As organizations step into 2026, many are carrying a familiar mix of optimism and fatigue.
Leaders are navigating constant change — economic uncertainty, evolving employee expectations, rapid advances in AI, and increasing pressure to do more with less. At the same time, employees are feeling the cumulative impact of transformation after transformation.
The McLean & Company HR Trends 2026 report reinforces what many organizations are already experiencing: HR is no longer reacting to change — it is expected to help lead through it. What stands out most is not just what the priorities are, but how human they have become. Leadership capability, culture, collaboration, and change resilience are no longer “soft” considerations — they are strategic imperatives.
Below are four key themes from the research, paired with real-world observations from Evoke HR & Immigration’s work with organizations across British Columbia.
1. HR’s Role Has Shifted: From Support Function to Change Leader
Developing leaders remains the top HR priority for 2026, while innovation continues to rise as organizations adopt new technologies and rethink how work gets done. At the same time, many organizations are experiencing change fatigue, even when the changes themselves are necessary.
What the research highlights — and what is consistently seen in practice — is that change rarely fails because people resist it. More often, it falters when organizations move too quickly without fully embedding what they have already built.
What this looks like in practice:
In one organization undergoing significant growth and modernization, leadership introduced several foundational people initiatives within a relatively short period: a new compensation framework, a job evaluation system, merit-based pay, a competency framework, and updated performance review and goal-setting processes aligned to organizational values. Each initiative was strategically sound and necessary for the organization’s future.
The challenge was not direction, but pace. The organization needed time to absorb, understand, and consistently apply these new frameworks. The focus shifted away from introducing additional initiatives and toward embedding the fundamentals — supporting leaders, reinforcing expectations, and giving employees the time and clarity needed to adapt. Establishing a solid foundation became essential to sustaining future success and bringing people along through meaningful change.
Insight for Leaders
When organizations introduce multiple foundational people initiatives at once, progress depends less on what is launched and more on what is embedded. Pausing to stabilize the foundation is often the most strategic move leaders can make.
2. People Leadership Fundamentals Are Under Pressure
The research makes one reality clear: expectations of people leaders have expanded significantly, while their capacity and preparation have not always kept pace. Many leaders are promoted because of technical expertise, not because they have been equipped to lead people.
In consulting and professional services environments in particular, leaders often carry revenue targets, client portfolios, and operational responsibilities alongside people leadership. When complex people issues arise, the impact on time, confidence, and effectiveness can be substantial.
What this looks like in practice:
In one consulting organization, technically strong leaders found themselves overwhelmed by emerging performance issues within their teams. These situations became more time-consuming not because they were insurmountable, but because leaders lacked shared language, tools, and confidence around performance management.
Targeted one-on-one support helped leaders navigate performance conversations in the moment, while parallel work focused on building a performance coaching and optimization framework. This included tools, training, and clear guidance on what effective performance looks like, how to distinguish between culpable and non-culpable performance concerns, and how leaders should respond appropriately. Over time, leaders gained confidence, consistency, and clarity in their people leadership role.
Insight for Leaders
Technical expertise does not automatically translate into people leadership capability. Practical frameworks give leaders the confidence and consistency needed to address performance issues early and effectively.
3. Culture Isn’t a “Nice to Have” — It’s a Change Enabler
One of the strongest findings in the 2026 research is the link between values-aligned leadership and organizational resilience. Culture becomes most visible — and most vulnerable — during periods of pressure and change.
Employees closely observe what leaders tolerate, address, or ignore. Over time, these behaviours shape what becomes normalized.
What this looks like in practice:
In a local government organization, a newly appointed department leader sought to establish a baseline understanding of engagement and culture. Survey results revealed deep concerns related to respectful workplace practices. Supervisors were widely perceived as unsupportive, with patterns of behaviour that contributed to an unhealthy and disrespectful workplace culture.
The supervisory layer held significant influence and frequently stepped into vacant management roles, unintentionally perpetuating the culture. Through the engagement process, three priority areas emerged:
- Respectful workplace: clarifying expectations, providing training, and ensuring policies, reporting processes, and supports were accessible and understood.
- Role clarity: addressing multiple layers of supervision with overlapping responsibilities, leading to a department-wide restructure grounded in operational need and updated job descriptions.
- Communication: introducing skip-level meetings, clearer meeting structures, and regular forums for dialogue and questions.
This work required care and collaboration, particularly in a unionized environment. A follow-up engagement survey is planned for 2026, with leadership expecting meaningful cultural improvement as these changes take hold.
Insight for Leaders
Culture is shaped by what leaders tolerate. During periods of change, addressing harmful behaviours quickly and clearly is essential to restoring trust and engagement.
4. Collaboration — and HR’s Seat at the Table — Matters More Than Ever
A consistent theme in the research, and a long-standing observation in practice, is that organizations are stronger when HR has a voice at the decision-making table.
When HR is brought in late, decisions may appear efficient in the short term but often create downstream impacts — disengagement, turnover, performance issues, or loss of trust. People are an organization’s most important asset, and when that perspective is absent, the ripple effects are felt across the organization.
This is why selecting and empowering the right HR leadership is foundational. HR must be positioned as a strategic partner, not an afterthought.
Evoke Insight
Organizations that treat HR as a strategic partner — not a downstream function — make better decisions, move through change more effectively, and reduce people-related risk.
What This Means for Organizations Heading Into 2026
The message from the research aligns closely with what Evoke HR & Immigration sees every day:
- HR must be proactive, not reactive
- Leaders need practical support with the human side of leadership
- Culture and values matter most under pressure
- Embedding foundational systems is more important than launching something new
Evoke Insight
In periods of sustained change, progress comes from strengthening clarity, leadership capability, and alignment — not from adding more initiatives.
2026 is not about adding more programs. It is about strengthening the foundation — clarity, leadership capability, trust, and alignment — so organizations can adapt without burning people out.
Let’s Talk
Evoke HR & Immigration works with organizations to translate strategy into people practices that actually work — from leadership support and workforce planning to compensation, performance, and change management.
If your organization is heading into 2026 with questions about its people strategy, support is available.
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