UPDATE: May 14, 2020: SHRM's remote certification will be a permanent feature, one the organization is launching "on a global scale," a spokesperson told HR Dive in a statement. The initiative has been in the works for more than a year and will extend to "many unserved regions globally." 

Dive Brief:

• HR credentialing organizations are offering online testing options in response to the novel coronavirus.
• The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) announced it would offer remote proctoring to "facilitate testing from home" during its spring testing window, which it delayed two months to June 1 through August 15. 
• Professionals looking to certify through the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) will use OnVUE, an "online proctoring exam delivery system," to test remotely.

Dive Insight:

Many of the pandemic-related challenges HR practitioners face arrive through the organizations they serve. But it appears the virus threatens other aspects of the profession, too, as online testing is one of several hits HR professionals have taken.

SHRM canceled its 2020 annual conference — an event that was set to welcome some 24,000 attendees, according to its former venue, the San Diego Convention Center. The HR practitioners in attendance could have earned many of the credits they need to secure recertification, which SHRM-certified professionals must obtain every three years by accumulating 60 points.

Some organizations have taken similar, though smaller scale, events online, hosting them virtually. SHRM did so with its April talent conference, with reported success. ERE took its April recruiting conference online as well. But ATD, Deloitte and Workhuman canceled their May events.