What's the one call HR leaders can't afford to get wrong in 2027?

2027 is on the horizon and few functions will face sharper tests than HR. AI is rewriting how organizations hire, build teams and what work humans own, while economic and geopolitical upheaval create new external risks.

The challenge is a simple but sizeable one. HR must lead organizations through the biggest shake-up of work in a generation, while reinventing itself at the same time: Old operating models are disappearing, as the new human-AI hybrid workforce takes shape. The line between people strategy and business strategy has almost disappeared entirely.

Some decisions have greater weight than others, shaping trust, credibility and culture that will outlast the latest tech trends. Get those right and HR will own its place in defining the future of work.

So, what’s the one call HR can’t afford to get wrong in the coming year? HR leaders at UNLEASH 2026 in Paris weighed in with their views: