills that build a trusting foundation for a harmonious and highly performing team
- Develop a personal action plan
Managing Employee Performance
Effective performance management can provide managers and supervisors with a framework to monitor, discipline, and reward employees. Implement a process that addresses goal-setting, evaluations, and handling difficult conversations about job performance.
After this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the best practices and current trends in performance management and the shift to “performance development”
- Describe a simple performance management model that will increase employee engagement, reduce legal risks, and help people do their best work
- Develop a plan for managing performance that will achieve desired objectives
PHR/SPHR Certification Review
Prepare for the PHR/SPHR examination designated by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). The course offers practice tests, case studies, and the body of knowledge needed to be successful on the examination.
Talent Management and Career Development
Drawing on material from Harvard Business School professor D. Quinn Mills' book, Principles of Human Resource Management, this introductory-level course covers the challenges and issues that organizations face in developing and retaining their employees.
Drawing on material from Harvard Business School professor D. Quinn Mills' book, Principles of Human Resource Management, this introductory-level self-paced course covers the challenges and issues that organizations face in developing and retaining their employees.
This course grants 0.3 CEUs for successful completion. Students have 90 days from the day they are granted access to complete this course.
Please note: Access to this course will be granted as soon as possible but may take up to 1 business day
After this class, you will be able to:
- Understand and effectively communicate the value of a career development program
- Describe the five stages in the career life cycle (Beginning, Developing, Mid-Career, Mastery and Maintenance, Retirement), and the needs an employee has at each stage of the cycle
- Outline the tools for career development (training, education, job rotation, transfers, overseas assignments, mentoring, networking, volunteer work, formal career planning)
- Understand the issues HR departments face with career management
- Evaluate employee skill gaps as part of a training needs analysis
- Understand the various types of job training and the strengths and weaknesses of each
- Understand the circumstances that call for managerial coaching and apply it effectively
- Apply knowledge of leadership styles and management techniques to leadership development
Training Design for Trainers
Get the basic tools needed to design effective training using the ADDIE model. We'll discuss adult learning styles, material development, delivery methods and options, problematic participant behaviors, and how to measure your training program's success.
After this class, you will be able to:
- Appraise your current skill level in the basic competencies for trainers as identified by the Association for Talent Development (ATD)
- Write learning objectives for a training program using the “task”, “condition” and “degree” criteria
- Incorporate the eight intelligences as described by Howard Gardner in the design and delivery of a training program
- Incorporate the three learning styles (visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic) in the design and delivery of a training program
- Create a training program outline using a simplified version of the ADDIE model
- Address problematic participant behaviors during a training session
- Measure the results of training for learning and bottom –line results
- Strategies for effective delivery of the training program