?Former Democratic President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into law 30 years ago. On June 12, he spoke to more than 21,000 attendees at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2023 (SHRM23) in Las Vegas and virtually, addressing HR issues and political struggles that spill over into the workplace.
He spoke about immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), offering solutions as the country suffers from what he described as an intense, deep-seated polarization that is preventing public officials from getting things done and doing the work they were elected to do.
“Politics is a job and we’re hired to fix things,” Clinton said. “So, we need to vote those in who will do that. It’s a mortal threat to democracy if those being elected today need an issue that is unsolvable to stay in office.”
Clinton, who was interviewed for 45 minutes by SHRM Board Chair Betty Thompson, chief people officer for Booz Allen Hamilton, also tackled other emotionally charged topics, including gun control and renewable energy.
Citing a close friend, a pastor from Arkansas, Clinton said, “[Politics] can’t be about demonizing others. We need to uplift each other.”
Immigration Reform
Clinton, 76, who served two presidential terms in the 1990s, said the immigration “chaos” on the border is a result of violence, global upheaval and drug cartels. Political leaders then play on people’s fears and put up roadblocks to immigration reform.
“Most immigrants wanting to enter are doing so because they want to work. But as long as one side is benefiting from the chaos, they don’t have a reason to solve it by passing immigration reform policies,” Clinton said.
He said the U.S. needs more workers for its “terrific and vibrant” economy, but workforce participation is low, and the population isn’t large enough to fill the open jobs we have.
“If you walk about Las Vegas,” Clinton said, “you can tell this town would be nowhere without immigrant labor.”
Following the session, Mindy Caldwell, vice president of HR operations for Coca-Cola Consolidated in Charlotte, N.C., said she agreed with Clinton that the country simply does not have enough bodies to fill all the job openings.
“We have to open up the conversation and think differently about how to solve it,” she said.
The need to reform the country’s immigration policy is top of mind for Monica Mena, HR supervisor at SK Food Group in Phoenix. “Lately, we’ve definitely seen a drop in hiring for filling our open positions,” she said after attending the general session.
Training for Today’s Jobs
Clinton called for government spending to be allocated toward more training programs, and he added that a college degree shouldn’t be required for every job.
“I’m hoping some of the infrastructure bill funds will go to training,” he said. “It needs to be a part of everything we do [as employers] because the skills needed for work are constantly changing.
“There are some older Americans who want to work and are perfectly capable of getting the skills but might lack the money to take the training they need. This is making our economy less efficient.”
‘Pro-Family, Pro-Work’ Policies
Some in the audience were moved when Clinton shared stories on emotional topics such as the FMLA and DE&I.
“I had spoken to a man whose daughter was gravely ill,” Clinton said. “He took three months off to be with her during that care, and after she died, he told me those last three months were the best ones in his life.”
Clinton said employment policies need to be both pro-family and pro-work because “this is not an either-or situation. Raising our children is the most important job that adults have.”
Regarding DE&I, Clinton said those who oppose it often do so because they believe it will lead to a company hiring the wrong person for a job for the wrong reason.
“The data is there that shows a diverse body will make better decisions for their companies than homogenous ones,” he said. “DE&I done right really works.”
Paul Bergeron is a freelance writer based in Herndon, Va.