Industry Updates

Since the new year kicked off, one theme continues to surface in nearly every conversation with our clients and partner firms: HR trends are top of mind.

Teams want clarity across key HR functions: What should we expect from the talent market? Which technologies are worth adopting now? How will emerging legislation impact benefit costs and internal operations?

While the landscape is always shifting, several 2026 trends are emerging consistently across research firms and HCM vendors:

1. Work is becoming skills‑based and AI‑augmented, shifting away from traditional job‑title structures.

2. AI in HR is moving under significant regulatory scrutiny, elevating the importance of governance and ethics.

3. Pay transparency regulations continue to expand, reshaping compensation structures and equity expectations.

4. Leave management is becoming more complex and employee‑centric, especially at the state level.

5. Agentic AI and deeper HR–IT collaboration are redefining HR technology strategy and system interoperability.

(Source: ADP, Key Trends and Priorities for 2026)

The biggest takeaway?

AI isn’t going anywhere and employers must balance innovation with a strong, human‑centered employee experience.

To help organizations navigate this evolving landscape, PEPL is partnering with Ogletree Deakins to bring expert legal insight directly to our community.

We’ve engaged Greg Hare, Senior Partner, to host a webinar on 2026 HR Legal Curveballs on February 19th at 10am EST.

This session will cover essential topics shaping the year ahead:

• AI governance

• Pay equity

• Multi‑jurisdiction compliance

• Workplace safety

• Culture & harassment prevention

We hope to see you there.

This one‑hour session has been approved for 1 HRCI and SHRM credit hour.

Registration for this event has been closed. Please check back with us for future events.