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Grantee
SHRM Foundation
Area
Private Higher Education
Amount
$250000
Date Approved
10/25/2025
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The U.S. faces an urgent education-to-employment gap, marked by rising incivility, costly turnover, and generational tensions. Every day, U.S. workplaces experience 68+ million acts of incivility, draining over $2.1 billion in productivity. Gen Z, soon one-third of the workforce, enters workplaces rife with unspoken norms, outdated management practices, and employer-perceived (and actual) gaps in durable skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and adaptability. Something must change to ensure the success of both emerging talent and future workplaces. SHRM Foundation proposes a six-month national planning process convening higher education leaders, employers, Gen Z workers, and bridging nonprofits to design actionable solutions. Through consultations, focus groups, and a national convening, the project will deliver a Roadmap for Civility and Career Readiness with audience-specific recommendations (for students, faculty, administrators, HR, and CEOs), proposed pilot pathways, and guidance around the adoption and expansion of credentialing frameworks. This Roadmap will help young workers thrive, prepare employers to meet a new generation of talent, and strengthen workplace civility, laying the foundation for scalable interventions and a more resilient workforce.