UK 
United States
It has to be said: HR professionals have some pretty inspirational ‘celebration days/weeks/months’ that they can choose to align their organisations with if they want to push a particular cause.
Whether it’s Stress Awareness Day, International Happiness Month, Cycle to Work Day, Parent Mental Health Day, International Women’s Day, Infertility Awareness Week, most months are jam-packed with events that can be used to launch campaigns around or present a particular cause.
Of course, some are woefully rubbish – after all there’s Work Naked Day 7th February; or Wear Pajamas to Work Day, 16th April. Maybe HR could do with February 11th’s ‘Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day’.
But whatever the day/week/month, the sentiment is the same – reminding people there are people, causes, or ideas that are worthy to be celebrated. And who could ever tire of Random Act of Kindness Day, 17th February, or Leave the Office Early Day, 2nd June?
But amongst all of these very outward-looking days is one that (for a change!), aims to celebrate the work of HR professionals themselves – World HR Day (or, in Europe, International HR Day), which takes place today, 20th May.
First celebrated in earnest in 2019 – and led by the World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA) and European Association for People Management (EAPM) – International HR Day is the HR’s professions’ attempt at celebrating the positive impact it knows it has on people and organisations.
Following on from last year’s theme of ‘HR shaping a new future’, this year’s mantra takes on AI and the impact it should have of HR: “HumanifyAI: Leading Change Together”.
The fundamental question being asked is whether HR really can bridge the gap between technology and humanity to create better, more connected workplaces.
But internal navel-gazing this is not. HR professionals are encouraged to down-tools for an hour or two, to take part in webinars and/or give each other a virtual, or real pat on the back.
