HR Open Standards Announces Release of 4.4 Standards

New Standards Address Critical Industry Needs for a More Efficient and Effective HR Ecosystem

Aurora, Colorado – 02/23/2024 – HR Open Standards Consortium (HROpen), the leading organization for developing and maintaining open, consensus-based standards for human resource (HR) data exchange, today announced the release of its 4.4 standards. These new standards address critical industry needs for a more efficient and effective HR ecosystem by providing updates to the assessments, benefits, and recruiting standards.

Key highlights of the 4.4 standards include:

• The Assessments Workgroup identified several new use cases to address in HR Open Standards version 4.4 each aligned to continue to work we had initiated with version 4.0 and through the staged assessments version 4.3.  Our use cases led us to extend the API standard to provide compatibility and support for xAPI statements.  We worked with the Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative to design an HR Open Standards xAPI Profile which resides on the ADL xAPI profile server.  The xAPI profile documentation is part of the assessments 4.4 standard.  By extending the standard to support xAPI statements we have enabled the exchange of assessments item level data and paved the way forward to support learner wallet initiatives and individual skills data.  We are excited to have positioned the assessments workgroup to lean into the skill based economy and future skills data standards we could develop.   

• Benefits: The 4.4 standard release introduces several key improvements to the benefits standard:

  • Increased flexibility to accommodate complex plan configurations: The ability to include multiple classes within a single plan design, catering to the diverse needs of their workforce.

  • Enhanced support for COBRA administration: The inclusion of COBRA support streamlines the process for employees who experience qualifying events and need to continue their health insurance coverage. The new fields capture crucial details about eligibility, event type, and impacted enrollments, ensuring smoother administration and communication.

• Recruiting: The 4.4 Release includes the newly developed Learning Employment Record - REsume Standard (LER-RS.)  The LER-RS is based on the following key principles:

  • Structured format: The LER-RS provides a consistent and organized layout for resume data, making it easier for employers to scan and analyze.

  • Skills-based focus: The emphasis is placed on highlighting demonstrable skills and competencies, rather than simply listing past job titles and duties.

  • Digital verification: Credentials and achievements can be linked to verifiable sources, such as digital badges and learning records, enhancing their credibility.

“The 4.4 standards are a major step forward for the HR industry,” said Jim Ireland, Executive Director of HR Open Standards. “These new standards will make it easier for employers to manage their HR data, improve the efficiency of their HR processes, and gain better insights into their workforce.”

The 4.4 standards are available for free download on the HR Open Standards website: https://www.hropenstandards.org/.

About HR Open Standards
HR Open Standards Consortium is your gateway to a more efficient and connected HR ecosystem. We're a global, non-profit community dedicated to developing and maintaining free, consensus-based standards for HR data exchange.

Contact:
James Ireland
HROpen Executive Director
jim@hropenstandards.org