The Top 5 Human Resource Management Challenges for 2026
The HR function has become a source of strategic guidance for decisions in every part of the business. But the elevated role also comes with new challenges—learn how to solve them below.
Editorial Strategist, HR
Read BioMaria Valero is the editorial strategist for HR topics on Workday’s thought leadership team. She loves to develop content that is helpful and relevant to people leaders' pain points, opportunities, and industry moments to help create a consistent drumbeat of conversation and connection.
Before joining Workday, Maria led global integrated marketing campaigns, where she discovered that thought leadership was her favorite part of that work.
She holds a bachelor's degree in business marketing from the University of Washington.
The HR function has become a source of strategic guidance for decisions in every part of the business. But the elevated role also comes with new challenges—learn how to solve them below.
By empowering leaders to personalize and contextualize information, HR teams can bridge the gap between leadership and employees, transforming a reactive tactic into a measurable business strategy.
HR has a vital mandate to move past automation and focus on the human implications of AI—specifically defining new skills, designing ethical partnerships, and ensuring a shared vision across the enterprise.
The modern workplace's overwhelming complexity is driving a critical talent gap and threatening organizational resilience. By leveraging technology to automate the mundane, we empower a new archetype of leader who can focus on cultivating a culture of growth and coaching over traditional management styles.
The world of work is changing fast. To succeed, leading organizations and future-ready professionals are making a commitment to upskilling and lifelong learning to prepare for new jobs and skills requirements of the future.
Discover how L&D and HR leaders are architecting a skills-first future of work, focusing on the strategies and challenges involved in this transformation.
Change is happening fast, and organizations must reskill, redesign, and meet the moment—or be at risk of falling behind. With competing priorities running rampant, these three key areas can help build a future-ready workforce of tomorrow.
Today’s workforce is changing in unprecedented ways. Leaders that adapt now can capture opportunities that attract top talent and position their organizations to succeed in the future.
The future of AI in the workplace is collaborative for humans and AI. As traditional roles and workflows become more automated, new opportunities are emerging for human workers to use AI tools.
In a first-of-its-kind benchmark report, Workday partner Crosschq analyzed nearly 4 million new hire records across Fortune 500 companies to understand the impact that quality of hire has on growth.
Frontline workers are the closest to customers, and the human personification of organizations. So why are they often overlooked in employee experience programs? In order to harness the potential of a strong frontline, we first need to close the experience gaps at the source.
When organizations debate return-to-office policies, it’s often in response to productivity pressure. Instead of trying to derive instant gratification from RTO mandates, leaders should focus on purpose-first impact.
When competition for talent is fierce, every hiring decision matters. An effective candidate assessment tool delivers precise, skills-focused insights that help teams choose the right people with confidence.
HR is transforming, and one area ripe for a shift is collaboration. HR leaders who invest time and resources into their relationships with these three functions will be uncovering a competitive edge.
The future of work is evolving rapidly, and HR is leading the charge. As skill needs shift with advances in AI and automation, HR leaders are adopting agile strategies to prepare their workforces for what’s next.
Employee engagement drives productivity, retention, and innovation—but it remains invisible without the right metrics. To make engagement an advantage, HR leaders need the right engagement KPI to turn insights into strategic action.
The transformative power of artificial intelligence on the legal profession starts first with changing mindsets. By shifting mindsets and adopting new tools through AI-powered contract intelligence, legal professionals can usher in unprecedented levels of productivity and efficiency gains.
Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach and Chief People Officer Ashley Goldsmith sit down with Chief Learning Officer Chris Ernst to discuss the changing role of leadership amidst the rise of AI, where one central truth emerged: It’s never been more important to have a values-driven, human-centric company.
HR plays a pivotal role in the success of AI within its organizations. These three underrated focus areas will create a competitive edge in the race to realizing the full potential of this technology and position HR as the strategic orchestrator of collective intelligence.
Distinguishing between recruiting and talent acquisition unlocks both immediate hiring success and strategic workforce development. Master this balance to plug critical skill gaps and build the relationships that fuel tomorrow’s growth.