Tech Explained: Here’s a simplified explanation of the latest technology update around Tech Explained: HR Magazine – HR predictions for 2026: Technology, AI and C‑suite value in Simple Termsand what it means for users..
Continuing our series of predictions as to what HR leaders can expect this coming year, three commentators address the risks of employee monitoring, the rise of AI and HR’s increasing value to the C‑suite.
Improved monitoring technology will pose risks
Productivity-tracking tools and so-called “bossware” to monitor employees who are hybrid working is expected to become more sophisticated in 2026. HR leaders will have to manage these tools carefully, argued Jonathan Lord, senior lecturer in human resource management at Salford Business School.
He told HR magazine: “Employee-monitoring technologies are risky because they directly affect trust, dignity and power at work. Once employees feel ‘monitored’ rather than supported, the cultural damage can outweigh any efficiency gains.”
Read more: Courage, connection and human-centred leadership will be key in 2026
Lord also argued that there are legal and reputational risks of monitoring tools as it almost always involves large-scale personal data processing.
He explained: “The ICO has warned that excessive or covert monitoring is unlikely to meet UK GDPR standards, particularly where less intrusive alternatives exist. As political scrutiny of algorithmic management grows, misuse of these tools can quickly escalate into disputes about fairness and dignity at work.”
Lord advised that HR leaders should “slow the process down and reframe monitoring as a governance and culture issue, not just a technology decision. This means insisting on clear business justification, carrying out meaningful data-protection impact assessments, and consulting employees or unions early.”
The year of AI mastery
According to Miika Mäkitalo, CEO of customer feedback management company HappyOrNot, this year AI will shape who performs best at work rather than being something employees are experimenting with.
“While 2025 focused on learning how AI tools work, the next phase will be about applying them confidently and consistently,” he told HR magazine, and added: “Employees who build AI into their everyday workflows will work faster, make better decisions and deliver higher-quality outcomes; those who fail to embrace it at scale will fall behind.”
To stay ahead, HR must move beyond introductory training, Mäkitalo advised, explaining: “One-off sessions won’t be enough to keep pace. Organisations need ongoing, role-specific development, clearer expectations around how AI should be used, and managers who are confident coaching teams on effective use.
“Those that fail to build AI fluency at scale will struggle to compete on speed and quality, even if their people are highly experienced,” he concluded.
Read more: The hidden cost of AI reliance
HR will be a more strategic partner to the C‑suite
HR’s role as a core business function will accelerate in 2026, according to Elizabeth Wallace, chief people and transformation officer at business and IT consulting company, emagine.
Wallace explained to HR magazine that more C-suite leaders are asking HR how they are helping to drive business results: “HR has to bring the energy and impact to the organisation,” she added.
She explained: “It’s not only about how we show up as a function, it’s how we influence growth, based on the data we gain from AI. This requires HR teams to think and act like business leaders.
“A business-centric HR function shapes people strategies around the commercial objectives of the organisation, rather than alongside them.”
Data is central to this shift, Wallace argued, adding: “When HR links its data to sales performance or productivity, it demonstrates clear commercial impact and identifies where to amend things if they need attention. The increase in data and ability to measure what is working well and what isn’t allows HR to move from measuring sentiment to driving growth.”