Corporations are preparing for another demanding year in 2026. From managing (and capitalizing on) the relentless rise of AI to identifying a clear path to growth amid ongoing geopolitical volatility, everyone’s agenda for the next 12 months looks challenging.
Chief human resources officers (CHROs) will be critical to their organizations’ successful navigation of these challenges. The current significance of the CHRO role reflects its evolution into a strategic partner in the business, says Sandrine Girszyn, who has worked in senior HR positions at French insurer AXA for almost two decades. Her present incarnation as CHRO in AXA’s Paris headquarters affords her perspective: “HR was once an administrative function, but now it’s a strategic one,” she observes. “It has evolved in stages, but today my team is regularly asked for advice by our leaders. We very much have a seat at the table, and we’ve become more and more vocal.”
So, given this new position of responsibility, what should top the CHRO’s to-do list in 2026? At AXA, Girszyn says, her team will focus on three distinct goals.
If you start from the perspective that this is just another tool to help people do their jobs more effectively, it’s a less threatening conversation, and you can see where the value takes you.
“AI will inevitably have a huge impact on the HR function over the next 12 months,” says Girszyn. “It’s going to be a pillar of organizational change, but it’s also going to change the way HR operates as a function.”
HR’s responsibility in terms of AI is to help the business take full advantage of the technology, within the context of the industry. “Our ability to train and equip people will then be critical,” Girszyn emphasizes.
HR will play an important role in helping leaders collaborate with their staff to grasp AI opportunities. Much of the narrative around new technology adoption focuses on automation, efficiency, and cost reduction. Understandably, this has caused anxiety among employees, who fear they may be streamlined out of their jobs.
To assuage fears, leaders must discuss AI tactfully with their teams, emphasizing opportunities that will benefit employees as well as the business. “If you start from the perspective that this is just another tool to help people do their jobs more effectively, it’s a less threatening conversation, and you can see where the value takes you,” Girszyn says.
While she points to recruitment, onboarding, and performance management as examples of areas where AI is already widely applied in an HR context, Girszyn says a curious, open-minded approach to new technologies will bring the greatest dividends.
“When a start-up calls you to talk about its new talent-acquisition tool, say, be prepared to have a conversation about what it could do and why that’s important, rather than automatically rejecting the approach,” Girszyn suggests. “Reach out to other people in the business who have already found use cases for different types of AI. Get them to explain to you what they’ve done and how they have done it, so you can think about how to transfer that knowledge to HR.”
CHROs should also be instrumental in setting out the language that leaders use to communicate about AI. “I’m focused on how we can help our HR professionals with processes in a way that makes their job better,” Girszyn says. “We can be stronger, more efficient, and increasingly business-focused. It’s an approach that augments the work of HR professionals, rather than replacing them.”
“Such initiatives often pay for themselves by helping employees sustain productivity and addressing physical and mental health issues that could require considerable time off work should they be allowed to escalate.”
Many HR leaders had hoped that, as the world moved on from the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant issue of isolation, the spike in mental health illness would begin to flatten. Unfortunately, there is still a range of triggers, from the influence of social media to anxiety around international conflict, geopolitical tension, and climate change. As the incidence of mental health issues continues to rise, CHROs must consider how they can help, says Girszyn. “The question is, what can we, as HR professionals, do in terms of prevention and support?”
AXA is pursuing several initiatives in this context. It has recently introduced a week-long health-focused campaign across its offices around the globe. External experts host sessions on themes such as nutrition, mental well-being, and even getting proper sleep.
The insurer also has a global program known as We Care, through which staff can apply for days off to manage their health and well-being, as well as access regular health check-ups. While this can seem like welcome guidance in countries with good public health infrastructure, in other parts of the world in which AXA operates, such access can make a huge difference to workers, Girszyn points out. Moreover, such initiatives often pay for themselves by helping employees sustain productivity and addressing physical and mental health issues that could require considerable time off work should they be allowed to escalate.
Another area of focus is an employee assistance program (EAP) that gives AXA staff access to a range of support, including psychological help and personal advice. “It’s open to all employees, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” says Girszyn. “We want all our staff to understand that it’s okay to say, ‘I’m not okay.’”
In the future, Girszyn believes the most successful organizations will have encouraged their employees to become fast learners. CHROs should foster a growth and learning mindset, encouraging employees to take any opportunity to acquire new skills and knowledge.
While she acknowledges the necessity of upskilling to meet the changing demands of the work environment, Girszyn points to the importance of differentiated training. Leaders may need a different type of education on AI than the broader workforce, for example. Equally, some employees will be enthusiastic experimenters with AI, while others may need greater encouragement.
AXA’s Tech, Data & AI Academy makes training available to all employees to learn the basics and build awareness. It offers senior leaders specific training on how AI could support organization-wide transformation. There is also function-specific training – including for HR – to support teams in implementing AI in their day-to-day jobs.
AXA is keen to support learning and development in other areas, both conceptual and physical. Girszyn points to a “lunch and learn” initiative in its headquarters that the business launched two years ago, at which any employee can register for a session led by an external expert on a set topic, from AI to personal branding. AXA headquarters also launched a Pitch Academy, at which staff can develop their public-speaking and communication-with-impact skills, and a Project & Change Management Academy focusing on transition and project management (employee demand prompted the latter).
“These academies are open to all our employees,” Girszyn points out. “Our goal is to democratize learning, to make each employee the owner of their training.” HR can create platforms to support that process, but it’s a learning mindset that will ensure that employees take advantage.
Train yourself on the business and the trends affecting it, so that you can add value every time you’re at the table.
The bottom line, says Girszyn, is that each CHRO must set their 2026 priorities according to their organizational needs. Operational excellence is a non-negotiable, but proactive HR teams can go much further. And, says Girszyn, they shouldn’t be shy about telling colleagues about it.
“Train yourself on the business and the trends affecting it, so that you can add value every time you’re at the table,” she advises. “And be ready to demonstrate that value. We’re not always good enough about marketing what HR does. We all need to be more visible, to explain what we’re doing and what we have achieved.”
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