HR Courses Online: What to Take, Topic by Topic

HR courses online fall into a handful of topic areas: generalist foundations, leave and accommodation (FMLA, ADA, PWFA), benefits continuation and plans (COBRA, cafeteria plans, HSAs), payroll, and workplace investigations. The right starting point is the topic you handle most often or where a mistake would cost your employer most. This guide maps each area to the online courses available on HRCertification.com and who each one fits.

Most of the programs below are self-paced online Training & Certification Programs, available at any hour, updated when the law changes, and finished with an exam that confers a Certified Administrator designation. The generalist program and several advanced certificate programs are instructor-led and can be attended by live video conference.

Generalist Foundations

Who it fits: people new to HR, office managers who inherited the function, and specialists moving into generalist roles.

The HR Generalist Certificate Program covers the HR lifecycle across 14 sessions: HR's role, recruiting and onboarding, performance management, compensation and benefits, workplace investigations, and FMLA, ADA and COBRA compliance. It is instructor-led, delivered in person or online by live video conference, and includes access to online programs in FMLA, ADA, COBRA and Paycheck Fundamentals.

If you are the only HR person in your organization, the Running an HR Department of One program addresses that situation directly.

Leave Management: FMLA

Who it fits: anyone who approves, tracks or denies leave.

The FMLA Training & Certification Program covers employer coverage, employee eligibility, notices, medical certification, intermittent leave, and job and benefit restoration. FMLA errors tend to come from missed notice deadlines and poorly handled intermittent leave, both of which the course addresses in detail.

Accommodation: ADA and PWFA

Who it fits: HR generalists, leave administrators and managers who receive accommodation requests.

• The ADA Training & Certification Program focuses on the interactive process, medical documentation, essential functions and undue hardship.
• The PWFA Training & Certification Program covers pregnancy-related accommodation under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which applies to employers with 15 or more employees.

Integrated Leave and Accommodation

Who it fits: teams handling cases where several laws apply at once, such as a workplace injury that becomes FMLA leave and then an accommodation request.

The Integrating FMLA, ADA, COBRA and Workers' Compensation program teaches how the laws interact. For a credential that spans leave types, see the Certified Leave Administrator bundle.

Benefits Continuation and Plans

Who it fits: benefits administrators, TPA staff and HR generalists at employers that sponsor group health plans.

• The COBRA Training & Certification Program covers qualifying events, notices, elections and premium payments.
• The Cafeteria Plan program and HSA program address pre-tax benefit plan rules.

Payroll

Who it fits: payroll specialists, HR staff who share payroll duties, and small-business administrators.

• The Payroll Training & Certification Program covers core payroll compliance.
• The Multi-State Payroll program is for employers with workers in more than one state, including remote employees.
• For a broader designation, see Certified Payroll Administrator.

Workplace Investigations

Who it fits: HR staff who investigate harassment, discrimination, retaliation or misconduct complaints.

The online Internal Investigation Training & Certification course is self-paced. For instructor-led training, the Internal Investigations Certificate Program includes practice in interviewing and documentation.

Short-Form Learning: Webinars

HR webinars run live and on demand throughout the year, and many carry SHRM and HRCI recertification credits. They suit a single update, such as a regulatory change, rather than full training in a subject.

Self-Paced or Instructor-Led?

Within each topic, the format decision is separate from the subject decision. Self-paced online programs suit people with unpredictable weeks or some existing knowledge of the subject, because they can move quickly through familiar material and slow down on the rest. Instructor-led programs suit people who want to ask questions about their own cases and who finish more reliably with a fixed schedule. Several topics offer both: investigations training, for example, is available as a self-paced online course and as an instructor-led certificate program.

What to Check on a Course Page Before Enrolling

• Does the outline cover the tasks you actually perform, such as notices, certifications, calculations or interviews?
• Is there an exam, and what credential does passing it confer?
• Is the content updated when the law changes, and is that included?
• If you hold a SHRM or HRCI certification, does the course carry recertification credits?
• Can you return to the material later as a reference?
• Format fit. Does the schedule, or lack of one, match how you actually finish courses?

How to Build Your Own Course Path

1. List the tasks you do monthly. Leave requests, onboarding, payroll changes, complaints.
2. Circle the ones with legal deadlines or penalties. Those are your first courses.
3. Add a foundation if you lack one. A generalist program fills in the areas you have not yet run into.
4. Keep current with webinars once the core is in place.

For an overview of how self-paced programs run day to day, see self-paced HR certification. If your focus is mainly legal risk, HR compliance courses online goes deeper into what each compliance course should teach.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which online HR course should I take first?

Take the course for the area you handle most often or where an error would be most costly. If you are new to HR entirely, start with a generalist program.

Are online HR courses self-paced or scheduled?

Both exist. HRCertification.com's online Training & Certification Programs are self-paced; the generalist and advanced certificate programs are instructor-led on scheduled dates, in person or by video conference.

Do online HR courses carry recertification credits?

Many do. Check the individual program page for the SHRM and HRCI credits it currently offers.

Do the courses stay current when laws change?

The online Training & Certification Programs are updated when the laws they cover change.

Can a team take the same course?

Yes. For group or on-site delivery, see custom HR training.

Related Reading and Training

Start with the full list of online HR certification programs, or read our comparison of HR certificate program types and the fastest way to get HR certified.