Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered CIPD Uncategorized

2026 HR Consulting Priorities

Always opportunity to continue to build culture, strategy and partnerships. 

Benefits for Employers

1. Harnessing AI to Revolutionize HR

  • AI Strategy: HR leaders are expected to craft and implement a clearly defined, HR-focused AI strategy. This includes leveraging AI for talent management, recruitment, and employee experience, while ensuring ethical and responsible use 
  • AI’s Impact on Work: There is a strong emphasis on taking an enterprise-wide view of AI’s impact, not just on processes but also on how it changes leadership roles, employee expectations, and organizational culture 
  • AI Agents: The adoption of AI agents is already transforming HR, making it crucial for HR consultants to guide organizations through this technological shift 

2. Adapting to Shifting Talent Models

  • Agile, Multidisciplinary Teams: Organizations are moving away from traditional HR structures, forming agile pods that focus on priority areas such as onboarding redesign, retention improvement, and leadership pipeline development 
  • Talent Flexibility: HR must help organizations adapt to new talent models, including gig work, remote/hybrid arrangements, and skills-based hiring 

3. Driving Organizational Culture and Change

  • Culture Evolution: As AI and new talent models disrupt the workplace, evolving organizational culture to support performance, innovation, and adaptability is a top priority 
  • Well-being, Fairness, and Trust: Employees expect organizations to prioritize well-being, fairness, and trust. HR consultants must help leaders balance innovation with a people-first approach 

4. Building Alignment, Adaptability, and Trust

  • Strategic Alignment: HR must ensure that people strategies are tightly aligned with business goals, especially as organizations navigate rapid change 
  • Adaptability: Helping organizations remain agile and responsive to market signals, regulatory changes, and workforce expectations is essential 
  • Trust: Maintaining trust, especially as AI and automation increase is critical for employee engagement and retention 

5. Supporting Leadership and Employee Experience

  • Leadership Development: There is a renewed focus on developing leaders who can manage change, inspire teams, and drive transformation 
  • Employee Experience: HR must continue to enhance the employee experience, from onboarding to career development, ensuring that technology enhances rather than detracts from human connection