What are the biggest priorities HR leaders are focusing on as we move progress further into 2026?
In Stribe’s Big HR Check-in Report 2025–2026, we asked HR professionals where they believe the most attention is needed over the next 12 months. The results reveal something interesting.
There isn’t one dominant issue.
Instead, HR teams are trying to solve several interconnected challenges at the same time.
Here are the top five priorities HR leaders say matter most right now.
The number one priority for HR leaders is company culture.
17% of HR professionals in the report said culture needs the most attention over the next year.
This makes sense when you consider the wider context. Culture influences almost everything else organisations care about, including:
If culture feels unstable, many other people problems quickly follow.
At the same time, many workplaces today aren’t in crisis – but they’re not thriving either. In our report, 44% of HR leaders described the current mood in their organisation as positive, while 34% said it felt negative.
This suggests many organisations are sitting in the middle: functioning, but fragile.
What HR teams can do
At Stribe, we see organisations make the biggest cultural improvements when feedback is consistent, anonymous and visible to decision-makers.
The gap between how things feel now, and how HR thinks they could feel is really interesting. Despite the pressures they’re under, HR teams are not short on hope. Many believe that culture can improve, but that belief often comes with a big ‘if’. If the right issues are prioritised. If leadership listens. If change actually happens. 
Employee retention remains one of HR’s biggest concerns.
15% of HR leaders said retention needs the most attention in the coming year.
Retention challenges are rarely caused by one single factor. Instead, they’re often the result of multiple smaller issues building up over time, such as:
This is why retention shows up alongside other priorities like culture and engagement. They’re closely linked.
What HR teams can do
Retention improves when organisations spot issues earlier rather than reacting when employees are already leaving.
Another 15% of HR leaders said employee voice and engagement should be a top focus for 2026.
Encouragingly, most organisations are already trying to listen more.
According to the report:
However, listening alone isn’t enough.
Only 46% of HR professionals feel confident their organisation measures engagement effectively, and just 55% feel confident that feedback is actually acted upon.
This raises a common challenge.
Many organisations are getting better at collecting feedback, but not always at acting on it.
What HR teams can do
Even small, visible actions can build trust quickly.
Organisations are changing constantly – new strategies, restructures, technology and shifting expectations.
It’s no surprise that 15% of HR leaders said change management is one of their biggest priorities for the coming year.
Frequent change can create uncertainty for employees if it isn’t communicated clearly.
When people don’t understand why something is changing, engagement often drops.
HR plays a critical role in helping organisations navigate these transitions while protecting employee experience.
What HR teams can do
Change becomes much easier when organisations listen while change is happening, not after.
Wellbeing remains firmly on the HR agenda.
13% of HR leaders said mental health and wellbeing should receive the most attention in 2026.
Interestingly, the report also revealed something important about what actually drives wellbeing at work.
When HR leaders were asked what has the biggest impact on employee wellbeing, the top answer was: Relationship with a manager (37%)
This ranked far above other factors like:
This reinforces a growing insight across many organisations: wellbeing is shaped by everyday experiences, not just wellbeing programmes.
What HR teams can do
Supporting managers often has the biggest ripple effect on employee wellbeing.
What HR needs is stronger, more visible backing from leadership, paired with realistic budgets and clear ownership for acting on feedback. Support isn’t just about agreeing that people and culture matter. It’s about enabling HR to turn insight into action, even when that action is uncomfortable, costly, or requires change at the top.
One of the most interesting insights from the report is how closely grouped these priorities are.
Culture, retention, engagement and change management all sit within a narrow margin.
HR leaders aren’t dealing with one major challenge, they’re navigating multiple connected issues at once.
It also explains why many HR teams feel stretched.
85% of HR professionals said they experience burnout at least sometimes, often due to reactive work and competing priorities.
For organisations heading into 2026, the opportunity isn’t just choosing the right priority.
It’s giving HR the time, support and tools needed to address them together.
If you’d like to explore the full findings, you can read Stribe’s Big HR Check-in Report 2025–2026, where we share deeper insights into HR burnout, leadership support, employee feedback and the future of HR.
About the author
Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.
