The State of HR Leadership 2026

Senior HR leaders are being asked to do more than ever.

Culture, wellbeing, employment law, transformation, cost, talent, often all at once, often without a team that’s grown to match.

But how much has really changed? Does HR have the influence its job titles suggest? And how does your own experience compare to the people doing the same job elsewhere?

That’s what we’re setting out to find out.

The State of HR Leadership 2026 is a major study of senior HR leaders across organisations of every size and sector. We’re building the definitive picture of what HR leadership actually looks like today, the influence, the pressure, the confidence gaps, and what’s coming next.

When it launches, taking part will take about ten minutes, and everything will be completely confidential. In return, you’ll get the full report first, with benchmarking data that lets you see exactly where you stand against your peers by organisation size and sector, a rare chance to find out whether what you’re experiencing is normal, or something worth acting on.

Register your interest here and we’ll let you know the moment it goes live.