Life After SHRM

It's summertime, and while I will be taking a few weeks away from the keyboard, I still wanted to send out a newsletter.

Why? Well, weird happenings in the world of work, unfortunately, never take a vacation. Just look at the world's largest association of HR professionals: SHRM . A week ago, they posted on LinkedIn that they were dropping Equity from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In the statement, they wrote in part:

As SHRM President & CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP shared in his #SHRM24 Main Stage address, this new focus highlights SHRM's role as the foremost expert and advocate in workplace Inclusion and Diversity. By emphasizing Inclusion-first, we aim to address the current shortcomings of DE&I programs, which have led to societal backlash and increasing polarization.

That is a statement. And maybe more impressively, the association's post was ratioed in a way that is usually reserved for sticker companies .

There are plenty of stories about this that go into this statement that I just don't need to repeat but I did want to offer two observations.

1.) Avoiding polarization? You can't.

SHRM has tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to stay out of the political fray. They preached an ethos of "policy, not politics" while being across the Potomac from the biggest reality check in the world: the U.S. government.

Policy machinations, whether you like them or not, are inherently political. At some point, you're going to have to choose people to work with who might want something slightly different. Politicking is quite literally about promoting the policies you believe in.

If SHRM wants to advocate for less progressive policies (beyond DE&I, SHRM has advocated for rules that tamp down unionization, make it more difficult to prove pay inequity, and routinely fight against other worker protections), it can't pretend that it is playing things politically neutral. For HR leaders who disagree with SHRM's lobbying efforts as they purportedly represent the function of HR, it's even more insulting to pretend that it is anything but naked politicking with a particular POV.

This whole move stemmed from trying to avoid the word "equity's" supposed divisiveness. Yet, it created even more pushback than simply keeping the word as it was commonly accepted while still working on the right definition. By choosing to remove it rather than bridge the divide, SHRM made a political choice rather than supporting the right policy.

That's politics, not policy.

2.) There are more alternatives to SHRM than ever

Even if I agreed 100% with SHRM, it can't be everything to everyone in HR. Many agree with CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr.'s vision and direction of the association. Plenty are paying members, too. Who am I to say that they can't have an organization that reflects their politics?

(Well, maybe I am the one to say that)

While SHRM is by and far the largest HR association, it's certainly not the only way to grow as a work leader.

Anthony P. Howard offered a bunch of different options for HR leaders to check out . There were some new ones in there for me, too. Almost everything you can get from SHRM can be obtained from somewhere else, including certification. You could, with a little effort, have a successful HR career without ever giving them a dollar. No matter your place in the organization or your view on policy (or politics), you can find kindred spirits and resources more quickly than ever.

And if you don't need the resources they provide, no one is forced to be associated with SHRM. They don't have exclusive access to anything or anyone.

That is, except for the one thing they don't want to talk about: politics. In reality, SHRM's last beachhead is its lobbying arm — the one thing that would be very difficult to replicate, and who knows if there is an appetite to replicate it.

If work leaders want a voice in Congress and lobbying is still the best way to have that voice, we need someone who thinks about the connection between the organization and its people. While I hate to admit it, it's probably better for SHRM to be there than have nobody at all. You might disagree, but here's my rationale: I can disagree with their politics or policies, but I do want someone there to remind our government to think about how people and work will have to figure out new laws and protections.

If you want to start a lobbying arm that speaks for the work leaders disenchanted by SHRM's approach, let me know. I'll pull up some couch cushions and send you the balance.

What else is going on?

A couple of other stories here that I wanted to highlight:

This HR company tried to treat AI bots like people — it didn’t go over well via The Verge .

Credit to Lattice for some boldness. When newish CEO Sarah Franklin introduced the idea of adding AI workers to the org chart, with many of the same expectations as their human counterparts, I thought, "We aren't there yet." Turns out Lattice wasn't either. They cancelled the rollout and put plans on pause indefinitely.

I know people are going to pile on here, but honestly, it's somewhat refreshing to see tech companies swing at big ideas in public. And yes, it can be entertaining when they miss.

The good news is I'm thinking more about how AI workers fit into traditional HR structures.

Intuit CEO's letter to employees announcing layoffs goes viral via TheStreet .

Excuse my language, but this whole episode is a dogshit leadership response. There's no other way to capture the abject failure of Intuit 's leadership here.

If you have poor performers, especially more than a thousand of them, what were you doing before this action to improve them? If their performance was being managed, why not let those processes play out?

We know the real reason: Layoffs like this are 100% a positioning exercise for publicly held tech companies, designed to appease shareholders and pressure workers to produce more with less. Intuit is profitable and healthy. They could've likely reskilled many of the people they laid off but, in an irritating trend, would much rather get the press that they are "cutting the fat" but also "hiring for innovation."

I'm glad more people are seeing through these chair-arranging exercises.

That's it for this week!

Lance

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