You don’t need to memorize the entire discography of Taylor Swift or binge every series on Netflix. But if you haven’t heard of Bad Bunny or can’t distinguish Walter Matthau from Walton Goggins, your HR toolkit might be missing something essential: cultural fluency.
Pop culture is not a frivolous distraction from the “real work” of HR. Rather, it’s part of the social fabric that informs how people relate to each other at work, how they communicate, and how they feel seen, understood, and included. A passing reference to a TV character, a shared meme, or a throwback music cue (“You have GOT to hear this Captain & Tennille song!”) can break down generational barriers and maybe even open doors to trust and connection.
In an era where four to five generations might be working together under the same roof, cultural references serve as shared landmarks. The Baby Boomer who casually drops a line from Cheers and the Gen Zer referencing Wednesday are speaking dialects of the same language…and the culturally fluent HR professional can translate.
This isn’t about “being cool.” It’s about knowing enough to facilitate understanding, reduce friction, and foster inclusion. Cultural fluency enables HR to guide managers in building connections across age groups, reminding everyone that communication is not just about words – it’s about reference points, shared context, and mutual respect.
Relatable, Empathetic and Relevant
HR has long carried the stereotype (rightfully earned in some cases) of being the detached enforcer of rules. One way to push back on that narrative is to stay close to the cultural moments your employees are experiencing.
When HR can acknowledge a viral trend, reference a cultural moment, or speak with ease about the latest workplace meme, it signals relatability and communicates “I’m a freakin’ human being!” That credibility can be the difference between employee skepticism and trust or between jack-booted compliance and genuine buy-in.
Internal communications are often bureaucratic monotony. Those policies, updates, and reminders are necessary but often dry and dull-dull-dull. Infusing messaging with cultural relevance – a clever nod to supermodel snacks or a timely reference to “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” – shows your human side and makes the message more memorable.
This isn’t about gimmicks; it’s about resonance. When your employees see themselves reflected in the tone and content of company communication, they’re more likely to listen, understand, and respond.
Reading the Room
But this is about more than entertainment; pop culture reflects the collective mood (including anxieties). If employees are sharing memes about burnout or joking about “quiet quitting,” that’s not just banter – it’s feedback. To you. FOR you.
Cultural fluency allows HR to read these cues accurately. Are employees joking about micromanagement? That might be a sign of deeper frustration. Is a popular show highlighting toxic workplaces suddenly a conversation starter at lunch? That could be a prompt for proactive dialogue. HR must learn to interpret these cultural cues not as noise, but as early warnings – or validations – of deeper organizational dynamics.
Cultural Fluency is Strategic
Being out of touch with pop culture creates distance between HR and the people you serve. When you choose to engage with the cultural moment – even lightly and imperfectly – you humanize your role and build bridges. You signal a willingness to be a participant in the workplace … not just a figurehead from on-high.
So yes; scroll through the New Releases on Apple Music (where I recently discovered the fabulousness that is Wunderbar) and watch the AMAs even if you don’t recognize a single nominees. Catch the references to The Bear or Succession. And never underestimate the connective power of a well-timed meme.
Because HR, of course, is about people. And people live in technicolor – not in your black-and-white policies and SOPs.
