The year 2026 may turn the traditional role of human resources departments upside down. Instead of playing the current role of a “soft” back office, they will become a partner of management boards, being responsible not only for people, but also for the profitability and efficiency of the business. However, artificial intelligence will become their everyday work tool. The era is coming when HR will cease to be a support and will start to be the driving force of companies.
The year 2026 may be a turning point for Polish HR. There are many indications that HR departments will take over the role of a key business partnerbeing responsible not only for well-being and development, but also for efficiency indicators and profitability.
Holistic approach to the employee?
According to Anna Pietraszko, Director of Consulting, HR and Training Projects at the Progres Group, next year HR will enter a completely new stage of development, and its role will become more strategic and measurable than ever.
– HR will be a full-fledged business partner responsible for hard indicators such as EBITDA, productivity and retention of key roles – says Anna Pietraszko to Bankier.pl. – This means moving away from perceiving HR only as a supporting function and moving to a role that has a real impact on the organization's results and its operational stability.
As the expert adds,
organizations will increasingly look at employees holistically, analyzing their entire “life cycle” in the company – from the candidate stage, through development and internal mobility, to the moment of departure. The consistency of these experiences will become one of the key elements in building the employer's image and team loyalty.
– There are still too few companies that approach employees holistically. As our data show, as many as 32 percent companies still do not conduct onboarding, only 52 percent conducts exit interviews, and only 40 percent has a development path planning program. In 2026 this will change. HR will begin to design employee experiences with greater awareness and measurable goals, the expert predicts.
AI will become a permanent fixture in HR
According to an expert from the Progres Group next year, artificial intelligence will cease to be an addition and will become the foundation of modern HR processes.
– It will automate CV screening, creating short lists, editing advertisements and messages to candidates, analyzing data and reports. Her task will also be to forecast turnover, the risk of burnout and identify talents within the organization, says Anna Pietraszko. – Artificial intelligence will not replace humans, but will change their role. The HR specialist will become the curator of data-based processes, and his task will be to combine technological knowledge with empathy and understanding of employee needs.
Andrzej Przybyła, Business Development Manager at Smart Solutions HR, has a similar opinion.
– Full automation of HR processes will come to the foredriven by legal changes, such as salary transparency or new regulations on the employment of foreigners, extended powers of PIP controllers. At the same time, awareness of the use of AI tools will increase, which will be increasingly integrated with HR processes in an almost complete way – says Andrzej Przybyła to Bankier.pl.
Flexible approach to working time
Although the 4-day working week has recently become an important topic, according to experts, a promising solution may be not just shortening but a flexible approach to working hours. This is why flexible start times, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous work, as well as short but more frequent regeneration breaks are becoming more popular.
– The future of work is paying for results, not for time spent at the desk. This approach allows the employee to better adjust the way he performs his duties to his daily rhythm and, without stress, include private matters in his schedule: a doctor's visit, picking up a child from kindergarten, therapy, office matters or even a quick training session during the day. The result is no burnout, fewer sick leaves, more healthy and engaged people in the team – says Anika Osmólska in the e-book Non-obvious HR trends 2026.
Additionally, after a period of increased emphasis on presence in offices in 2025, the coming year will bring a new phase in the approach to the hybrid model.
– HR will have to clearly define why and when employees come to the officewhile responding to the need for flexibility and sensible use of the team's time – says Anna Pietraszko.
Wellbeing will gain in importance
At the same time, more and more Mental well-being will become more important. In 2026, wellbeing is to become an integral part of companies' strategies. According to the representative of Smart Solutions HR, in the coming year it will be more and more consistently included in the organization's strategy.
– Our observations show that a comprehensive well-being strategy actually improves the comfort of work and helps retain qualified specialists – says Andrzej Przybyła. – An important trend at the level of recruitment itself will be the fit of the candidate to the organizational culture. It is increasingly clear that the “perfect match” affects not only the employee's motivation and commitment, but also his or her results.
According to Anna Pietraszko, wellbeing will cease to be a “soft” category.
– In 2026, companies will implement psychological support programs, anti-burnout policies and train leaders to talk not only about results, but also about the mental condition of teams – says the expert.
Paulina Werczyńska, member of the LongLife management board, thinks similarly.
– We expect that in 2026 more and more companies will have a formalized employee health policy, including, among others: a previously planned budget of an average of PLN 200 to PLN 600 per employee only for preventive activitiesnot counting medical packages – says Paulina Werczyńska, member of the LongLife management board.
Transparency is a must
The year 2026 will also bring full implementation of EU regulations on pay transparency. Companies will have to publish pay ranges, conduct pay equity audits and clearly communicate promotion and remuneration rules.
– Transparency will no longer be a differentiator and will become a standard. Organizations will have to ensure consistent evaluation of positions and simple, understandable communication of pay rules, says Anna Pietraszko.
However, inclusiveness will become a broader concept than before. Organizations will design recruitment processes and work environments in a way that is friendly to neurodivergent people, older people and people with disabilities, as well as develop intergenerational mentoring.
– This is no longer a trend, but the foundation for building a culture based on trust and authenticity – emphasizes the expert.
What matters is people and relationships
Meanwhile, the HR Trends 2026 report indicates four key roles that a modern HR and payroll department should play:
- Digital ally – AI as a partner supporting the humanization of work,
- Value creator – HR generating a real impact on the results and culture of the organization,
- Experience creator – designing empathetic and inclusive employee paths,
- Flow architect – creating flexible structures and adaptive work models.
– HR leaders who enter into partnership with AI as a digital ally will gain space to create value, create employee experiences and build adaptive organizations – says Paulina Zasempa, People Country Lead at SD Worx Poland. – Despite the development of technology, the future of HR will still focus on people and relationships. Companies that understand this will gain a competitive advantage in the fight for talent, the expert adds.
The combination of technology and empathy
According to labor market specialists, next year will be a period of intense but positive changes. HR will cease to be an administrative department – will become the creator of values and the guardian of organizational culture. This is a time when technology and humans should work hand in hand and in order to gain efficiency and gain the trust of employees, companies will have to learn this synergy.
There are many indications that 2026 will bring a revolution in Polish HR, which will no longer play a supporting role and will become a full-fledged business partner, responsible for the results, stability and long-term resilience of the organization.
