SHRM, Pass Kindness Forward launch global workplace kindness challenge

SHRM and Pass Kindness Forward have launched a worldwide campaign to push civility into daily workplace routines, with a goal of more than 20 million acts of kindness at work during Global Kindness Season. The effort links employee behavior, culture and productivity as the groups aim for more than 1 billion acts of kindness across 195-plus countries.

Why it matters: - The campaign frames civility as a workplace performance issue, not just an etiquette issue. - SHRM’s Civility Index estimates incivility costs U.S. organizations about $2.6 billion a day in lost productivity and absenteeism. - The challenge is designed to give HR leaders a simple behavior-based tool to improve respect, collaboration and well-being.

What happened: - SHRM and Pass Kindness Forward launched the Global Workplace Kindness Challenge on Nov. 2, 2026. - The initiative invites employers in every country and of every size to make one intentional act of kindness part of each workday. - SHRM is the Founding Global Civility & Kindness Partner for the movement. - SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. is serving as a Founding Global Civility & Kindness Ambassador.

The details: - The challenge asks workers to do simple actions such as thanking a colleague by name, listening without interrupting, disagreeing without disrespect and stepping in when a teammate needs help. - Pass Kindness Forward has set a goal of 1 billion acts of kindness from now through Jan. 31. - SHRM says at least 20 million of those acts could happen in workplaces. - SHRM’s nearly 340,000 members span 180 countries and lead workplaces that touch more than 362 million workers and their families. - SHRM says if every member does one intentional act of kindness each workday during kindness season, that would amount to about 20 million civil moments. - SHRM says if 340,000 members inspire 5% of their companies to adopt one act of kindness per workday, the workplace total would exceed 1 billion acts. - Participation is open to any organization, from family businesses to multinational enterprises. - Employers are being asked to recognize colleagues who help others, model respectful communication from the top, support the SHRM Foundation and share participation at PassKindnessForward.com. - SHRM will promote the challenge through its membership, chapters, volunteer leaders and civility programming. - The SHRM Foundation is linking the initiative to its mission of empowering HR as a force for social good. - Three synchronized global moments are planned for Nov. 11, Dec. 21 and Jan. 27.

Between the lines: - The partnership gives the kindness campaign a large HR distribution network and a direct link to workplace culture leaders. - The messaging positions small daily behaviors as a lower-friction alternative to policy-only responses to incivility. - The Puerto Rico origin story gives the global rollout a proof point: Pásalo Pa'lante mobilized all 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico and recorded 1,135,096 acts of kindness in five days in November 2025. - Pass Kindness Forward is using that model to scale the effort to more than 195 countries during its inaugural 92-day Global Kindness Season.

What's next: - Employers can begin participating immediately and track acts of kindness through Jan. 31. - The campaign will build toward the three synchronized global moments in November, December and January. - SHRM and Pass Kindness Forward will continue pushing the challenge through workplace networks and public participation channels.

The bottom line: - SHRM is betting that a measurable kindness campaign can make civility a daily workplace habit while reaching a global audience at scale.