SHRM Celebrates 75 Years of Driving Workplace Change

​ALEXANDRIA, VA — Today, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) officially kicks off a year of celebration commemorating its 75th anniversary. Founded in 1948 as the American Society for Personnel Administration (ASPA), SHRM relies on its unmatched experience and long-standing commitment to the human resource profession to drive its mission of empowering people and workplaces by advancing HR practices and maximizing human potential.

With collaborators across the globe, SHRM has helped shape workplace policies; unleashed pools of talent; championed diversity, equity and inclusion; cultivated better workplace cultures; and even spotlighted the employee mental health epidemic amid the pandemic. We have impacted policy and legislation that protects the rights of workers and improves workplaces, including the Equal Pay Act (1963), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (1971), the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), and many more. SHRM has an unwavering commitment to focus on policy, not politics, and champions policies that will help organizations and people thrive.

In honor of SHRM's 75th anniversary, customers will have the opportunity to add a 75-cent donation to the SHRM Foundation each time they make a SHRMStore purchase throughout the year. Established in 1966, the SHRM Foundation acts as SHRM's 501(c)(3) philanthropic arm, supporting initiatives focused on skilled credentials, veterans at work, the aging workforce, and workplace mental health and wellness, among other things. To learn more about the SHRM Foundation, visit shrmfoundation.org.

"Over the past 75 years, we have worked together to positively impact the world by creating better workplaces," said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, SHRM's president and chief executive officer. "We have lobbied for equal pay, pushed to end discriminatory hiring practices, spotlighted the growing mental health epidemic, and provided research and resources to the entire HR community. Our certifications, both the SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP, have grown to be the most credible and world-renowned. I am immensely proud of the work we have done with our members, community, employees, stakeholders and partners to drive change in the world of work, but we are not done."

In 2023 and beyond, SHRM will continue to stand at the forefront of the evolution of work, serving our members and the workers of the world. While we celebrate the advances we have made, we are acutely aware of the strides we must continue to make as we work to create better workplaces.

To see how SHRM and HR have moved the workplace forward, visit our interactive timeline of the last 75 years at Shrm.co/75years.

About SHRM

SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today's evolving workplaces. More than 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies rely on SHRM to be their go-to resource for all things work and their business partner in creating next-generation workplaces. With 300,000+ HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers and families globally. Learn more at SHRM.org and on Twitter @SHRM.