The SHRM Foundation is dedicated to mobilizing and equipping HR to lead positive social change, creating workplaces where all talent can prosper and thrive. We have three principal pools of work, each designed to support employers in creating a world of work that works for all.
Widening Pathways to Work
With 2-in-3 workers lacking traditional degrees, we focus on widening pathways to work for all by encouraging employers to adopt skills-first hiring and advancement strategies. Over 9-in-10 employers say skilled candidates can perform as well or better than degreed candidates, but fewer than 2-in-10 employers say they can implement skills-first strategies. To address this disconnect, SHRM Foundation launched Skilled Credentials at Work, an initiative that supports employers with benchmark research, a downloadable toolkit, and an action planning tool to help organizations implement skills-first hiring.
One core component of moving to skills-first is understanding the technological innovations that make it possible. To help, we have launched Reimagine the Resume, which provides information about Learning and Employment Records (LERs), an emerging way of compiling, sharing, and judging skills and competencies more fully and efficiently, to educate and familiarize HR and employers on the concept.
Widening pathways to work also means ensuring employers know where and how to engage the full spectrum of untapped talent seeking jobs. In service to that goal, we continue our existing programs for Veterans at Work, Getting Talent Back to Work and Employing Abilities at Work. This fall we launched California Employing Abilities at Work Certificate Program in partnership with the California Department of Rehabilitation (CA DOR). The certificate is designed to build your knowledge on individuals with disabilities while implementing effective and inclusive hiring practices in California workplaces.
Strengthening the HR Field
As part of our continued commitment to strengthen the HR field, in 2023 we provided over $600K scholarships, professional grants, and awards to HR leaders across the career spectrum, and continued our well-regarded HR mentorship program. Through our HR Registered Apprenticeship Program, SHRM Foundation partnered with more than 80 employers throughout the U.S. to provide an earn-and-learn pathway to a rewarding career in HR. And in January, we’re set to launch HR Tomorrow, a leadership program designed to make sustained, transformative investments in tomorrow’s HR leaders.
Part of strengthening the field is celebrating its success. In October, SHRM Foundation hosted the annual Tharseo Awards, recognizing leaders making a tangible impact on the global workforce through innovation. At Tharseo, Sheri B. Bronstein, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bank of America, received the Ram Charan Human Resources Innovation Award; Mike Milken, Chairman of the Milken Institute, was named CEO of the Year; and The Honorable Tom Harkin, former U.S. Senator, was selected as the Policy Transformer of the Year. These awards celebrate impactful contributions to the positive transformation of workplaces globally.
Tackling Societal Challenges: Mental Health
The world of HR operates against the backdrop of broader societal challenges—the most pressing of which is mental health. As part of ongoing work in this space, in April 2023, SHRM Foundation launched a new field guide, “Mental Health in Your Workplace,” which equips HR professionals with tools to evaluate mental health resources, inform processes for supporting mental health, and develop strategies demonstrating improved mental health in unique workforces. Our commitment to mental health continues into 2024.
Learn more about SHRM Foundation or donate at shrmfoundation.com.
