I'm Pleasant Lewis, Owner/Operator of Fitness CF and Results Fitness in Central Florida (8 locations, ~60 staff). After 40 years in this industry, I've spent more time managing frontline teams than most HR departments combined--hiring trainers, managing retention, dealing with compensation battles, and building feedback systems that actually work. The unavoidable shift I'm seeing: **performance management is moving from annual reviews to real-time member feedback integration**. We implemented Medallia for member satisfaction tracking in 2024, and it's now directly tied to trainer performance metrics. Staff can see their scores daily, members can flag issues instantly, and we adjust coaching or compensation based on live data--not outdated quarterly check-ins. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that employees will expect the same transparency and speed from HR that customers already demand from products--and most HR teams aren't ready to operate like a customer service dashboard. The downside? Managers hate it because there's nowhere to hide, and it creates anxiety when every interaction feels monitored. Some trainers initially pushed back hard, saying it felt like "Big Brother," and we've had to coach leaders on delivering real-time feedback without burning people out. It also exposes weak managers fast--if you can't have tough conversations in the moment, you're toast. **What HR should stop doing in 2025:** Stop treating performance conversations like annual events. If you're still prepping for "review season" instead of building systems that give people feedback loops they can act on weekly, you're already behind. Your frontline employees are getting instant signals from customers--your internal processes need to match that speed.
I'm Christina Imes, Managing Partner at Tru Integrative Wellness in Oak Brook, IL. We're a small but growing integrative medicine practice (under 25 employees), and I've spent the last decade building teams in the medical aesthetics and wellness space. What I'm seeing in hiring and retention will force every small-to-mid-sized employer to rethink compensation structures. In 2024-2025, I've watched candidates reject offers that would have been competitive 18 months ago--not because the base salary is low, but because they're demanding transparency around total compensation including bonuses, commission structures, and even things like CME allowances or wellness stipends before they'll even interview. At Refresh Med Spa, we used to close hires with a handshake and a benefits overview. Now our offer letters look like legal contracts, and candidates are comparing our packages line-by-line against competitors using salary data they pull from Reddit and Glassdoor. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that HR teams in smaller companies won't be able to hide behind "competitive salary" language or delayed comp conversations--candidates will demand full financial transparency in job postings, and states will likely mandate it. The downside? It'll expose internal pay inequities you've been avoiding, force uncomfortable conversations with tenured employees who realize new hires are getting better deals, and kill your negotiation leverage when everyone knows your ceiling up front. Stop posting salary ranges so wide they're meaningless (like $50K-$90K), and stop waiting until the third interview to discuss real numbers. In 2025, audit your comp structure now, fix the gaps before candidates expose them publicly, and build posting templates that show total compensation value--not just base pay--so you're ready when transparency becomes non-negotiable.
I'm Joe DePena, Founder of VP Fitness in Providence, RI--we're a boutique fitness franchise with corporate wellness contracts across multiple companies. I've spent over a decade building performance systems for trainers and now manage wellness programs for entire employee populations, which means I see both sides: how fitness businesses structure accountability *and* how corporate HR teams try (and fail) to engage their people. The shift I'm watching: **wellness benefits are moving from opt-in perks to mandatory health accountability tied to insurance premiums and performance metrics**. In our corporate wellness contracts, we're now running Health Risk Assessments with biometric testing--height, weight, BMI, body fat, blood pressure, lipid panels, glucose--and employers are using that aggregate data to redesign benefits and flag high-risk populations. We started offering this in 2024, and three clients have already told us they're exploring premium adjustments based on participation rates and health improvements by 2026. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that employees will be required to share health data or pay more for coverage--and HR will become the enforcer of something that feels invasive, not supportive. The downside HR won't admit? Employees will resent it, and you'll lose trust fast. We've seen pushback even in voluntary programs when people feel monitored. Now imagine making it mandatory--morale tanks, and your best people start job hunting because they don't want their employer tracking their glucose levels. **What HR should stop doing in 2025:** Stop treating wellness as a "nice-to-have" checkbox. If you're not building genuine support systems--trainers, nutrition guidance, mental health resources--before you start measuring outcomes, you're just surveillance with a smoothie bar.
I'm Rudy Mosketti, owner of Rudy's Smokehouse in Springfield, Ohio. We're a small operation--about 25-30 employees depending on the season--and after 40+ years in restaurants and running my own place since 2005, I've hired everyone from high schoolers to retirees. What I'm seeing right now is that traditional job applications are becoming completely useless for predicting who'll actually show up and work. We still use a standard application form on our website asking for employment history, references, education--the whole nine yards. But in 2024-2025, I'd say 60% of people who fill it out either ghost us after we call, show up to one shift, or can't handle the actual work despite claiming restaurant experience. The paperwork tells me nothing about whether someone will stick around during a Friday dinner rush or if they'll be reliable on Tuesdays when we're donating half our earnings to charity and need our A-team. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that HR will need to scrap traditional applications entirely and move to same-day trial shifts or paid "audition" days as the primary screening tool. You'll hire slower, and you'll need managers on the floor during these trials instead of sitting in an office reviewing resumes--which most small businesses can't afford time-wise. The tradeoff? It's expensive and time-consuming. I'd have to pay someone for 4 hours just to find out they're not a fit, and that adds up fast when you're trying to fill multiple positions. What HR teams should stop doing in 2025: stop relying on resume screening and phone interviews as your main filter. If you're not getting people in the door to show you what they can do within 48 hours of contact, you're wasting everyone's time.
I'm Tim DiAngelis, owner of Lawn Care Plus, Inc. in Massachusetts--we're a 15-person landscaping and property maintenance company serving Greater Boston. I handle all our hiring, scheduling, performance management, and team development, which means I'm deep in the daily reality of managing seasonal and year-round field crews. The shift I'm seeing: **skills-based hiring is going to completely replace traditional resume screening, especially for skilled trades and field roles**. In 2024, I stopped looking at resumes first and started running paid trial days instead--candidates show up, work a half-day on an actual job site, and I see immediately if they can operate equipment, communicate with the crew, and handle the physical demands. We've hired four people this way who would've been filtered out by an ATS or background requirements, and they're now our strongest performers. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that HR teams will need to defend why they're still screening people out based on credentials instead of demonstrated ability--and they won't have a good answer. The downside? It's time-consuming and expensive upfront. Paying someone $150-200 for a trial day, coordinating schedules, managing liability insurance for non-employees--it adds real cost per candidate, and most HR teams are measured on time-to-fill, not quality-of-hire six months later. You'll also face pushback from leadership who think it "looks unprofessional" compared to polished interview processes. **What HR should stop doing in 2025:** Stop requiring experience certifications or "3+ years in similar role" for positions where you could just watch someone do the work for four hours and know if they're capable. If you can't design a skills test, you don't actually know what the job requires.
What I am seeing coming in 2026, is an HR department that handles performance -- not people. This shift has been happening for a hot minute already: the trend of managers trying to be coaches, mental health supports, culture carriers, and evaluators all at once has drastically slowed. While HR used to be seen as a catch-all department, it is now becoming a much more specialized -- and respected service niche. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be additional hires and more collaboration between HR and other departments. This will undoubtedly tread on some toes, but eventually, I'm sure the change will be worthwhile. A quiet decoupling of people management from performance management means better focus on workforce planning and development, while handing human support over to those fully qualified in that area.
I'm Rachel Acres, Founder and CEO of The Freedom Room, a wellness and recovery center in Australia. While I'm not in traditional HR, I lead a small team where retention and wellbeing directly impact our ability to serve clients--and what I'm seeing around addiction and mental health is about to force HR's hand. The shift: **HR will need to treat substance use and mental health crises as operational risks, not just EAP checkbox items**. In my work with clients across corporate Australia, I'm watching high-performers in finance, media, and tech quietly solve--drinking through Zoom calls, missing deadlines due to hangovers they call "migraines," then suddenly disappearing on stress leave. These aren't isolated cases. I'm getting referrals from managers who know something's wrong but have zero framework to intervene before it becomes a crisis. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that HR teams will need proactive addiction screening and early intervention protocols embedded into performance conversations--but nobody wants to be the company that "profiles" drinkers or creates a surveillance culture. You'll face legal concerns, manager resistance, and employees who see it as intrusive. When I borrowed money for my own rehab in 2012, my employer had no structure to catch me earlier--I just looked "functional" until I wasn't. **What HR should stop doing in 2025:** Stop waiting for rock bottom. If your only response to substance issues is reactive--after the DUI, after the breakdown--you're already too late. Start training managers to recognize patterns like unexplained Monday absences or 2pm energy crashes, and build confidential referral pathways now.
I oversee people operations as Founder and acting Head of Operations at WhatAreTheBest.com, a U.S.-based company with ~25 contractors and employees. One unavoidable HR change by 2026 is the collapse of annual performance reviews in favor of continuous, documented performance tracking tied directly to output. We are already seeing this in 2024-2025 as asynchronous teams, contractors, and AI-assisted roles make yearly reviews feel disconnected from reality. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that HR teams cannot defend promotion, termination, or compensation decisions without real-time performance evidence. The downside is that this creates more documentation work and less managerial discretion, which many HR teams will resist. To prepare, HR teams should stop running subjective, once-a-year performance reviews in 2025 and start building lightweight systems that capture performance signals continuously. Albert Richer, Founder & Head of Operations, WhatAreTheBest.com (25-person company).
Based on my experience in human resources and people-focused services, I believe performance management and workforce planning will be the most affected HR processes. Employees now expect clear communication about goals, required skills, and career growth, rather than just annual evaluations. HR teams are already struggling to keep this information current. As a result, we spend more time reconciling performance data, learning progress, and job expectations across different systems than on actual employee development. By 2026, the reality will be that traditional performance reviews are no longer acceptable, because employees, managers, and leadership expect real-time updates on progress and capabilities. The downside? HR teams might feel a bit vulnerable. This kind of transparency quickly reveals inconsistencies and areas needing improvement. Plus, it demands stricter data management, a task that's not exactly thrilling. To get ready, HR should ditch the annual reviews in 2025 and begin cultivating more agile, ongoing feedback and skills-tracking practices immediately.
By 2026 HR will need to support multi-generational teams with more care and intent. In 2024 and 2025 feedback and growth needs already look very different across age groups. Some employees want frequent guidance while others prefer space and trust. These differences are growing as careers last longer and teams include wider age ranges. HR teams are now stepping in to bridge these gaps through clear communication and flexible support. One shared approach no longer works for everyone across the workforce. HR must help teams understand how values and expectations shift with experience and life stage. When these differences are ignored misunderstandings increase and trust slowly breaks down.
I expect real-time development feedback to edge out the old-school performance review format by 2026. We've already been using quick, Slack-based feedback loops every week, and I've seen managers lean on those far more than our quarterly check-ins. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be: traditional reviews will feel out of step, and people will expect coaching right when they need it instead of months later. That shift means HR has to train managers to actually coach, and some won't adapt easily. It also complicates how we track and document underperformance in a clean, defensible way. If we want to be ready, HR teams should stop treating legacy review cycles as sacred in 2025 and start experimenting with continuous feedback models, even if the first drafts are messy.
I'm Justin from Jacksonville Maids. We're moving to automated scheduling, which will be standard by 2026. The online system made us more efficient, but some of my people, mostly Gen Z, missed the personal touch of actually talking to someone about their shifts. So if you're in HR, here's my advice: get your staff comfortable with the digital tools now. Don't wait until 2025. The sooner you start, the less of a shock it will be.
At Mission Prep Healthcare, we're changing how we hire. For our adolescent mental health roles, we now use skills tests instead of just looking at resumes. By 2026, I'm betting a degree alone won't even get you an interview. Some supervisors aren't going to like that. It slows down HR at first, but we have to ditch those old job descriptions by 2025.
The move from relying on an applicant's intuition versus using available evidence to make hiring decisions based upon skills is going to be a major shift for the HR industry by 2026. Companies will see an increase in managers questioning the information listed on resumes, as well as a growing trend toward utilizing structured assessments along with other job relevant indicators for hiring. This transition will take place because the cost of making a bad hire has become too high. The hiring and performance validation processes will experience the greatest impact during this period. By 2026, unstructured interviews and culture fit assessments will no longer be acceptable or scalable in the workplace. On the flip side, HR teams will have to put in more upfront effort to create structured assessments based on specific job requirements and skills, as well as develop standardized ways to measure job candidates' skill sets. In addition, HR teams will lose the ability to support managers with hiring decisions. To successfully navigate this forthcoming change, HR departments should limit the use of unstructured interviews in 2026, and develop standardized systems for assessing the readiness of job applicants. Milos Eric General Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/miloseric/ https://oysterlink.com/ Company size: 25-35 employees
One HR evolution I anticipate is the inevitable move away from yearly performance reviews, replaced by continuous, data-driven feedback linked to actual work. We're already observing, in 2024 and 2025, that static reviews are out of sync with the present; by the time feedback is delivered, performance trends are often months old. Internally, we lean more on documented objectives, project results, and skill development than on a manager's recollection. By 2026, the uncomfortable truth will be that traditional performance reviews are inadequate for both top performers and those who are struggling, simply because they're too slow and imprecise. The drawback that HR teams will likely dislike is that this approach demands more ongoing effort and reduces the opportunity to "batch" reviews annually. To get ready, HR teams should stop viewing performance discussions as scheduled events and start integrating them into the regular operational cadence. Name: Lin Meyer HR Title: Head of People Operations Company: Crucial Exams Company Size: 25-30 employees
I think HR is going from standardised processes to making decisions on a case by case basis. In 2024-2025, one-size-fits-all policies started to break under the pressure of remote work, mixed contracts and global teams. Performance reviews are showing the biggest strain. By 2026, the uncomfortable truth is that fairness is going to require more judgement, not more rules. Automation won't remove bias, it'll just expose it faster. The downside is that HR teams are going to have to think a lot harder and deal with a lot more complexity. They won't be able to hide behind rigid frameworks any more they'll have to start documenting the actual reasoning behind their decisions.
One unavoidable HR change by 2026 will be the shift from static job descriptions to continuously evolving role profiles driven by internal skills data. In 2024 and 2025, many HR teams have already begun building internal talent marketplaces and skills taxonomies, but these tools are now being used to reconfigure work itself, not just track capabilities. This signals a move away from rigid job structures toward more fluid, project-based staffing. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be that traditional job titles and career ladders will no longer reflect how work actually gets done or how talent is allocated. A clear downside is that managers and employees alike may resist the perceived instability or lack of defined growth paths. To prepare, HR teams need to stop designing performance and promotion processes based on static roles and start aligning them with evolving skills and contributions.
I expect continuous, skills-based performance management to replace annual reviews by 2026, because I'm already seeing static review cycles break down under faster hiring, remote teams, and AI-augmented roles in 2024-2025. As Brandon Leibowitz, Head of People Operations at SEO Optimizers (25 employees), I've had to shift away from once-a-year evaluations toward monthly goal check-ins tied to skills, output, and adaptability, because waiting a full year made feedback irrelevant. The HR process most affected will be performance reviews, with direct spillover into compensation and learning & development. By 2026, the uncomfortable reality will be... that managers who avoid frequent feedback will actively hurt retention and productivity, because employees now expect clarity and course correction in real time. The downside HR teams won't like is the increased workload and accountability on managers, since continuous reviews expose weak leadership faster than annual forms ever did. To prepare, HR teams should stop treating performance reviews as a calendar event in 2025 and stop relying on generic templates, and instead build lightweight, ongoing feedback systems managers are required to use year-round.