SHRM Launches Global Workplace Kindness & Civility Challenge

SHRM and Pass Kindness Forward have launched the Global Workplace Kindness & Civility Challenge, aiming to make civility a daily practice in workplaces around the world. The initiative, which runs from November 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027, invites employers to participate in a global effort to perform over 20 million acts of kindness at work during this period.

The challenge is part of a broader movement to address the issue of workplace incivility, which SHRM estimates costs U.S. organizations approximately $2.6 billion a day in lost productivity and absenteeism. Behind this staggering figure are employees who dread meetings, avoid colleagues, or quietly start looking for new jobs due to a lack of respect and collaboration in the workplace.

SHRM, as the Founding Global Civility & Kindness Partner, is spearheading the initiative. Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM's President and CEO, will serve as a Founding Global Civility & Kindness Ambassador.

Pass Kindness Forward, founded in Puerto Rico through the initiative Pásalo Pa'lante, has set a goal of driving over 1 billion acts of kindness across more than 195 countries during the 92-day Global Kindness Season. In November 2025, the movement mobilized communities in all 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico, recording 1,135,096 acts of kindness in just five days. This model is now being taken global, with the hope of inspiring businesses to embrace the responsibility of fostering kindness and respect in the workplace.

SHRM's nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries lead workplaces that touch the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families. The organization believes that if every member committed to performing one intentional act of kindness each workday during the kindness season, it would result in at least 20 million civil moments. SHRM also encourages its members to inspire their companies to adopt the kindness movement, aiming for each employee to adopt one act of kindness per workday.

The challenge includes three global synchronized moments: November 11, December 21, and January 27. These moments will invite organizations to pause and act together, reinforcing the importance of kindness and civility in the workplace.

Participation is open to any organization, from family businesses to multinational enterprises. Employers can invite employees to commit to at least one intentional act of kindness each workday, recognize colleagues who help others, model civil and respectful communication, and support the SHRM Foundation as HR is a social force for good. The SHRM Foundation, SHRM's nonprofit arm, connects the initiative to its mission of empowering HR as a force for social good.

The movement is not just about profitability; it's about inspiring kindness and compassion in the workplace.