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The 2024 election can’t be ignored in the workplace, or at SHRM Inclusion

SHRM CEO Johnny C. Taylor opens the annual conference by telling attendees “half of the people you’ve interacted with will hate you” after election day.
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SHRM, the HR industry’s largest association, made waves over the summer when it changed its approach to DE&I, shifting its focus to inclusion and removing language around equity. This week, the organization is hosting Inclusion, its annual DE&I conference, at the height of the 2024 election cycle, the results of which could impact the future of diversity programs.

CEO Johnny C. Taylor opened the conference on the morning of election day, and addressed the elephant in the room head on.

In front of a packed convention center ballroom in Aurora, CO, a city that’s become a central talking point for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, he recounted a recent call he received from a connection in Ghana, who described election day in the US as “a big day for the world.”

“The entire world is watching what happens today and, more importantly, what happens tomorrow and the days following this election, especially in the workplace.”

Taylor also speculated that the results will impact how workers feel about each other. “The American workforce is roughly 168 million people…So roughly 50% of our population will be at work the day after tomorrow, and what we know is from all the public information, it’s razor, razor thin,” he said. “And what that presents to us, is the risk that the next day, half of the people you’ve interacted with will hate you, will despise you.”

SHRM has been almost singularly focused on its workplace civility campaign this year, encouraging better conversations between colleagues who may disagree with each other. “It is so important that each of you all continue to embrace and take back to your workforces this concept of having civil conversations,” he told the group. “This [the election] is going to be HR’s opportunity to make a difference, not just in America, but the entire world.”

The result of the election is not yet known, but SHRM has made it clear that it believes the workplace has a central role to play in how the country moves forward.

Quick-to-read HR news & insights

From recruiting and retention to company culture and the latest in HR tech, HR Brew delivers up-to-date industry news and tips to help HR pros stay nimble in today’s fast-changing business environment.