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Employee Leave Isn’t the Problem. The Real Issue Is Lack of Planning.

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March 09, 2026

Employee Leave Isn’t the Problem. The Real Issue Is Lack of Planning.

By Rachel Shaw

Leave management is one of the most frustrating and most predictable parts of human resources.

And that is exactly the problem.

Employers often feel caught off guard when an employee needs time away from work for a medical condition, family care or a personal matter. The process becomes emotional, reactive and operationally disruptive. But the reality is this: over the course of any employee’s tenure, leave is not an exception. It is an inevitability.

Every workforce will experience illness, injury, pregnancy, caregiving needs, mental health events and life transitions. These are not outliers. They are part of the employee lifecycle. Yet many organizations still treat leave as a one-off rather than building systems that anticipate it.

The issue is not that employees need leave. The issue is that too many organizations are not designed to handle it well when it comes up.

  • Leave Management Is a Systems Issue

Most employers have compliance mechanisms in place. They know how to issue an FMLA notice or respond to a doctor’s note. But compliance alone is not a strategy.

Where organizations struggle is in the absence of a clear, coordinated leave management program that addresses:

  • how leave is requested and tracked
  • how coverage is handled operationally
  • how supervisors respond in the moment
  • how leave interacts with ADA obligations and workplace accommodations
  • how employees are supported during and after the leave period

Without this infrastructure, every leave request becomes a disruption instead of a manageable workflow.

Proactive employers recognize that leave is a predictable operational reality and build programming around it.

  • Planning Reduces Stress for Everyone

When employers take the time to define their leave processes in advance, the experience changes dramatically.

Supervisors are no longer guessing what to do or reacting emotionally in the moment. HR is not reinventing the wheel with every request. Employees are not left feeling guilty, unsupported, or confused about their rights and responsibilities.

Clear programming allows organizations to respond consistently and with confidence. That includes:

  • clear expectations for how and when employees request leave
  • defined processes for job coverage and workload redistribution
  • structured communication points during leave
  • thoughtful return to work practices that support reintegration

This is not about eliminating the operational impact of leave. It is about managing it intentionally.

  • Flexibility Where It Works

One of the most effective ways to reduce the strain of leave is through thoughtful flexibility.

In some environments, that may mean remote work or modified schedules. In others, particularly in the public sector, healthcare or frontline environments, it may mean shift swapping, modified assignments, or creative scheduling.

Not every role can be done from home. But every organization can evaluate where flexibility is possible.

When employees can adjust schedules for medical appointments or caregiving needs without immediately moving into formal leave status, organizations often see reduced absenteeism and improved morale.

Flexibility, when structured well, becomes a pressure valve that supports both operations and employees.

  • Supervisor Frustration and the Culture of Leave

One of the most significant risks in leave management is not legal. It is cultural.

Supervisors often carry the operational burden when someone is out. That burden can lead to frustration, especially when leaves are extended, intermittent or complex.

Left unaddressed, that frustration can show up in subtle but damaging ways such as tone, comments, skepticism  or disengagement. Employees quickly pick up on this and it erodes trust.

At the same time, employers are right to be attentive to potential misuse. That is part of good program management.

The solution is not to ignore concerns or to assume the worst. It is to train supervisors to operate with professional judgment, to follow process, avoid assumptions, document appropriately, and escalate concerns through the proper HR channels rather than reacting emotionally.

Employees should not feel like they are doing something wrong when they use a benefit or protection they are legally entitled to.

The way supervisors respond in these moments defines the organization’s culture far more than any written policy.

  • ADA and the Continuation of the Conversation

Another common breakdown point is what happens when statutory leave ends.

When FMLA or state leave entitlements are exhausted, the conversation is not necessarily over. Employers may have additional obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to evaluate whether additional leave or other workplace accommodations are reasonable.

Too often, organizations treat the end of FMLA as the end of the process.

In reality, it is often the beginning of a different conversation, one that requires individualized assessment, interactive dialogue and thoughtful decision-making.

Organizations that build a coordinated ADA and leave management program, which I often refer to as programming the interactive process, are far better positioned to navigate these transitions consistently and defensibly.

  • Supporting Employees, Not Just Complying with the Law

At its core, leave management is not just a compliance function. It is a human one.

Employees request leave at some of the most difficult moments in their lives: a cancer diagnosis, a complicated pregnancy, a parent in decline, a mental health crisis or recovery from injury.

How an organization responds in these moments matters.

Employers that approach leave with clarity, structure and empathy see measurable benefits: higher engagement, stronger retention and increased trust in leadership.

Those that operate in crisis mode often see the opposite: burnout, resentment and turnover.

  • Mental Health and the Evolving Workforce

Mental health-related leave requests continue to rise across industries.

Employees are more willing to seek support, but they are still highly sensitive to how those requests are received. Stigma has not disappeared. It has just become quieter.

Supervisors need guidance on recognizing potential leave triggers, responding without prying into protected medical information and connecting employees with HR and available resources.

Organizations that treat mental health with the same seriousness and neutrality as physical health create a safer and more stable workplace for everyone.

  • The Cost of Not Planning

The cost of poor leave management extends beyond legal exposure.

It shows up in:

  • operational disruption
  • supervisor burnout
  • inconsistent decision making
  • employee disengagement
  • avoidable turnover

Replacing experienced employees is expensive. More importantly, it disrupts the organization’s continuity and culture.

When employees see that their colleagues are treated with fairness, respect and professionalism during leave, it reinforces their trust in the organization.

  • A Final Thought

Leave is not the problem.

The absence of planning is.

Organizations that move from reactive response to intentional design, build clear processes, train supervisors and align ADA and leave programming, are able to manage leave in a way that supports both operations and people.

That is the goal.

Not perfection. Not zero disruption.

But a workplace where employees can navigate life’s inevitable challenges without fear and where employers can respond with consistency, clarity and care.

That is what good leave management looks like.

About the Author

Rachel Shaw, founder of Rachel Shaw Inc., is a nationally recognized ADA and leave management expert and sought-after speaker known for helping organizations turn legal compliance into operational strength. With more than two decades of experience, she designs in-house systems that allow employers to manage accommodations with both legal precision and human-centered leadership. She is the creator of the ADA Interactive Process Hallway® protocol, now used by thousands of organizations to manage disability accommodation requests confidently, consistently, and with care.

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Beyond the Backlash: How to Address Resistance to Unpopular HR Policies

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Beyond the Backlash: How to Address Resistance to Unpopular HR Policies

In workplaces where policies often feel imposed rather than understood, a recurring tension surfaces: employees resist certain rules not out of laziness, but because they perceive them as disconnected from their daily realities, productivity, or personal lives. 

Yet time and again, the same “problematic” policies—when reframed with transparency, data, empathy, and ownership—transform from sources of friction into drivers of trust, performance, and loyalty. 

On HRSpotlight, seasoned CEOs, founders, physicians, and HR strategists candidly share the one policy that consistently sparks the strongest pushback in their organizations, along with the practical, sometimes counter-intuitive ways they turned resistance into buy-in. 

From mandatory donor updates and 24/7 on-call rotations to cybersecurity simulations, process documentation, post-job photo requirements, return-to-office mandates, and strict cancellation fees—these leaders reveal how showing the “why” (with real numbers, stories, flexibility, or autonomy) shifts mindsets from “this is a burden” to “this protects and benefits us all.” 

Their collective experience proves that the toughest policies can become the strongest cultural assets when handled with clarity and care.

Read on!

Chase McKee RAS
Founder & CEO, Rocket Alumni Solutions

I’ve grown Rocket Alumni Solutions to $3M+ ARR, and the policy that creates the most friction is mandatory donor/stakeholder update cadences.

When we first required our team to send monthly progress reports to clients, they saw it as busywork that pulled them away from product development and sales.

The resistance crumbled when I showed them retention data.

After implementing our monthly update system–short videos, personalized emails–our donor retention rate jumped enough to secure our path to $2.4M ARR.

One school we worked with saw repeat donations rise 25% purely because contributors could see their impact in real time.

I addressed pushback by letting the team see the business math: those 20 minutes of monthly updates generated more revenue than an extra sales demo.

When your crew understands that communication isn’t overhead but a revenue driver, they stop viewing it as a chore and start treating it like the strategic advantage it actually is.

The breakthrough happened when our sales team noticed prospects asking fewer skeptical questions because our existing clients were already broadcasting updates.

That social proof cut our demo-to-close time and boosted our close rate to 30% weekly.

Now the team protects update time like it’s sacred.

Monthly Updates Drive Revenue, Not Busywork

Joseph Castranova
Founder & CEO, Resting Rainbow

I run a pet cremation company with 11 locations, and the pushback I see most is around our 24/7 availability requirement.

When we built this model after losing three family pets, I knew families needed us at 2 AM on Christmas–not business hours–but staff initially hated the unpredictability.

The turning point was letting our Tampa franchise owners, the Bakers, redesign their own rotation system.

Instead of forcing a corporate schedule, they created a local on-call structure that fit their team’s lives.

Their location now has our lowest turnover and highest Google reviews because the team felt ownership over the solution.

What worked was transparency about the stakes.

I showed everyone our turnaround data: families who reach us within 2 hours of their pet passing are 3x more likely to choose private cremation and leave positive reviews.

When your German Shepherd dies at home on a Saturday night, you’re not waiting until Monday–and neither should our response time.

Now our 24/7 policy is a recruitment advantage.

New hires see it as purpose-driven work, not punishment, because we tied the inconvenience directly to the impact: giving families dignity in their worst moment instead of making them wait with their deceased pet for days.

Local Shift Redesign Cuts Turnover Fast

Mitch Johnson
CEO, Prolink IT Services

I’ve been managing IT teams at ProLink for over 20 years, and the policy that gets the most consistent pushback is mandatory cybersecurity training and phishing simulation tests. Employees hate feeling tested or “caught” by fake phishing emails we send internally.

The resistance comes from embarrassment–nobody wants to be the person who clicked the wrong link in front of their coworkers.

When we first rolled this out, I had staff complaining it felt like a “gotcha” game rather than actual security.

One accounting team member even said she felt “set up to fail” after clicking a simulated phishing email that looked exactly like our payroll system.

I fixed this by making failures anonymous and reframing the whole thing around business survival, not individual performance.

I showed our team real breach data–we had a client lose 4 hours of productivity company-wide (that’s $5,600/minute in downtime) because one employee clicked a malicious attachment.

When people see that their click could shut down the entire business and cost everyone their job, suddenly a 10-minute training feels like cheap insurance.

The key was removing shame from the equation.

We stopped announcing who failed simulations and started celebrating when click rates dropped month-over-month as a team win.

Once it became “us versus hackers” instead of “management testing employees,” participation went from 60% to 94% in three months.

Anonymize Training, Unite Team vs Hackers

Dr. Cheryl Twu
OB-GYN, Wellness OBGYN

I’m an OBGYN running a private practice, not an HR professional, but I face constant pushback on one policy that mirrors what many employers deal with: our 24-hour cancellation requirement.

Patients hate being told they can’t cancel same-day without a fee, especially when they’re genuinely sick or dealing with childcare emergencies.

What changed everything was transparency about the real impact.

I started explaining during first visits that when someone cancels last-minute, another patient who desperately needs that slot–sometimes waiting weeks for fertility concerns or abnormal bleeding–loses out.

I share that we keep a waitlist specifically to fill those gaps, so giving us notice means we can help someone else that same day.

The resistance dropped dramatically once patients understood they weren’t just inconveniencing me, but other women in their community.

We now have about 89% compliance with our cancellation policy versus maybe 60% before. I also built in flexibility–if you’re genuinely in the ER or have a fever, we waive it with documentation, which shows we’re reasonable humans.

The lesson translates everywhere: replace “because it’s the rule” with “here’s who benefits when you follow this.”

People resist arbitrary control but will cooperate when they see themselves as part of a functioning system that serves everyone fairly.

Fees Help Patients, Compliance Soars

Doug Lindqvist
General Manager, Pinnacle Signage

I manufacture safety signage, so I see this play out differently–the pushback comes before the policy even exists.

Businesses resist implementing proper signage requirements because they see it as bureaucratic box-ticking. Then someone gets hurt in an unmarked area, and suddenly it’s urgent.

The pattern I’ve noticed across mining, construction, and agriculture clients is that resistance drops when you show them the near-miss reports from their own sites.

One distributor I work with in outback Queensland started tracking incidents in areas without proper wayfinding–turned out 60% of their “minor” workplace injuries happened in zones where employees genuinely didn’t know they needed PPE or where restricted areas began.

When site managers saw that data pulled from their own logbooks, the conversation shifted from “do we really need more signs” to “can you get these here by Thursday.”

I’ve found the fastest way to kill resistance is to do a site walk with the person pushing back and just ask questions.

“Where would a new employee think they’re allowed to go here?” or “If someone’s rushing to meet a deadline, what’s the shortcut they’d take?” When they talk through their own space, they spot the gaps themselves.

Then it’s not me selling them on compliance–it’s them solving a problem they just realized they had.

Site Walks Turn Resistance Into Solutions

Mahir Iskender
Founder, KNDR

I’ve scaled multiple organizations and the policy that consistently gets the hardest pushback is mandatory documentation of processes.

When I implemented documentation requirements at my companies, especially at Rabalon, team members saw it as bureaucratic overhead that slowed down their actual work.

I fixed this by tying it directly to their autonomy. I told the team: document your process once, and you’ll never have to answer the same question twice.

At KNDR, one of our strategists spent 90 minutes creating a donor segmentation workflow doc–within three weeks, she had freed up 6 hours per week because junior team members could self-serve instead of interrupting her.

The resistance vanished when I made it transactional: every undocumented process meant they’d be on-call for questions indefinitely.

I framed it as “document it now and own your calendar, or stay in constant interrupt mode forever.”

Once people realized documentation was buying back their time rather than consuming it, adoption went from 20% to nearly complete within a month.

Documentation Buys Back Your Calendar

Amber Pirog
Owner, Oriole Basement Waterproofing

I run a 70-year-old family waterproofing and foundation repair company in Maryland, so I’ve had to steer policy resistance across both field crews and office staff in a traditional trades business.

The biggest pushback I get is around mandatory post-job photo documentation and customer follow-up calls.

Our technicians hated it at first–they saw it as paperwork that kept them from the next job and cut into their productivity.
Guys who’d been waterproofing basements for 20+ years felt like we didn’t trust their work.

I fixed it by showing them our BBB complaint data before and after we implemented the policy.

Complaints dropped 67% in eight months, and we won our third straight Angi Super Service Award.

More importantly, I started sharing Google reviews in our weekly huddles where customers specifically praised individual techs by name–suddenly those same resistant crew members were asking me to make sure their photos looked good before sending.

The trick in a trade business is proving the policy protects their reputation, not questions it.

When my foundation crew chief saw a photo he took get printed in a case study that landed us a $40K commercial contract, he became the biggest enforcer of the documentation policy on his team.

Photos Protect Reputation, Crew Enforces

Usama Chaudhry
CEO & Founder, Primus Workforce Ltd

The remote work policy, especially when requiring employees to return to the office, often sparks the most resistance. After enjoying flexibility, many see this change as a setback to work-life balance.

To ease pushback, focus on transparency and empathy:

Communicate openly: Listen to employees’ concerns and explain the reasons behind the change.

Offer flexibility: Where possible, adopt hybrid or occasional remote work options.

Reframe the policy: Position it as a move toward collaboration and stronger team culture, not just a mandate.

Pilot first: Test the policy, gather feedback, and adjust accordingly.

The key to success is blending company needs with employee well-being, and showing that flexibility, within reason, is still part of the company culture.

Empathy + Flexibility Eases Office Return

Lynnette Zipp
VP of Strategic HR & Consultant, Clearwater Analytics

The policy employees push back on most is definitely return to office.

In a highly digital work world, employees continually argue on the value of being in the office while they are sitting behind a computer screen attending Zoom meetings.

One way I recommend that companies minimize this is by encouraging structured in-office days. For example, many companies require two to three days in the office and leave it up to the team to decide which days employees must come in.

I think this is a flawed approach and recommend structured clear guardrails for the teams, such as everyone required to be in office Tuesday – Thursday.

This maximizes the in-person time, allowing time for organic bonding, and building the human-to-human sense of belonging.

If an employee feels out on an island by themselves, find them an in-office buddy.

Time and time again, we know that personal connections strengthen the workplace bond and increase employee engagement and retention.

Fixed Office Days Build Belonging

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

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Responsible AI in Hiring: Raising the Bar Without Losing the Human

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February 19, 2026

Responsible AI in Hiring: Raising the Bar Without Losing the Human

By Anat Keidar, Chief People Officer at DoorLoop

Artificial intelligence is transforming how companies hire. From resume screening to structured evaluations, AI promises efficiency, scalability, and even fairness. But alongside its rise, candidate skepticism is growing — especially around one critical concern: Can an algorithm truly make an unbiased decision about a human being?

Hiring isn’t just a process. It’s a responsibility and the conversation shouldn’t be framed as “AI versus humans.” The real question is: How do we use innovation to raise the bar without lowering trust?

  • Raising the Bar Means Raising Accountability

One of our core values at DoorLoop is Raising the Bar. In hiring, that means building structured, measurable, performance-driven systems. It also means holding ourselves accountable for every decision we make.

AI can help us raise the bar but only if we use it intentionally.

We use AI to enhance clarity and efficiency. It helps support screening at scale, surface relevant information faster, and create more consistency in early-stage evaluations. But we do not outsource judgment. No hiring decision is made without human review.

Why? Because Extreme Ownership is one of our values. And ownership cannot be delegated to software.

Technology can assist. Responsibility remains human.

  • Keeping People at the Center

Hiring is deeply personal. For candidates, it represents opportunity, identity, and growth. Regardless of the tools we use, the human experience must remain central.

There is a growing expectation that companies think carefully about how AI influences decisions. In my view, the goal is not to position AI as perfectly unbiased. No system, human or technological, is immune to bias.

The real standard is thoughtfulness.

Organizations should ensure meaningful human oversight, continuously evaluate outcomes, and make sure their processes align with their values.

Innovation without accountability creates risk. Innovation with discipline builds trust.

  • Do Great Things With Great People

For organizations to do great things, they need great people. Performance matters deeply — but so does the team. Hiring is not only about capability. It is also about cultural contribution. In every hiring process, we ask ourselves two simple but powerful questions.

First, what we call the “airport test”:

If I were stuck in an airport at 3 a.m. with this person, would I feel energized having that conversation?

Second, we ask:

Is this a clear yes?

If the answer isn’t a confident yes,  if it’s hesitation, rationalization, or probably — we pause. Protecting the bar requires conviction.

This isn’t about hiring friends. It’s about hiring people who elevate the room, individuals who bring ownership, curiosity, integrity, and positive intensity into the organization.

We look for people who challenge respectfully, take responsibility, support others, and genuinely care about winning together.

AI can help us evaluate data. But cultural contribution, character, and conviction still require human judgment.

  • Lead With Innovation — Not Automation

Another one of our core values is Lead with Innovation. For us, innovation isn’t about adopting every emerging tool. It’s about applying technology in ways that improve outcomes while preserving responsibility.

AI in hiring exists on a spectrum, from basic automation like scheduling to more advanced data-driven insights. The further along that spectrum you go, the more important governance becomes.

That means:

  • Clear internal clarity on how tools are used
  • Ongoing review of outcomes
  • Willingness to adjust when unintended consequences appear

Responsible innovation requires active leadership.

When guided by strong values, AI can help reduce noise, improve consistency, and strengthen the rigor of our decisions. But it must remain a tool, not the decision-maker.

  • Let’s Win It , Together

Ultimately, hiring is about building teams that win. Winning sustainably requires rigor, ownership, and values that guide decision-making, especially when technology evolves faster than regulation.

Organizations need to leverage AI to increase clarity and consistency while keeping people at the center of the process.

The future of hiring is not human or AI. It is human-led, AI-supported guided by values strong enough to lead both.

About the Author

Anat Keidar is the Chief People Officer at DoorLoop with over a decade of HR experience building high-impact teams and cultures, grounded in the belief that people are an organization’s most valuable asset. A trusted advisor to founders, managers, and employees, she is passionate about helping individuals lead in their own way, fostering openness, autonomy, feedback, and growth—especially when navigating the unfamiliar.

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Triumphs in Talent: Executives Reveal Their Proudest 2025 Milestones

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Triumphs in Talent: Executives Reveal Their Proudest 2025 Milestones

What if the HR triumph that elevated your year wasn’t a viral perk, but a subtle pivot fostering deeper trust, sharper skills, and unbreakable bonds? 

In 2025’s demanding talent landscape, leaders discovered that blending empathy with innovation—through AI-assisted hiring, personalized growth paths, and authentic recognition—didn’t merely retain staff; it ignited performance in ways that reshaped entire cultures. 

These victories stemmed from attuned choices, proving that investing in human potential yields exponential returns beyond metrics.

HR Spotlight convened CEOs, directors, and officers to recount their pinnacle moments: from zero-turnover feats via flexible scheduling to morale surges through real-time coaching, and global engines hiring 100 stars. 

Their insights spotlight efforts like competency frameworks, quarterly one-on-ones, and community-driven mentoring that turned fragmented teams into unified forces. 

Intrigued by how promoting internal pathways or embracing data-driven resets could redefine your dynamics? 

These compelling narratives demonstrate that the strongest wins prioritize clarity and connection. 

Discover the strategies fueling thriving workplaces on HR Spotlight.

Read on!

JZ Tay
Founder, WFH Alert

The HR Win That Transformed My 2025

I believed my biggest HR win for 2025 was when I consolidated feedback from the online community into a well-honed quality system for evaluating work-from-home jobs.

I had to dismantle my vetting process entirely because everything suddenly became too much for the job hunters to process.

This transition alleviated some burnout among applicants, replacing it with clarity so they no longer wasted snows of time on roles with sheepish communication or shady expectations.

Initially, there were a lot of positives from these job ads: they were attracting more appropriate applicants who were more motivated in respect to the job.

This win, due to my focus on identifying recurring patterns, made me rethink and strategize deeply.

Reports from a lightweight feedback loop were also introduced to aid candidates in pointing out compliance and responsibility in the hiring execution.

So with the year 2026, my eyes are set on scaling the system to help job seekers feel more supported and more confident while applying for any job.

Community Feedback Builds Quality Job Pipeline

Stefan Stojanovic
Director of Recruitment, Digital Silk

I believe that the best thing we did this year was to make our hiring process a truly strategic, data-driven talent engine that will help Digital Silk grow better over time.

By unifying competency frameworks and implementing formal evaluations, we made hiring faster and better.

We also invested in improving the applicant experience and internal mobility to strengthen our brand and cut down on attrition.

The most important thing was leading by example; we wanted to empower departments to make fact-based recruiting decisions by communicating their needs openly and adopting consistent hiring practices.

This shift produced our most efficient and high-performing hiring year to date.

Data-Driven Hiring Fuels Scalable Growth

Michael Goble
HR Consultant, Thehrconsultant 

Starting my own firm wasn’t a leap away from corporate life—it was a step toward purpose. 

I wanted to bring big-company experience to small and mid-sized organizations that often need it the most but couldn’t afford a full time HR professional. 

I have connected with community and business leaders and the one thing we all have in common is that we need people to accomplish our goals.  

Purpose-Driven Consulting Empowers Small Businesses

Chris M. Walker
CEO, Legiit

In 2025 my biggest HR win was integrating AI into recruitment and employee support while keeping empathy at the center.

We deployed AI screening to manage thousands of applications, cutting time to hire by 40 percent.

The key decision was ensuring human oversight remained part of the process.

Recruiters reviewed AI flagged candidates to confirm cultural fit and long term potential.

At the same time we introduced AI assistants to handle routine HR queries, which freed managers to focus on mentorship and career development.

The result was higher employee satisfaction scores and a stronger pipeline of talent.

This effort showed that technology can enhance HR when balanced with judgment and compassion.

For 2026 we are expanding into predictive analytics to anticipate retention risks and growth opportunities.

AI Screening Cuts Hire Time 40%

Paulina Roszczak-Sliwa
People & Culture Director, eSky Group

In 2024, eSky Group began a post-merger integration with Thomas Cook, bringing together two companies with long histories, distinct cultures, and different age structures.

In 2025 our biggest HR win was successfully navigating this integration while transitioning technology to our platform.

Aware of our differences, we focused on what unites our people. In traveltech, meritocracy is our anchor – talent, skills, and real impact matter most.

Multigenerational teams allow us to blend deep travel expertise with a tech-savvy mindset, strengthening our competitive edge.

When designing development programs, we combine short online formats with classic in-class training to meet the needs of all generations.

Flexibility is equally important: our remote-first model empowers teams to choose when online or in-person collaboration works best.

Finally, we ensure technology supports everyone by choosing intuitive tools and offering broad learning resources, from basic digital skills to advanced topics like AI, now central to our business.

Meritocracy Unites Multigenerational Teams

Christopher Pappas
Founder, eLearningIndustry

We recorded our biggest HR win in 2025 by promoting inclusive decision-making.

We invited more team members to join early discussions and this created a deeper sense of ownership.

We saw this in action when a strategist helped shape a major project after sharing ideas during an early planning session.

We learned that widening the room early gives people the freedom to contribute with confidence.

We supported this shift by sharing transparent meeting notes for every project.

We kept everyone informed and this helped teams stay aligned without confusion.

We noticed a clear rise in proactive leadership behaviors among employees.

We believe this happened because employees felt seen and trusted which strengthened their commitment to shared goals across the organization.

Inclusive Decisions Spark Proactive Leadership

Erwin Gutenkust
CEO, Neolithic Materials

The most meaningful HR win this year came from restructuring teams so every craftsperson operated strictly within their highest-value skill set, a move that defied the popular push toward extreme cross-functional blending.

In our world as a Natural Stone Supplier, precision matters more than multitasking.

When we reassigned a senior mason back to heritage-stone restoration instead of general installation, project efficiency jumped by 30% and rework dropped to nearly zero.

That single adjustment accelerated timelines on multiple custom builds and elevated morale across the shop.

The lesson: specialization isn’t old-fashioned; it’s the most reliable way to create mastery, accountability, and meaningful craftsmanship.

Specialization Sparks Mastery and Morale

Gregory Shein
CEO, Nomadic Soft

Our biggest HR win in 2025 at Nomadic Soft came from giving developers true autonomy and flexibility.

We realized that rigid workflows were stifling innovation and hurting retention, so we implemented a system where teams could choose their own sprints and tools within a clear strategic framework.

This approach was inspired by insights from our blog, highlighting that autonomy is now one of the top drivers of job satisfaction in tech.

The result? Employee engagement surged 35% in six months, and product delivery timelines improved while burnout rates dropped.

Looking ahead to 2026, we are doubling down on flexible work design and personalized growth paths, ensuring our SaaS teams feel trusted and empowered.

This isn’t just a perk; it’s a strategic lever that drives both culture and business outcomes.

Autonomy Boosts Engagement 35%

Pankaj Kumar
Founder, Naxisweb

The biggest HR win I registered in 2025 was the formation of a high-performing, retention-centric workforce as a result of the implementation of a structured Growth & Ownership Framework at Naxisweb.

With our clientele multiplying, the focus was on strengthening our core values of accountability and innovative thinking.
I was tasked with redefining job descriptions, instituting an element of transparency with the introduction of the OKR system for performance metrics, and forming custom paving for each team member.

This not only instilled a sense of productivity but also a sense of reduction in attrition levels by empowering employees to take the lead on their work and their destinies.

Furthermore, our flexible work arrangement, which married remote work autonomy with pre-scheduled collaboration days, enhanced morale considerably.

This, on the whole, transformed our HR and entrepreneurial ecosystem and a positive impact was felt as the construction of a motivated team for the future was realized.

Ownership Framework Slashes Attrition

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

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5 Ways to Manage Your Team Like an Olympic Coach

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February 10, 2026

5 Ways to Manage Your Team Like an Olympic Coach

By Ashley Herd, Leadership Speaker and Podcast Host

Every two years when the Olympics roll around, we all become experts in sports we may not have even tried ourselves (though curling does make a surprisingly fun team outing). We’ll yell to the slalom racer on TV, “You should’ve taken that turn tighter!” even though we wouldn’t want that same racer showing up on Monday morning to give us play-by-play feedback in the office.

But Olympic athletes don’t succeed because of random commentary from the sidelines. They succeed because of consistent coaching, years of preparation, and the kind of feedback that’s based on trust. Those breakthrough moments aren’t luck; they’re the result of practice, support, and someone helping them get better over time.

This is where HR comes in. One of the most valuable things HR can do is help managers move from “sideline commentary” to real coaching, with practical tools for feedback, trust, and development. If you want to empower your managers to set their team members up for their own “gold medal” moments, here are five tips to share:

  • 1. Train for the real event, not the imaginary one

Olympic coaches don’t prepare athletes for vague success. They train for the exact conditions of competition.

Managers sometimes do the opposite. We tell employees, “Do your best,” and “Be successful,” but we don’t clarify what success actually looks like. Or we assume people know what the finish line is, because we can see it.

Olympic-level management means being specific:

  •       What does a great outcome look like?
  •       What’s expected of them, and what will they receive from others?
  •       How will you each measure it along the way?

Teams can’t hit a target that hasn’t been clearly, and specifically, communicated.

  • 2. Give feedback constantly, not just at the “big review”

No Olympic coach waits until the gold medal round to say, “By the way, your form was off.”

Feedback happens in real time. It’s part of the process. If managers are only talking about performance at review time, this can be a training gap, not necessarily a motivation problem. The strongest leaders build a culture where feedback sounds more like coaching than criticism:

  •       “This was great. Keep doing that.”
  •       “Here’s one tweak that could help.”
  •       “Let’s look at that together.”

Consistent, constructive feedback makes it feel supportive, not stressful.

  • 3. Push people, but don’t break them

Olympic coaches absolutely challenge their athletes. They stretch them, and raise the bar. But the best coaches also know the difference between growth and burnout. They support, and require, recovery. They notice when someone can do more, but also when they need a break. They understand that performance isn’t just about effort. It’s about sustainable effort.

Managers need that same awareness. If your team is always sprinting, they’ll eventually stop running. A good question to ask your team is “How can we make sure you’re able to balance getting your work done and taking time to recharge?”

That check-in can prevent a lot of breakdowns later.

  • 4. Build trust before the pressure hits

When an athlete steps onto the world stage, they’re not wondering if their coach believes in them. That trust was built long before the spotlight.

In workplaces, trust works the same way. You can’t wait until the big moments to try to build it. It comes from showing up regularly, following through, and communicating clearly day to day.

Trust isn’t extra. It’s what makes everything else work.

  • 5. Remember: the goal is development, not perfection

Olympic athletes are chasing excellence, which means no one’s perfect on Day One. They get there through repetition, learning from mistakes and adjusting along the way.

Managers sometimes forget that work is developmental, too. If someone isn’t getting it, the question isn’t always, “Why can’t they do this?” It’s often: “How can they learn and grow?”

A manager’s job isn’t to lead a team of flawless performers. It’s to lead real humans who are learning, trying, growing, and doing it all over again.

  • Takeaway

A team member’s presentation next week might not come with medal chances, but it can still feel like they’re on the world stage. That’s where good coaching matters. Managers can use these tips to help people not only understand what’s expected, but feel supported in how they’ll succeed. And HR can play a role in making that kind of leadership the norm.

About the Author

Ashley Herd is a former Chief People Officer and General Counsel , leadership speaker, and podcast host who has trained over 250,000 managers through LinkedIn Learning and live corporate trainings. Ashley has spent her career helping professionals navigate leadership challenges with clarity and confidence. Ashley built Manager Method after leading HR and Legal teams at McKinsey, Yum! Brands and Modern Luxury. She’s a top LinkedIn Learning instructor and co-host of the HR Besties podcast. As the CEO of Manager Method, Ashley works with organizations of all sizes to equip their managers with practical, proven tools that drive clarity, accountability and stronger teams – because better managers build better workplaces.

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The Future of HR: Key Workplace Trends and What They Mean for 2026

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February 10, 2026

The Future of HR: Key Workplace Trends and What They Mean for 2026

By Quentin Varaldi, Chief Executive Officer, Unstoyppable

As organizations enter 2026, the Human Resources (HR) function is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. With advances in artificial intelligence (AI), changing workforce expectations, tightening labor markets, and evolving workplace models — HR leaders must adapt quickly. Today’s top trends aren’t just incremental improvements; they represent structural shifts in how organizations attract, develop, manage, and retain talent.

Below, we explore the most impactful trends shaping HR right now, drawing from recent industry research, surveys, and expert analysis.

  • 1. Artificial Intelligence Is Embedded Across HR Functions

Perhaps the biggest trend reshaping HR in 2026 is the integration of AI into virtually every HR process — from recruiting and performance management to employee experience and self-service tools. According to recent talent trend research, 43% of organizations now use AI in HR tasks, up from just 26% in 2024 — and adoption is highest among publicly traded companies.

AI is not just about automation — it’s driving strategic value. For example:

  • AI-powered candidate screening systems can rank applicants and predict likelihood of success.
  • Chatbots and virtual assistants handle routine HR questions about benefits, policies, and workflows.
  • Predictive analytics can identify employees at risk of disengagement or turnover before it happens.

Interestingly, surveys show employees are increasingly comfortable using AI for HR support, but trust remains a challenge — as some workers express skepticism about accuracy and transparency.

This underscores that AI must be implemented responsibly, with user transparency and human oversight to preserve trust and fairness.

  • 2. Skills-Based Hiring and Workforce Optimization

Gone are the days when job roles were defined strictly by rigid titles. In 2025, skills-based hiring is rapidly replacing traditional job descriptions. Rather than searching for perfect role matches, organizations are identifying needed skills first and then finding people who possess them.

This trend reflects two fundamental shifts:

  1. Businesses are struggling to fill roles — and competition for top talent remains intense. Surveys show that 69% of organizations still find hiring difficult, mirroring challenges not seen since 2016.

  2. Rapid technological change — particularly AI — is creating new skills requirements again and again, meaning current employees must evolve alongside shifting expectations.

In response, HR leaders are:

  • Conducting skills inventories to understand internal capabilities.
  • Designing personalized learning and development (L&D) pathways.
  • Shifting to skills-based performance frameworks rather than rigid competency models.

This helps ensure that workers aren’t just hired — they’re continuously developed, agile, and prepared for future roles.

  • 3. Remote/Hybrid Work Is Mainstream — but Challenges Remain

Remote and hybrid work models are no longer temporary or experimental — they are standard operating models for many organizations. According to workforce trend research, companies are formalizing these models and integrating them into long-term talent strategies.

With remote and hybrid models, HR faces new priorities:

  • Ensuring connection and engagement across distributed teams.
  • Bridging compliance and payroll differences across geographies.
  • Supporting well-being and work-life balance in decentralized work environments.

What’s more, a new labor phenomenon called “job hugging” is emerging — employees remain in roles despite limited advancement or engagement, often due to economic uncertainty. This trend is slowing turnover and affecting internal mobility, challenging HR to rethink engagement and career development in this environment.

  • 4. Employee Experience and Well-Being Are Strategic Priorities

HR is increasingly recognized as the steward of the employee experience — not just paperwork. Organizations are elevating well-being, engagement, and personalized experiences from “nice-to-have” to core strategic priorities.

Key areas of focus include:

  • Mental health initiatives and stress management programs.
  • Continuous feedback models that replace annual reviews with real-time performance insights.
  • Recognition programs that foster inclusion and affirmation across all levels of the workforce.

HR leaders know that engagement isn’t just feel-good — it directly influences retention and productivity. When employees feel heard, valued, and supported, they are more likely to contribute meaningfully to organizational goals.

  • 5. Data-Driven HR: Analytics Everywhere

With so much employee data available, HR teams are using analytics to make smarter decisions:

  • Predictive models identify flight risk — employees likely to leave soon.
  • Workforce planning models simulate future hiring needs based on business forecasts.
  • Sentiment analysis tools measure engagement from communication patterns.

This shift reflects a broader trend: HR no longer reacts — it predicts. Advanced people analytics helps HR make proactive, strategic choices rather than operational or reactive ones.

  • 6. DEI Is Evolving, Not Fading

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remain essential components of HR strategy in 2025 — but the conversation is evolving beyond compliance and policies into measurable impact and accountability.

Key developments include:

  • AI tools being designed to reduce bias in hiring and performance decisions.
  • Inclusion efforts shifting toward everyday, embedded practices rather than annual campaigns.
  • A growing emphasis on belonging — not just diversity — to strengthen retention.

Though DEI faces political and regulatory headwinds in some regions, HR professionals are doubling down on thoughtful, values-based inclusion strategies to reinforce fairness and belonging.

  • 7. HR and IT Collaboration Is Deepening

With the proliferation of digital tools — from AI platforms to cloud-based HR systems — HR is working more closely with IT than ever before. In fact, surveys indicate that a majority of IT leaders expect HR and IT functions to fully merge within five years.

This collaboration extends across:

  • Governance of data, platforms, and systems.
  • Deployment of secure, compliant AI tools.
  • Seamless HR-IT support infrastructure for employees.

The result? HR teams with stronger technical fluency, and IT teams better aligned to people strategy — a combination that accelerates innovation and helps mitigate risk.

  • 8. Leadership, Resilience, and Human Skills Are Critical

Despite all technological change, one constant remains: workplaces are human at their core. HR leaders are placing greater emphasis on:

  • Building resilient leadership capable of guiding teams through uncertainty.
  • Prioritizing emotional intelligence and connection.
  • Encouraging managers to play a central role in employee engagement and culture.

In other words, HR is balancing tech with humanity — understanding that while automation can enhance efficiency, human connection drives trust and fulfillment.

  • Conclusion — The HR Profession at a Strategic Inflection Point

The HR function is no longer back-office support. It has become a strategic driver of organizational success. In 2025 and heading into 2026:

  • AI and automation are transforming how HR operates and decisions are made.
  • Skills-based hiring and development are replacing outdated models.
  • Remote work requires new ways of managing engagement and culture.
  • Employee experience and well-being are top priorities.
  • Data analytics informs strategy and forecasting.
  • DEI, resilience, and human-centered leadership guide people practices.

These trends reflect a broader reality: HR must be both a technologist and a humanist — embracing innovation while maintaining empathy, fairness, and connection in the workforce. For HR teams that succeed, the future holds opportunities to influence business performance, elevate employee experience, and shape the world of work in profound ways.

About the Author

Quentin Varaldi is the Chief Executive Officer of Unstoyppable, a premier licensed product manufacturing partner based in Guangzhou, China. He leads a company that specializes in transforming intellectual property into high-quality consumer products by providing OEM and turnkey production solutions — from engineering, prototyping, and precision tooling to global fulfillment and retail readiness. Unstoyppable’s certified manufacturing systems uphold Disney FAMA, BSCI, and international safety standards, ensuring rigorous IP protection and ethical production practices. Under Quentin’s leadership, the company has built enduring partnerships with entertainment brands and media licensors, delivering compliant, market-ready merchandise worldwide and reinforcing Unstoyppable’s reputation for reliability and operational excellence.

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