As people professionals, we need to be experts in our knowledge of people, of work and of change. An important part of this is having a core knowledge of a range of people practices, and understanding how different practices impact each other and work together in an integrated way.

People practices are the processes and approaches that we use across the employee lifecycle. Learning needs analysis, creating talent pools, developing people policies, analysing people data, managing grievances, recruiting people: all these are examples of people practices.

Some people practices sit within our specialist knowledge areas (such as resourcing, learning and development, and ER). But there are some people practices that are fundamental to all practitioners, whether you’re a generalist or a specialist.

This area of the Profession Map covers these key practices, and includes regulation and law, workforce planning, diagnosing capability needs, performance management, wellbeing, inclusion and diversity, and flexible ways of working (such as hybrid or remote working).

People practice standards

Each standard progresses through four levels of impact. Which level do you most embody in your day-to-day work?

Foundation level Associate level Chartered Member level Chartered Fellow level
At this level you'll understand: At this level you'll understand: At this level you'll understand: At this level you'll understand:
Understanding people practices The employee lifecycle, and where the work you do sits within it The employee lifecycle and how other people practices impact your work and vice versa A range of people practices, and how to design them in an integrated way People practices across a range of specialisms, and how to integrate these to create a holistic people offering
Law and regulation Policy, regulation and law relevant to your work Policy, regulation and law relevant to your work and how to ensure people practices are compliant Current and future regulation and law relevant to your work, how to apply it, and how to mitigate risk Current and future regulation and law relevant to your work, and how to assess impact and risk for organisations and industry sector
Workforce planning What workforce planning is The stages of workforce planning including current workforce analysis, determining future needs, identifying gaps and action planning How workforce planning informs other people practices and wider business planning How to use strategic workforce planning to inform future people and organisation strategy
Skills and capabilities How your organisation assesses people’s skills and capability How to conduct skills or capability audits and gap analyses in your area of work How to assess current and future capability needs How to build future organisation and sector capability
Performance management Performance management approaches in your organisation Different approaches to performance management and their pros and cons The impact of different performance management approaches, and how performance management data can be used to drive improvements The impact of different performance management approaches on organisation culture and performance
Wellbeing What wellbeing is and why it’s important Why wellbeing is important, and the different factors that impact wellbeing How to integrate wellbeing into people practices How to integrate wellbeing into people strategies
Equality, diversity and inclusion What equality, diversity and inclusion is, and why it’s important How to build equality, diversity and inclusion into your work How to integrate equality, diversity and inclusion into people practice to create value in your area of work How to build equality, diversity and inclusion approaches that positively impact an organisation’s culture and performance
Flexible ways of working Different flexible ways of working (eg workplace-based, hybrid, remote) How to adapt people processes and practices for workplace-based, hybrid and remote How to develop people practices for a hybrid workforce that enhances performance and engagement How to identify strategic opportunities and adapt people strategies for a hybrid workforce
Enabling flexible ways of working N/A How to advise line managers and teams on workplace-based, hybrid and remote working, ensuring fairness and communication How to coach managers and leaders to build cohesion and trust across a hybrid workforce How to integrate flexible ways of working within the wider organisation culture balancing the needs of all stakeholders

Tools and resources to help you develop

Assess your level, choose
your learning

Use our self-assessment tool to assess yourself against any area of the Profession Map. We’ll recommend relevant learning and resources to help you create your own professional development pathway. 

Full self-assessment tool (exclusive to CIPD members) Try our 'lite' self-assessment tool (free for everyone)
Callout Image

Next: Culture and behaviour

Understanding people's behaviour and creating the right organisation culture

Continue to Culture and behaviour

The Profession Map

Download the full set of standards
491.7 KB
Download a one-page overview of the Profession Map
PDF document 686.8 KB

CIPD Trust

Tackling barriers to work today whilst creating inclusive workplaces of tomorrow.

Find out more

Connect
and learn

We offer a range of ways to stay connected, from events to networking, workshops and webinars.

Get involved

Explore our related content

Podcast

HR People Pod

Listen to our new fortnightly podcast providing expert insights from HR leaders on the topical issues impacting the world of work

Listen now
Thought leadership
Critical role of HR business partnering in HR operating models

How can people teams balance line managers’ need for operational people management support while growing their team’s strategic influence through the HRBP role?

Thought leadership
Analysis | Quantifying the impact of generative AI on HR

We examine and outline recent research investigating the impact of generative AI tools on the HR profession

Factsheet
Strategic human resource management

Understand how strategic HRM works, and its relationship with business strategy, human capital management and business performance

See all resources
The Profession Map

Make the most of the Profession Map

The Profession Map is for everyone in our profession – individuals and teams, members and non-members. Learn more about the Profession Map and how you can use it. 

Profession Map
Explore the Profession Map

Explore the purpose, values, knowledge and behaviours at the heart of our profession

Profession Map
The Profession Map

How the international standard works for all people professionals

Profession Map
Find your level with the Profession Map

Find your current level of knowledge and experience and the next step in your career

Profession Map
The Profession Map FAQs

Check out our FAQs on the Profession Map, membership, and qualifications

The Profession Map overview