Society for Human Resource Management

Founded in 1948 as the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA), the organization operated on a volunteer basis until 1964, when it established headquarters in Berea, Ohio, and began hiring staff members. In 1984, the headquarters was moved to Alexandria, Virginia, and in 1989, the organization changed its name to the Society for Human Resource Management.[6]

SHRM was ranked the twelfth largest association in the United States in 2015.[7] The association has more than 575 chapters in the United States and around the world, which provide certification, education and networking opportunities. The organization is currently focused on the Department of Labor's new overtime regulations, health care reform, the skills gap, workplace flexibility, sexual orientation nondiscrimination, and compensation equity.

SHRM has more than 400 staff members and more than 300,000 members in 165 countries.[8] The President and Chief Executive Officer is Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP.[9]

The organization's Survey Research Center produces research on workplace issues and their implications for the HR professional and business leaders. Among its products are the annual Employee Benefits Survey[13] and Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey[14] and the monthly Leading Indicators of National Employment (LINE) report.[15] SHRM conducts Customized Research Services for organizations.[16]

In 2019, SHRM released its report, The High Cost of a Toxic Workplace Culture.[17] The company polled American employees in order to determine the impact of culture on workers’ well-being and business’ financial health.[17] According to the report, 20% of employees left their jobs between 2014 and 2019 because of toxic workplace cultures.[18] Partly to help combat these issues, SHRM designed its People Manager Qualification learning and development program.[19]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, SHRM sponsored several surveys that studied the new working environment [1] [2]. According to one study, SHRM found that 71% of people struggled to adjust to remote work [1]. In another, released in June, 29% of organizations said they would probably or definitely allow workers to work from home through the end of 2020 [2]. 86% of organizations planned to implement the required use of personal protective equipment (PPE) [2]. Additionally, the Society produced a biweekly Business Index study focused on the effects of COVID-19 [4].

SHRM holds annual conferences and regional student conferences.[20] The individual state conferences are organized by SHRM's State Councils.[20]

The 2014 SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition took place at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center.

SHRM's national conferences include:

• The Annual Conference & Exposition, attracting around 18,000 attendees annually in June, There are hundreds of concurrent sessions, and an HR marketplace.
• The Employment Law & Legislative Conference is held in Washington, D.C. every March.[21]
• The Talent Management Conference & Exposition is held in April, designed for recruiters, HR generalists and managers with recruiting responsibilities.
• The Leadership Development Forum held every year in September, is designed for mid-level managers looking to move into HR leadership .
• The Diversity & Inclusion Conference & Exposition in October

Johnny Taylor speaking at conference.

SHRM lobbies governmental bodies regarding workplace law and industry practice. For example, in April 2008, SHRM announced in a press release that its representatives had appeared before the US Senate to petition for changes in the administration of the Family and Medical Leave Act.[22]

The organization announced in the November 2003 issue of its HR Magazine that it had submitted a position paper to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suggesting factors the agency should consider when determining how to amend the definition of the term "job applicant" for the purposes of record keeping required by companies in order to comply with affirmative action and anti-discrimination laws.[23]

In 2003, SHRM conducted an e-mail survey of its members to gauge the effectiveness of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) It presented the results of this survey to the EEOC at a meeting on September 8, 2003.[24]

In November 2006, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the U.S. Department of Labor established an alliance with SHRM to encourage and promote the employment of people with disabilities.[25]

In 2015 and 2016, SHRM worked to oppose the United States Department of Labor's Fair Labor Standards Overtime regulation. The rule greatly increases the salary under which employees are eligible for overtime and the number of the employees who qualify for it.[26]

The SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge™ (SHRM BoCK™), which is based on the SHRM Competency Model outlines the content of SHRM's certification examinations, the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP®) exam for early-career and mid-level practitioners, and the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP®) exam for senior-level and executive practitioners.

SHRM prepared a number of coronavirus resources for its members.[27] These included forms and templates that covered how to manage epidemics in the workplace, an infectious disease control policy, and how to communicate with employees.[27] The Society also produced a biweekly Business Index study focused on the effects of COVID-19.[28]

In May 2020, SHRM joined with branded content studio Heve to produce a commercial targeted at SHRM employees and the American workforce at large.[29] SHRM president and CEO, Johnny C Taylor Jr., was featured in the video.[29] The commercial was entirely self-shot from actors’ homes.[29] Its focus was on reassuring everyone that SHRM would continue supporting employees and companies.[29]

In May 2020, SHRM released its research on the state of small businesses during the pandemic.[30] 52% reported that they expected to be out of business by the end of the year.[30] SHRM repeated the survey again in June 2020.[30]

SHRM offers two membership options: SHRM Professional Membership and SHRM Global Online Membership.[31] This first is available to U.S.-based and global professionals, the second only to professionals outside the U.S.[31] Members have access to HR news, document samples and templates, compliance resources, community chats, and advisors.[31][32]

The society also offers two main certifications: the SHRM Certified Professional Certification and the SHRM Senior Certified Professional Certification.[33][34] The CP certification is designed for those in operational positions, while the SCP is designed for senior HR professionals.[33][35]

• List of human resource management associations

• Official website