WFPMA

GENERAL

Article 1.1   Denomination, composition and nature of the Federation

The official name is ‘World Federation of People Management Associations’ (WFPMA);

The WFPMA is composed of:

• the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resource Management (APFHRM),
• the European Association for Personnel Management (EAPM),
• the Federacion Interamericana de Asociaciones de Gestion Humana (FIDAGH) and
• the North American Human Resource Management Association (NAHRMA), these four hereinafter to be known as the four original full members; together with the African Human Resources Confederation (AHRC) (formed by the African Federation of Human Resource Management Associations - AFHRMA, and the Federation Africaine des Formateurs et Directeurs du Personnel -AFDIP), and other qualified continental or regional federations of national people management associations and other federations or national associations for people management which may have subsequently been accepted into membership.

The WFPMA is a not-for-profit Association, independent of any employer, governmental, political or union organisation, with a strictly professional nature.

Article 1.2    Objectives and goals

1.2.1 To improve the quality and effectiveness of professional people management and development, and to enhance the value added from the HR profession;  by sharing information, knowledge and experience; 

1.2.2 To stimulate and assist in the establishment  and development of regional and national people management associations;

1.2.3 To create and maintain contacts with all WFPMA member associations, as well as with other organisations which have some activity in the same or a similar field;

1.2.4 To support or represent people management associations where they are related to other world organisations;

1.2.5 To commission or create, collect and disseminate research that broadens understanding of people management and development issues;

1.2.6 To stimulate and encourage the creation, development and growth of HR standards;

Article 1.3  Activities

To achieve its objectives and goals, WFPMA will carry out activities which may include the following:

• Encourage mutual assistance between member associations in answering international enquiries from a national association on behalf of itself or its members;
• Provide general assistance to national associations of people management if so requested, provided no financial commitment is involved and there is no appropriate continental/regional association in membership of the WFPMA which covers the particular country involved;
• Assist in facilitating self-financing international study trips;
• Organise self-financing international conferences, such as the Federation’s own biennial World Congress;
• Carry out common surveys and statistical comparisons;
• Encourage exchange of research reports by member associations;
• promote the voluntary exchange of professional publications (such as journals, periodicals, bibliographies, etc);
• Assist a national or regional association with the arrangement of seminars and conferences, involving helping finding speakers, publicity, etc;
• Assist the exchange of experiences about current functional or professional situation of people management;
• Attempt to establish common positions (vis-a-vis ILO, etc) on matters that concern the function or profession of people management;
• Encourage the establishment of professional qualifications and training programs for people management;
• Encourage the development of codes of ethics;
• Encourage the exchange of information on training concepts, methods or materials;
• Promote cooperation between member associations in agreeing to a common interpretation of people management and development terms;
• Encourage agreements between member and national associations to sell each other’s publications at reduced prices.

NB: Under normal circumstances the hosting of the WFPMA biennial World Congress will rotate among the five full members in the following order:  APFHRM, AHRC, FIDAGH, EAPM and NAHRMA.

2 MEMBERSHIP

Article 2.1 Categories of members

The WFPMA has the two following categories of members:

• Full members
• Affiliated members

Full members: In each continent or region, only one federation of national professional people management associations can become a full member.  In all cases, the aims and goals of the full members must be consistent with those of the WFPMA. The full members at the time of amending these bylaws are:

• the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resource Management (APFHRM),
• the European Association of Personnel Management (EAPM),
• the Federacion Interamericana de Asociaciones de Gestion Humana (FIDAGH)
• the North American Human Resource Management Association (NAHRMA), and
• the African Human Resources Confederation –AHRC (formerly the African Federation of Human Resource Management Associations  -AFHRMA).

Affiliated members: National professional people management associations for which there is no present appropriate continental or regional federation may affiliate to the WFPMA, provided they can demonstrate that:

• They are the leading independent professional people management organisation in their country.
• They have a substantial proportion of the professional HR practitioners in their country in membership.
• They are of good professional standing and reputation in the field of people management.
• They can support the required fees.
• They demonstrate a commitment to join with other neighboring countries to form a regional or continental federation in accordance with WFPMA objectives.

In addition, other organisations with a strong professional international people management involvement, such as world bodies or international federations in related fields or global employers, may be accepted into affiliation from time to time, subject to the approval of the WFPMA board.

Article 2.2  Members' obligations

All members shall comply with the following obligations:

• Respect the WFPMA bylaws.
• Provide the WFPMA, its Board (article 3.1) and its officers (article 3.2) the necessary support to carry out their WFPMA accountabilities.
• Pay the membership fees due on July 1 each year to the WFPMA Secretary General.
• Pay the fees requested for participation in self-financing activities of the WFPMA.
• Pay any supplementary capital payments up to an annual amount that should not exceed the annual membership fee to cover balance sheet deficits.

Article 2.3  Acquisition and loss of membership

2.3.1   Membership of the WFPMA may only be acquired by bodies, as defined under article 2.1, respecting the conditions laid down in these bylaws.  There is no legal right to become member of the WFPMA

2.3.2 Bodies which wish to acquire membership should apply to the Secretary General, with proof that they comply with the conditions laid down in these bylaws.

2.3.3 Membership must be endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the full Board.(Article 3.1)

2.3.4 Membership can be cancelled by a two-thirds majority decision of the full Board for either of the following reasons:

         a. If a member no longer complies with the requirements and obligations set out in Articles 2.1 and 2.2;

         b. If a member commits any serious infringement of the aims and objectives of the WFPMA.

         c. If a member is 12 months or more in arrears with its financial obligation

In all cases, a, b and c, three months’ notice shall be given to the member of the intention to invoke this Article unless the infringement, which should be specified, is remedied. Only if the infringement continues after this three month period may membership be cancelled.

2.3.5   Any member may withdraw from the WFPMA if it announces its withdrawal to the Secretary General in writing. The withdrawal may be announced at any time for the end of a month with a notice period of six months.  There is no restitution pro rata temporis of fees and dues for membership of less than one year in cases of voluntary or involuntary cancellation of membership.

3 ORGANISATION

Article 3.1 The Board

3.1.1 The Board is the supreme corporate body of the WFPMA.

The Board is composed as follows:

• Three officers (i.e. the President, the Secretary General, the Immediate Past President), (see Article 3.2 below).
• Two representatives from each of the five full members. One representative from each of any subsequent continental or regional federations of national people management associations which become full members.

No more than three members of the Board may be from the same region, either by nationality or domicile.

The Board shall take all decisions and resolve all matters of the WFPMA insofar these bylaws or mandatory provisions of the Swiss civil code do not provide for any other bodies of the WFPMA to take these decisions and resolve these matters and insofar the Board itself has not assigned them to any other bodies of the WFPMA. In particular, the Board represents the WFPMA in accordance with the powers conferred to it under these bylaws.

3.1.2 The three officers are elected according to article 3.1.10 and 3.2.2 below.

The two representatives of each of the five full members are appointed by the corresponding full members according to the provisions of these associations.

The representatives from each of any subsequent continental or regional federation of national people management associations which become full members are elected according to the provisions of these federations.

3.1.3  Each Board member will be entitled to one vote. 

3.1.4 Board members are limited to a maximum of four consecutive terms of two years each, unless also elected to serve as officers. 

3.1.5 A Board member who is unable to attend a Board meeting may be represented by a deputy to whom authority to participate and vote will have been delegated for that meeting only.

3.1.6  National professional people management associations for which there is not present appropriate continental or regional federation elect representatives in accordance with the formula below:

Number of national associations per continent/region representative

1 to 7  = 1
 
8 or more = 2

These representatives do normally rotate among eligible associations every two years.  In the event that a group of associations is not able to agree whom of them should provide the representative for any two-year period, the matter will be referred to the President and Secretary General whose decision shall be final.

Other affiliated members such as organisations with a strong professional international people management involvement which have been accepted into affiliation are allowed 1 representative each.

These representatives will be invited to attend and participate in Board meetings but will not be eligible to vote or hold office

3.1.7   The nominated officer of the host association organising the next World Congress will be invited to attend all meetings of the Board in a non-voting capacity.

3.1.8 The Board shall normally meet at least twice a year. Meetings are called by the President at least three months in advance. They must be called within two months if four Board members including the Past President or Secretary General request it.
 
3.1.9 The Board meeting shall decide on the following by a two-thirds majority of the full Board:

• the admission of new members;
• the cancellation of membership;
• the revision of bylaws.

3.1.10  Board meetings shall decide on all other matters by a majority vote of those present subject to a quorum of at least half the members being present, i.e. in particular:

• The election of officers.
• WFPMA’s important policies.
• Any action as may be appropriate to further the goals of the WFPMA.
• WFPMA’s budget, the level of membership fees and expenditure.
• Any questions or disputes related to an application for affiliate membership which has not been resolved by the officers.

Article 3.2 Officers

3.2.1 The Officers of the WFPMA are the President, the Secretary General and the Immediate Past President.  Under normal circumstances, the Presidency shall rotate among the full member federations, in sequence, initially in the following order: APFHRM, FIDAGH, EAPM, NAHRMA, and AHRC. 

3.2.2   The officers are elected by the Board by a majority vote of those present subject to a quorum of at least half the members being present among the representatives of the full members.

Affiliated members are not eligible to hold office.

Officers are elected for terms of two years.  The President can serve in that office for one term only, which will be followed by one term as Immediate Past President.
 
All Board members assume office at the end of the World Congress every second year, unless replaced by their regional federation during their period of WFPMA Board membership.

3.2.3 The Officers shall have the power to:

• Prepare the agenda for the Board meeting;
• Submit to the Board the annual report and accounts;
• Submit to the Board, for consideration and approval, a working program covering a specific period;
• Submit to the Board such other recommendations or proposals as may be appropriate;
• deal with matters not specifically assigned to Board members in a manner consistent with the agreed aims, objectives and policies of the WFPMA;
• recommend new members;
• Consider and resolve any questions or disputes related to an organisation’s application for affiliate membership.
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3.2.4   The responsibilities of the Secretary General/Treasurer are the followings:

• Organizing two - three meetings per year, working together with host association regarding logistics and notifying Board members of details in accordance with By-laws
• Attending and coordinating facilities for all meetings
• Preparing agendas in consultation with President
• Drafting discussion papers as appropriate
• Obtaining and formatting regional reports for meetings
• Distributing agendas and accompanying papers for meetings
• Preparing detailed minutes of all meetings, checking them with the President and distributing them with action notes
• Liaising with President and other members as appropriate between meetings
• Keeping an updated data base that could be accessed by the board and members worldwide
• Liaising with the website manager to keep website regularly updated
• Dealing with inquiries from members and non-members
• Being proactive in ascertaining changes in member association details and events and ensuring these are reflected on website and in WorldLink
• Dealing with queries and applications for membership, including correspondence with potential members and related organizations
• Producing and distributing a quarterly newsletter WorldLink
• Updating By-laws as appropriate
• Liaising with and providing support to biennial Congress host organization, particularly in relation to promotion and publicity
• Providing support to the committee in charge of the biennial Petitpas award, including updating, printing and distributing nomination form; commissioning and organizing delivery of winner's trophy; and publicizing winner
• Coordinating special projects
• Providing stationery as appropriate
• Managing of WFPMA accounts - one Swiss Franc account and one US Dollar account
• Paying cheques through UBS e-banking system, managing relationship with bank, and managing investments. 
• Preparing and distributing Treasurer’s reports for Board meetings
• Collecting membership fees

A Secretariat has been created to assist the Secretary General in supportive tasks.

4 FINANCE

Article 4.1 Costs and Liability

The costs of the WFPMA will be covered by the membership fees.

4. 1.1 The assets of the WFPMA shall be liable for the WFPMA‘s debts. Such liability shall be exclusive. However, supplementary capital payments up to an annual maximal amount that should not exceed the annual membership fee per member shall be charged if necessary to cover balance sheet deficits.

4. 1.2 Costs of participation in meetings of the Board or of the Officers are, in principle, covered by the Member Federation or Association the Board member or Officer represents. 

4. 1.3 The costs associated with the Petitpas Award and the WFPMA website are covered by the WFPMA.
Activities, such as conferences, seminars, study trips, etc, must be self-financing, and no financial commitment can be attached to the WFPMA in respect of such activities except with specific prior approval of the Board.

4.1.4 The WFPMA will not be held liable for any costs incurred in its name except with specific prior approval of the Board.

Article 4.2 Remuneration

All persons serving the WFPMA shall do so without compensation. Reasonable expenses may be reimbursed if authorised in advance by the Board. 

5 REVISION OF BYLAWS AND DISSOLUTION OF THE FEDERATION

Article 5.1 Bylaws

Any Board member has a right to propose total or partial revision of the bylaws.  Any revision should be submitted with an unabridged written text at least three months before the next Board meeting. A decision on such a revision requires a majority of two-thirds of the full Board.

Article 5.2 Dissolution
The same procedure as described in Article 5.1 shall apply in respect of dissolution of the WFPMA.

6  OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

The official languages will be:

• English
• French
• German
• Spanish

The working language will be English. In case of doubt, the English language will prevail.

7  REGISTERED ADDRESS, APPLICABLE LAW, JURISDICTION

The WFPMA’s domicile is in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The WFPMA’s address is: WFPMA, p/a Swiss Association of Human Resources Management - HR SWISS, Löwenstrasse 20, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland.

The WFPMA and its bylaws are governed by Swiss substantive law, in particular Articles 60-79 of the Swiss Civil Code.

The place of jurisdiction for all matters arising between members and the WFPMA shall be Geneva, Switzerland. WFPMA shall, however, be entitled to pursue its members at their registered address.

(Bylaws approved May 2012)