Many HR leaders spent the past few weeks in strategic planning sessions, finalizing budgets and staffing levels for the year ahead. While those operational details matter, your responsibilities extend far beyond spreadsheets and headcount projections. You're responsible for building a workplace where people can thrive amid unprecedented change.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how work gets done, compliance requirements are multiplying across jurisdictions, and employee wellbeing has become a strategic imperative rather than a nice-to-have. According to Wellhub's 2025 State of Work-Life Wellness Report, 88% of employees now consider wellbeing support as important as their salary, and 83% would leave their employer due to a lack of wellbeing focus. The question isn't whether you'll address these challenges, but how prepared you are to succeed.
8 questions to ask ahead of the new year
Nobody can predict every challenge the year will bring. But you can gauge your readiness by asking these eight questions now:
1. What did you learn last year?
Before moving forward, take time to understand what worked (and what didn't) in 2025. Your human capital strategy delivered certain results, some expected, some surprising. The data you gather now will shape smarter decisions ahead.
This reflection goes beyond reviewing metrics. Talk to the people who experienced your HR initiatives firsthand. What did senior leaders observe about team dynamics? Which programs resonated with employees? Where did you have the most impact?
To-do checklist items:
- Gather the HR team for a year-in-review session focused on results, not just activities
- Request candid feedback from senior stakeholders about HR's strategic impact
- Use anonymous surveys to capture employee experiences with HR programs and policies
2. Are employees managing unprecedented workplace stress?
Work-related stress has become the leading driver of declining mental health across all employee demographics. Around 47% of employees identify work stress as the primary cause of deteriorating mental health, surpassing concerns about inflation or economic uncertainty.
The financial impact is staggering. Companies lose an estimated $322 billion annually to burnout-driven turnover and lost productivity. Meanwhile, only 59% of employees rate their employer's benefits program as excellent or good. Your role is to close this gap by understanding what your people need and ensuring leaders have the tools to provide meaningful support.
To-do checklist items:
- Conduct pulse surveys specifically focused on stress indicators and burnout symptoms
- Provide manager training on recognizing early signs of employee distress
- Review structural issues contributing to stress, such as understaffing or unclear priorities
3. Does your total rewards strategy reflect how people actually work?
The needs of employees evolve as their lives and work change. A benefits package that attracted talent two years ago may not address what matters most today. For example, weight management benefits saw 109% growth in employer investment between 2023 and 2025, while 86% of benefits brokers report clients are investing more in mental health solutions.
Your competitors are paying attention to these shifts. If you're not regularly assessing whether your total rewards align with employee needs, you're likely losing ground in the talent market.
To-do checklist items:
- Analyze benefits enrollment data and usage patterns to identify gaps
- Survey employees about which benefits they value most (and which they'd trade for something else)
- Ensure benefits communication reaches employees in clear, accessible language
4. Are you prepared for AI's impact across your organization?
Helios HR's recent study on AI adoption paints a mixed picture: only 41% of HR teams keep up with AI usage in other departments, while 30% say they don't use AI at all. Our research also found that HR can be an important partner in AI success. Within organizations making progress with AI, 72% say HR is ahead of the curve with the new technology.
The challenge extends beyond HR's own tools. CNBC's survey of HR leaders found that AI will impact 89% of jobs in 2026. Employees need training on new tools, managers need guidance on leading hybrid human-AI teams, and leadership needs strategic input on workforce implications. Meanwhile, new AI regulations in states like Colorado and Illinois are set to take effect in 2026, requiring ethical oversight of AI in employment decisions.
To-do checklist items:
- Partner with IT leaders to understand planned technology rollouts and how AI will affect different roles
- Update compliance training to address AI governance and ethical use requirements
- Assess how AI tools could enhance HR's own effectiveness in areas like recruiting, onboarding, and employee development
5. Have you shifted to skills-based talent development?
Traditional career pathing is giving way to skills-based workforce planning. Organizations are using data and technology to identify key competencies and strategically redesign roles. In hiring, leaders are taking a more skills-focused approach to align talent with business needs as AI transforms the workplace.
This shift empowers employees to advocate for their own career development while giving you the flexibility to build a future-ready workforce. When people can see clear paths to develop valuable skills, they're more likely to stay and grow with your organization.
To-do checklist items:
- Gather employee feedback on current learning and development delivery methods and accessibility
- Work with business leaders to identify critical skills gaps that could hinder strategic goals
- Develop an upskilling framework that connects individual growth to organizational needs
6. Can you navigate the new compliance landscape?
The regulatory environment for HR is more complex than ever. Pay transparency laws continue expanding across states, creating new disclosure requirements. Multi-state employers face mounting challenges tracking overtime rules and paid leave policies that vary by jurisdiction. Compliance trends analysis shows an increased focus on AI governance. These are just some of the challenges that lie ahead.
The stakes are high. Compliance failures don't just result in fines; they damage your employer brand and erode employee trust. Right now, the most important thing is having systems in place to monitor changes and respond quickly.
To-do checklist items:
- Subscribe to compliance updates for all jurisdictions where you have employees
- Verify year-end paperwork meets current requirements
- Consider partnering with HR compliance experts if internal resources are stretched thin
7. Is your workplace culture aligned with current realities?
Organizational culture has undergone massive shifts in recent years. Hybrid work arrangements, once considered temporary, have become permanent for most organizations. Return-to-office policies are triggering increased accommodation requests, adding complexity to culture management. DEI programs face renewed scrutiny, requiring thoughtful reassessment to maintain inclusive workplaces while navigating evolving regulations.
These aren't isolated challenges; they're interconnected aspects of your workplace culture. The question is whether your culture still reflects your stated values and supports your strategic objectives.
To-do checklist items:
- Use engagement surveys to measure the current state of your workplace culture
- Assess how culture affects your employer brand in competitive talent markets
- Align cultural initiatives with business goals through strategic HR planning
8. Are you making time to recharge?
You've spent 2025 encouraging your team to prioritize self-care and manage stress. Those same principles apply to you. HR leaders face extraordinary demands: strategic advisor, compliance guardian, culture architect, employee advocate. The role requires stamina that's impossible to maintain without intentional recovery.
Take stock of your team's wins from 2025. Celebrate what you've accomplished before diving into next year's challenges. The planning and execution ahead will demand your best thinking, and that requires starting from a place of rest rather than depletion.
To-do checklist items:
- Acknowledge everyone who has contibuted to the successes of the previous years
- Enjoy the holidays!
Building your 2026 HR strategy
Success in 2026 requires more than checking off compliance requirements or deploying the latest HR technology. It demands a comprehensive approach that balances technological innovation with human connection, strategic foresight with operational excellence, and ambitious goals with realistic resource constraints.
The organizations that will thrive are those whose HR leaders can navigate complexity while keeping people at the center of every decision. You'll need to advocate for strategic investments, build coalitions across the C-suite, and translate business objectives into people strategies that drive results.
These eight questions aren't meant to create anxiety about the year ahead. They're designed to help you assess your readiness, identify gaps, and focus your energy where it matters most.
Need help developing your HR strategy for 2026? Helios HR can support you with:
- Strategic HR planning to align people initiatives with business objectives
- HR consulting to address specific challenges and opportunities
- Compliance and risk management to navigate complex regulations
- Employee engagement programs to build thriving workplace cultures
- AI consulting for HR to harness technology effectively
Book a call with a Helios HR consultant to discuss what should be on your HR strategy checklist for 2026.
