Looking ahead to the future of work can be daunting for anyone — but especially for HR professionals who will have a central role in shaping it. Will the human resources team as we know it continue to exist in a few years’ time? Or will HR teams be replaced by AI-powered chatbots and recruiting platforms that eliminate busywork?
As we approach 2026, the future of HR tech is a little more nuanced than that. While some tools are rendering manual HR processes obsolete, others are refocusing HR teams on what matters most: employee well-being, compliance, and upskilling.
Let’s take a look at the top HR technology trends of 2026 that CHROs and other HR leaders should know about and incorporate into their HR strategy.
The HR technology trends of 2026 include artificial intelligence (AI), internal mobility, and a human-centric employee experience. Staying informed about these trends can enhance your preparedness and competitiveness. At the same time, it’s important to track the ROI of HR tech to ensure that tools add value to your organization.
Here are nine HR trends shaping the future of work in 2026.
When it comes to artificial intelligence in HR, some HR professionals are embracing it, while others worry it may lead to a loss of human touch or threaten their job security. In 2026, we’ll see a growing divide between HR teams that use AI tools strategically and those that treat AI adoption as a quick fix for long-term business problems.
Already, AI-powered software can handle administrative tasks, from eligibility checks to benefits administration. But the most effective AI strategies use artificial intelligence to supplement human decision-making, reducing manual labor and freeing up your team members to focus on more complex cases and higher-level problem-solving.
In many ways, human resources teams are playing catch-up with other industries like fintech and insurtech. Employees can do their banking online, file an insurance claim online, and more — so why can’t they request a leave of absence online or manage their employee benefits using a self-service portal?
Forward-thinking HR teams can use innovative HR platforms that provide on-demand support and instant responses to employee queries. Anticipating employee needs and empowering them to resolve their own problems can contribute to greater employee engagement and increase retention throughout the employee lifecycle.
Traditional HR practices make a clear distinction between different functions, resulting in a lack of transparency as team members fail to integrate their collective knowledge with the organization as a whole. Cross-functional projects are those that require HR teams to collaborate with other departments, increasing cohesion and innovation.
Cloud-based HR platforms allow for greater data sharing across domains, reducing data silos while strengthening data security practices. Instead of working in isolation on talent acquisition or performance management, HR teams can take a collaborative approach and hand off tasks seamlessly to other colleagues.
With high recruiting costs and a growing skills gap in many industries, organizations are turning to reskilling and upskilling to fill key roles. This increased internal mobility means that not only do employers save on recruiting, but employees have more opportunities for lateral career moves and professional advancement.
HR departments can support internal mobility with effective onboarding training and by providing access to learning modules for reskilling and professional development. HR platforms like Pulpstream allow you to document your employees’ goals and needs to facilitate personal improvement planning and support career growth.
Artificial intelligence has completely changed recruiting and talent management, with a growing number of organizations using AI-powered tools to source and vet candidates. On the other hand, jobseekers are using AI in job applications too, which can make it harder for recruiters to identify top talent.
Going forward, HR teams need to be strategic about how they use AI recruiting tools, with resume screening and interview scheduling among the top use cases. Employers may want to consider skills-based hiring, which focuses on a jobseeker’s skills rather than degrees or credentials, reducing bias in the hiring process.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of U.S. employees who work remotely has fallen slightly but is still higher than in 2019. Hybrid and remote work policies are the norm at many organizations, and even those without one may still need to offer a flexible or modified work environment as an ADA accommodation.
In 2026, HR teams will need to further refine their policies around remote work, ensuring compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for remote employees. They also need to keep up with leave laws that differ from state to state and avoid common compliance issues like worker misclassification and workplace safety violations.
Employee well-being is a growing concern for CHROs, as HR professionals learn more about the risks of burnout and overwork on employees’ mental health. In fact, leaves of absence for mental health have increased by 300% between 2019 and 2024.
Some organizations are addressing this by providing personalized wellness programs as an employee perk. These include apps that offer nutritional advice or gym access, incentives for healthy behaviors like biking to work or taking public transit, and even financial wellness programs to reduce financial stress.
HR compliance costs are likely to increase in 2026, especially for organizations that operate in multiple states or countries. In the U.S., a growing number of states have introduced paid leave programs that expand on federal leave laws like FMLA.
HR compliance software can reduce the administrative burden by automating recurring tasks and ensuring accuracy. For example, Pulpstream’s leave of absence management software runs each leave request through a custom rule engine, verifying eligibility and automatically generating the documents needed to maintain compliance.
Performance management has evolved from annual reviews to an ongoing process that incorporates employee performance metrics in real time. In particular, high-performance management involves regular feedback from managers and coworkers, and it encourages self-management and professional development.
In 2026, HR teams will have more ways than ever to track employee performance data and to address absenteeism and other performance issues. While this eliminates the lag time associated with traditional performance reviews, HR teams should take care that real-time monitoring doesn’t cross the line into micromanagement and surveillance.
Advances in HR technology are transforming recruiting, workforce planning, leave of absence management, and more. The top HR technology trends of 2026 will include AI-powered recruiting tools, self-service portals, and business process automation platforms. HR teams can use these tools to streamline HR functions and support data-driven decision-making based on real-time metrics.
Pulpstream’s cloud-based HR automation platform helps HR professionals implement the most up-to-date HR practices, staying ahead of the curve and maintaining your competitiveness. Our intuitive, user-friendly interface reduces your administrative burden while improving the employee experience.
When it comes to automating leave management, our custom rule engine verifies each request against state and federal leave laws — helping you maintain compliance even when your legal obligations change from year to year.
Request a demo today to see how Pulpstream can make a difference!