CHRO前瞻指南：2026九大未来工作趋势+9+Future+of+Work+Trends+for+2026

InsightsandstrategiesforincreasingHR’sinfluenceanddrivinggrowth

CHROGuide:9FutureofWorkTrendsfor2026

1

RIFsbeforereality

3

AI’sbiggesthidden

cost:Youremployees’mentalfitness

2

Organizationsface

culturedissonanceamidperformancepressure

Introduction

2026presentsacriticalopportunityforCHROstoshapethefutureofworkinthehuman-machineera.CurrentAIcapabilitiesarefallingfarshortoftheirpromise,while

CEOsandboardsaresimultaneouslysettingambitious

4

AI“workslop”becomesorganizations’top

productivitydrain

5

Employersreversethecandidatefraudarmsrace

6

Corporateespionagemovesfromthepagesoffictiontopayrolls

growthandinnovationtargets.ThisclashhasputCHROsinthedriver’sseatwithoutaroadmap.Regardlessof

whatthefutureholds,organizationsstillhavetooperatetoday,andCHROsmusthelptheirorganizationsnavigateatrickytransitionalperiod.

ThisguideprovidesCHROswiththeinsightstoact

ontheemergingdynamicsthatwillshapetheir

7

Tech-to-tradescareerpathsblossom

8

Processpros,not

techprodigies,unlockAIvalue

9

Employeesgetpaidfortrainingtheir“digital

doppelgangers”

organizations’trajectoryin2026andbeyond.FromtheculturalimplicationsofescalatedperformancepressuresinAl-drivenenvironmentstosecuringandengagingthenextgenerationofcriticaltalent,CHROswhoacton

thesetrendscanachievesuperiortalentoutcomesinthecomingyear,whilesettingtheirorganizationsupforresilienceandlong-termsuccess.

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1

Recommendedresources(clientsonly)

RIFsbeforereality

→What’sYourAILayoffStrategy?

→AIWon’tCauseaJobsApocalypse,but

ItWillUnleashJobChaos

CEOs,optimisticaboutAI’spotential,are

initiatingheadcount

reductionswithouttheAIproductivitygains

tosustainthem.But

prematurereductions

willforcecompaniestorehiretalentlater,likelyatahighercostandwithdamagedtrust.

1NBCNews

Theproblem

2025sawseverallarge,high-profilelayofs1thatCEOsattributedto

AI-driveneficiencyandproductivitygains.ButGartnerinsightsfindthatthemostcommonAIinvestments—generaluseenterprisewidetools—alonedonotresultinproductivity

gainswarrantingheadcount

reduction.So,manyCEOsare

expectingAIreturnsthatsimplywillnotcome.Thisdisconnectrisksthelossofcriticaltalentandfuture

challengesinrehiringtoptalent.

Theimpact

Despiteheadlines,only

1%of

layofsinthefirsthalfof2025

weretheresultofAIincreasing

employeeproductivity.

In2026,

CHROsmayfacepressureto

institutesimilarRIFsbeforeAIhasshownresults.CHROsmustbothnavigatethepainfulchoicesof

traditionalRIFsanddealwiththe

trustfalloutofreductionsbasedonpremisesthatultimatelydidnot

reflectreality.Ultimately,CHROs

mustdeliveranylayofsinahuman-centricwaythatpreservesthe

organization’semploymentbrand.

Theopportunity

ManageanyRIFswithempathyandtransparencytomaintainyouremploymentbrand.

GuidediscussionswiththeCEOandboardaroundAI’simpact

onthesizeandstructureoftheworkforce.

Leadtalentremixefortstorealignworkforcestructureswithnewstrategicgoals.

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→ResetYourCultureStrategytoStayRelevant

andDriveResults

Organizationsfaceculturedissonanceamidperformancepressure

In2025,someprominent

organizationsembraced

amorecompetitivecultureoflonghours2andminimalflexibility.3Butwhile

CEOsareimpatientfor

performancegains,cultureisactuallychanginginmoresubtleways.

2Fortune

3CNBC

Theproblem

Theriseofintenseworkstyleshasgrabbedheadlines,but

mostorganizationsarenotradicallyorintentionallychangingtheir

culture.Mostaresimplyexpecting

morefromemployeeswithout

oferingmoreinreturn.Operating

conditionsandworkrequirements

areoutpacingcultureasperformancepressuregrows.Thisisproducing

culturaldissonancethatcanleadtoplummetinglevelsofengagementanddegradedemploymentbrand,bothofwhichthreatenCEO’s

performanceambitions.

Theimpact

ThemostsuccessfulCHROs

willbethemostclearandexplicitabouthowtheirculturemust

evolveandwhatthatmeansfor

employees.Theywillbeforthright,bothinternallyandexternally,

aboutwhattheyexpectfrom

employeesinreturn.Culturecan—andshould—changetofitwork

today,butemployeesmustknowwhatthey’resigningupfor.

Theopportunity

Reviewculturestrategytoalignwithneworganizationalrealitiesandgoals.

Proactivelycommunicate

expectationsaroundoutput,hoursandflexibilitytoall

employees.

Evaluatetheimpactofemergingworktrendstounderstandhow

yourorganization’scultureshouldevolve.

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→GenAIandAgenticAIAreCreatingHuman-MachineRelationships—AreTheyHealthy?

→Prioritize“WellnessatWork”toMaximizeTalentImpactandImproveCostEfficiency

mentalfitness

AI’sbiggesthiddencost:

In2026,theemotionalandcognitiveimpactsofemployeeAIuse

willbecomeanurgentworkforceproblem.Organizationsare

notplanningfortheunintendedharmAItoolswillcreatein

someportionoftheirworkforce.

4MDPI

5PsychologyToday

Theproblem

Twoescalatingtrendsareona

collisioncourse:First,GenAI

adoptionhasreachednear-

ubiquity.

Eighty-fourpercentof

HRleaderssaytheirorganizations

arecurrentlyusingGenAItools.

Second,evidenceismountingofemotionalandcognitive

damagethatcanresultfrom

prolongedGenAIuse,from

cognitiveatrophy4toAI

psychosis.5Thiswillhave

performancecosts,aswellasleavingorganizationsvulnerabletolegalaction.

Theimpact

Organizationsarelargelyignoringtheseunintendedconsequences:

91%ofCIOsandITleaders

say

theirorganizationsdedicatelittletonotimescanningforbehavioralbyproductsofAIuse.CHROsnowhavealeadershipmandateinthisarea.PreservingtheresilienceandsafetyoftheworkforceintheAIeraisacoreHRresponsibility,notjusttopreservewell-beingbuttopreserveproductivity.

Theopportunity

Ensurethatmanagersand

leadersareequippedtospot

symptomsofdisorderedAIuse.

ProactivelyworkwithlegalandITtopreventandrespondto

AI-relatedpsychologicalinjury.

Reviewperformancereviewmetricstoensurethey

incentivizequality,notjustfrequency,ofAIuse.

Youremployees’

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→CaseStudy:EnableEffectiveAIUse

ThroughWork-BasedLearning

→CreateanIntegratedAIEnvironmentto

PositiontheWorkforceforGrowth

“AIworkslop”becomesorganizations’

Employersare

unintentionallyincentivizing“AIworkslop”:fastbut

poor-qualitywork,riddledwithhiddenerrorsand

hallucinations.IntryingtospeedemployeesupwithAI,organizationsareslowingworkdown.

6HarvardBusinessReview

Theproblem

Workslopistheresultof

employeesbeingpressured

toproducemorefaster,with

notimeorautonomytodiscerniftheirworkishigh-quality

orfitforpurpose.Thisisa

keyreasonwhyorganizations

struggletorealizevalue

from

AIinvestmentsandwhyAIisnotactuallyfreeingupemployee

timeinwaysthatleadtogrowth.

Theimpact

Eachincidenceofworksloptakesnearlytwohours6todetect,

diagnoseandfix(oftentakingupvaluablemanagertime).Andtherewardforfasterworkismore

work:Employeeswhosavetime

bybeingmoreproductiveare

3x

morelikely

togetassignedmorework.In2026,thebestCHROswillhelpleadtheirorganizationsout

ofthisworksloptrapbyfocusingonsavingemployees’efort,notjusttime.

Theopportunity

AimAIinvestmentsatthemostarduous,friction-filledmomentsinemployeework,ratherthan

quickwins.

Evaluateperformancemetricstoensuretheydonot

overemphasizespeedand

volumeofoutputoverquality.

Surveyemployeestounderstand

thesourcesandprevalenceof

workslopinyourorganization.

topproductivitydrain

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Recommendedresources(clientsonly)

→MitigateRisingCandidateFraudThrough

IdentityVerification

Employersreversethe

candidatefraudarmsrace

AIhasturnedhiringinto

anarmsrace:While

organizationsdeployAItostreamlinehiringanddetectfraud,candidatesuseAItoenhanceapplicationsandcircumventfrauddetection.

7Axios

Theproblem

AI-drivencandidatefraudis

underminingtheintegrityofthe

recruitmentprocess.JobseekersuseAItoinflatecompetenceandcredentials,whilerecruitersrelyonAItoscreenanoverwhelmingfloodofseeminglyqualifiedcandidates.Thisescalatingcyclemakesit

increasinglydificulttoidentify

genuinetalent,erodestrustinthehiringprocessforhigh-potentialcandidatesandleavesrecruitersfeelingoverwhelmed.

Theimpact

Eighty-fourpercentofrecruiters

reportgrapplingwithcandidate

fraud,fromresumeinflationtoNorthKoreandeepfakes.7

Thirteenpercent

ofjobseekers

reportusingGenAIinreal-timeduringaninterview.All

partiesarefeelingthisinauthenticity:

Only

halfofcandidates

thinkthejobsthey’reapplyingtoare

legitimate,andGartnerestimatesthatby2030,25%ofcandidateprofileswillbefake.

Theopportunity

Blendhigh-touchmethods,suchasin-personinterviews,withAItoolsforsafer,higher-qualityhiring.

Regularlyauditrecruitingworkflowstodetectfraudandmaintaintheintegrityofthecandidatepool.

Deployidentityverification(IDV)toolsearlyinthe

recruitmentprocessto

assessapplicantlegitimacy.

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CHROGuide:9FutureofWorkTrendsfor20267

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→StrongCybersecurityPartnershipsPreventAICatastrophe

→HowtoRespondtothe2025-2026

ThreatLandscape

toourpayrolls

Corporateespionagemovesfrom

AIcompetitionand

economicnationalism

haveincreasedtheriskofinsiderthreats,specificallyintheformofcorporate

espionage.ThisleavesHRwithanewroletoplayatthefrontlinesoforganizationalsecurity.

8CNBC

9ArsTechnica

Theproblem

Already,espionageincidents

havecausedirreparabledamagetoindividualorganizations8andthreatennationalsecurity.9Employers—

particularlythoseinhigh-growth

industriesorinvolvedintheAIsupplychain—facemorethreatstotheir

securitythaneverbefore.More

broadly,organizationsarefacing

regulatoryandreputationalpressuretoaddresstechnologicalsovereigntyandtoreducedependencyon

technologyfromcompaniesbasedinothercountries.

Theimpact

Gartneridentifiesnation-state-

sponsoredattacksasatop

emergingthreat.Whileorganizationsarefamiliarwithusingtechnology

tomonitorforIPleaksorunusual

accesspatterns,state-sponsoredcorporateespionageattacks

aredesignedtopreventdetection.Inadditiontoorganizations’moreintensivecybersecurityeforts,

CHROswillneedtoinvestheavilyinthebehavioralsideofidentifyingandaddressingsourcesofinsiderthreats.

Theopportunity

Trainrecruiterstospotanddefendagainstmaliciousactorsduringthehiringprocess.

Promoteethicsandsecurityawarenessascorepillarsofcompanyculture.

Usesimulationsandscenariotraining

tobuildemployeereadinessfor

reportingunusualbehavior.

thepagesoffiction

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7Tech-to-tradescareerpathsblossom

Recommendedresources(clientsonly)

→CaseStudy:Human-CentricAITalentRoadmap(RedHat)

→OptimizeHRLearningBudgetsforCoreSkillsDevelopmentinHigh-ChangeRoles

Adecadeago,coding

bootcampsretrainedblue-collarworkersassoftwareengineers.In2026,

we’llseeretrainingand

apprenticeshipprogramsemergetohelpdigital

workerstransitioninto

skilledtradeprofessions.

10FlexJobs

11Fortune

Theproblem

AIisdramaticallychangingcareer

pathsinfieldssuchassoftware

development,financeand

professionalservices,creatinga

perceivedblankspacewherea

securecareerpathusedtobe.As

workersinpreviouslystablefieldsfeelthattheircareersarethreatenedby

AI,manyofthemwilllooktopivotto“AI-proof”careers—ofteninhands-on,skilledtradeworkthatisunlikelytobefullyautomatedinthenear-tomedium-term.

Theimpact

Surveysindicatethatthemajority

ofprofessionals10wouldconsider

switchingfromawhite-collartoa

blue-collarjobifitoferedbetterpayandstabilitythantheircurrentrole.

Atthesametime,manyorganizationsarereportingshortagesofskilled

tradespeople.11CHROsmustbe

proactivebothinplanningtoretain

theirkeydigitaltalentand,when

layofsorworkforceremixingrequiresit,oferingsupportforreskillingfor

careersevenoutsidetheorganization.

Theopportunity

Makeplanstoupskillandretainkeydigitaltalentandaddressautomationanxieties.

Duringlayofsorreorganizations,helpemployeesreskillfornewcareers,evenoutsidethe

organization.

Frontlineemployerscanexpandtalentsourcingtopotential

careerchangersandassistwithreskilling.

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→

CaseStudy:RedesignWorkProcessesto

UnlockGenAITransformation

→ExecutiveInsightSeries:BuildaGrowth-

ReadyWorkforcefortheAIEra

Processpros,nottechprodigies, unlockAIvalue

Organizationsare

scramblingtoacquirethe

latesttechskillstogetmoreoutofAIinvestments.ButtechnicalAIskillsalone

arenotmovingtheneedleonROI.Qualityhiresin

2026mustbringabroaderperspective.

Theproblem

Eighty-onepercentofCIOs

sayAI

skillgapsimpedetheirabilitytomeetobjectives.Butfocusingexclusivelyonboostingemployees’technical

skillsisnotleadingtogreatervalue.MosttechnicalAIskillsarenot

generalizable,sosuccesswithonetooldoesnotautomaticallyresultinqualityoutputfromanother.AItoolsalsoareevolvingsoquicklythata

strategybasedon“buying”talentwiththelatestAIskillscannotbesustainable.

Theimpact

Businessunitsthatredesignhow

workgetsdonewithAIare

twiceas

likelytoexceedrevenuegoals.

In2026,thebestCHROSwilllooknotfortechprodigiesbutforprocessexperts—employeeswhose

creativityandsystemsthinkingallowsthemtoredesignentireprocesses,notjustoptimize

individualtaskswithAI.

Theopportunity

UpdaterecruitingprocessestoprioritizeAIjudgmentandcriticalthinkingovertechnicalskill.

Establishaworkinggroupto

identifyprocesses,notjustskillsortasks,thatcanbeoptimizedwithAI.

Identifyhigh-performingprocessexpertsinyourorganizationtoserveaspeercoaches.

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→HypeCyclefortheFutureofWork,2025

doppelgangers”

Employeesgetpaidfortrainingtheir

2025sawdigital“actors12”and“musicians.13”AItrainedonhumanartiststomimicstyle,toneandbehavior.

Now“digitaldopplegangers”areemerginginthe

broaderworkforcewithrealimplicationsfortheemploymentdeal.

12BBC

13TheGuardian

14Directors&Boards

15Axios

Theproblem

Digitallyreplicatingemployees—

theknowledge,habitsand

individualbehaviorsthatmake

themsuccessful—opensunchartedterritoryintermsofcompensation.Wewillbegintoseeemployees

demandtobecompensated,notjustfortrainingAItools,butfor

theongoinguseoftheirdigital

likenesslongafterthey’velefttheorganization.Already,legislation14isemergingoutliningconditionsunderwhich“digitalreplicas”ofworkerscanbecreatedandused.

Theimpact

DigitaltwinsandAIavatars

arejustbeginningtheirascent

onthe

GartnerHypeCycle™

graphicaltool:Organizations

areexploringthesetypesof

digitaldopplegangerstoreplicateCEOs15andhigh-performing

employees.In2026,CHROshaveanopportunitytoincentivizetheirbestemployeestoengagewithAItoolsinthiswayandreward

themforcontinuingcontributionstoenterpriseintelligence.

Theopportunity

Identifypotentialusecasesfordigitaldopplegangersinyouror