🔮 2026 is coming. Here’s what HR leaders have to say

Hey HR Pros!

As HR leaders gear up for 2026, there’s a growing disconnect between what’s expected and what’s operationally ready. From AI integration to performance management, many strategic assumptions are hitting resistance, fast.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 📈 New Report by Gallup | AI at Work Rises, But Awareness Isn’t Keeping Pace

• 🌀 Forget the Ladder: Career Planning Just Got a Reboot

• 🔮 2026 Is Coming. Here’s What HR Leaders Have to Say

• 🎙️ Featured Podcast: How UPS Is Using AI to Prepare Its Workforce for the Next Chapter of Work

Need a New HRIS or ATS? Help Is on the Way! 🎅

 📰 Latest in HR News

• NYU launches new certificate aiming to bolster remote work success

• Understanding The EEOC’s Crackdown on DEI in 2026 And Its Implications for HR

• Walmart ups wellness game with new benefit enhancements

• Inside the SHRM lawsuit: A ‘messy employment discrimination case’ that ended with an $11.5m judgment

📈 New Report by Gallup | AI at Work Rises, But Awareness Isn’t Keeping Pace

Even as AI becomes more deeply embedded in day-to-day tasks, many workers remain unaware of how, or even if, their companies are formally adopting the technology.

In roles closer to the frontlines and further from decision-making, employees are often left in the dark about how AI fits into their company’s future.

Key Insights for HR Leaders

• 🧠 AI adoption is growing across the board
  45% of U.S. workers now use AI at least a few times a year, with frequent use rising to 23% in Q3 2025.

• 💼 Usage rates are role- and industry-dependent
  76% of tech professionals use AI regularly, compared to just 33% in retail and 37% in healthcare roles.

• ❓Organizational AI strategy is a mystery to many
  26% of individual contributors didn’t know if their company uses AI, versus only 7% of senior leaders.

• 🤖 Chatbots dominate, but advanced tools are niche
  60%+ of users rely on chatbots, while just 14% use AI for coding; heavy users lean more into advanced tools.

read the full 663-word article here

🌀 Forget the Ladder: Career Planning Just Got a Reboot

With AI accelerating change across roles and industries, the frameworks that once guided talent development are colliding with a reality that evolves every quarter, not every decade.

For HR leaders, that shift is structural. Our systems still cling to linear promotions and rigid job descriptions, even as the market demands a more agile, skill-based approach to growth.

Key Insights for HR Strategy

• 📉 Five-year plans are officially out of sync
  LinkedIn’s CEO called them “a little bit foolish” given how quickly AI is transforming job roles and skill needs.

• 🔄 The new model is lateral, not linear
  Career paths are shifting from ladders to lattices, where sideways moves and reskilling are key to progression.

• 📚 Learning is now the main KPI
  To stay competitive, companies must offer continuous learning aligned to fast-evolving skill demands every 6–12 months.

• 🤖 AI is forcing a new kind of workforce planning
  Traditional succession models won’t survive — HR must plan in short bursts and be ready to pivot quickly.

read the full 644-word article here

HR LOLs

🔮 2026 Is Coming. Here’s What HR Leaders Have to Say

As 2026 approaches, there’s a growing sense of cognitive dissonance between what HR leaders hope for and what’s actually unfolding on the ground.

AI promises transformation, but HR’s infrastructure isn’t always ready.

Employees are expected to adapt, yet few are being taught how.

For CHROs, the challenge is aligning tools, training, and leadership readiness with the actual pace of change.

Key Insights for HR Leaders

• 📊 Most companies aren’t AI-ready, despite bold expectations
  Only 13% of HR leaders have skills data ready for strategic use; outdated inventories are stalling AI-driven workforce planning.

• 🧠 AI adoption won’t happen unless fluency does
  Nearly two-thirds of employees use AI just to double-check work; few use it for strategic tasks due to low confidence.

• 🚫 Performance systems are getting smarter — but people push back
  HR’s AI-powered tools will face resistance if perceived as checkboxes rather than meaningful support for growth and development.

• 🤝 Managers aren’t yet equipped to lead hybrid teams
  Leaders must learn to manage both humans and AI agents — or risk falling behind on speed, precision, and engagement.

read the full 810-word article here

🎙️ Featured Podcast: How UPS Is Using AI to Prepare Its Workforce for the Next Chapter of Work