World Human Resource Congress: SHRM Leader Sounds Call for Civility

It falls to human resource professionals to start the movement to eradicate workplace incivility, SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, told attendees at the World Human Resource Congress in Singapore.

The biennial event drew representatives from 30 countries, with nearly one-third coming from the Asia-Pacific region. Since its inception in 1986, it has served as a platform for HR professionals, people managers, and business leaders from around the world to share best practices and network with colleagues facing similar challenges. This year’s gathering took place May 14-16.

SHRM last hosted the World Human Resource Congress at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2018 in Chicago.

SHRM Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs, and Corporate Secretary Emily M. Dickens serves as secretary-general of the World Federation of People Management Associations, the congress’s host. She spoke on a panel at the event titled “Navigating Succession Planning in the Era of Shorter Tenures, Defocused Experience and Automated Decision Making.”

Call for Civility

Taylor’s plenary keynote address continued SHRM’s ongoing effort to highlight the need for respectful, civil dialogue—the cornerstone of SHRM's “1 Million Civil Conversations” campaign that was launched in March.

SHRM’s Civility Index found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers have experienced or witnessed incivility in their workplace within the past month and one-third think workplace conflict will increase over the next 12 months.

“Disagreement is normal,” Taylor told congress attendees. “In fact, some conflict at work is normal and can actually be productive. But we have to learn—and we have to teach how—to ‘disagree better’ ” by following three basic steps:

1. Embrace active listening. Look for the emotions and intentions behind the words—even if you disagree from the first sentence, even if you recognize their facts as wrong or their logic as weak, even when you think you know where the speaker is going in their train of thought. This extreme listening, he said, “shows tremendous respect because you’re engaging with the speaker on a deeper, more empathetic level” by reading nonverbal cues, being fully present, and reflecting to the speaker what you think you heard the person say.
2. View feedback as a gift, not a grievance. “We can help our managers do this better” and model constructive conversations “that are kind, specific, and helpful.”
3. Remember the power of apology. “Sometimes, simply saying ‘I’m sorry’ can de-escalate a situation and demonstrate humility. The relationship is almost always more important than being right,” Taylor said. “Let’s step up and really embrace the true impact of HR’s work on society. We can manage this like no one else in our organizations, so lean in and own it” by building “a platform for meaningful human-to-human encounters under the shadow of automation” as AI impacts jobs and work.

Civility will also be addressed June 23-26 at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2024 in Chicago during sessions including:

• Conflict De-Escalation and Resolution for the HR Professional.
• Control Conflict! Collaborate More. Counter Less.
• Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety: Making It Safe to Speak Up.
• You Make Me Soooo Mad!! Emotional Intelligence for Real People.