What are the major issues facing HRDs today?

In an economic context strongly marked by the digitization of activities, human resources departments are also impacted by innovative technologies in their HR strategy.

However, digital transformation is just one of the issues facing HR departments today, which include both recurring topics (regulatory compliance, salaries, working conditions, diversity, professional equality, career management, recruitment, etc.) and new themes (salary transparency, artificial intelligence, employer brand, data security, CSR, etc.).

The digital transformation of the company, inevitable and beneficial

Far from impacting only IT, R&D or production departments, the digital transition concerns the entire company. It’s not just a question of technological change, but also of structural and organizational change.

In this context, HR is at the heart of the implementation of this new mode of collaboration and cooperation:

• they benefit from innovative tools, in particularartificial intelligence, to successfully carry out their recruitment, training and career management missions

• they must ensure that employees, whatever their function, remain involved and motivated by the changes to come, while being sufficiently trained in their new practices.

This transformation requires structured change management to ensure that the new tools are not under-utilized due to a lack of buy-in from teams.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a subject for the future: it’s redefining day-to-day HR practices: automated sourcing, algorithmic pre-selection, HR chatbots, predictive talent analysis.

According to the Baromètre des DRH 202, 94% of HR departments use AI on a personal basis, but 70% of organizations do not yet have a formalized governance framework to oversee these uses. Structuring this governance: ethical charter, steering committee, appointment of an AI referent is becoming a priority project for HR departments.

Compliance with labor regulations, mandatory and complex

All organizations are obliged to comply with labor and social legislation. Legal and regulatory monitoring is essential, whether carried out externally or internally. In the event of non-compliance, a company runs the risk of financial or administrative sanctions.

In 2026, two major regulatory deadlines will shapethe HRD agenda:

• The European directive on pay transparency (2023/970) must be transposed into French law by June 7, 2026. Organizations will have to inform candidates about their future remuneration, publish indicators on pay gaps and respond within two months to employees who wish to know the criteria for their remuneration (primary source: EU directive 2023/970; Kelio / Blog-RH 2025). According to Blog-RH, 93.8% of companies are not yet ready for the deadline (secondary source: Blog-RH, December 2025).

• The new “entretien de parcours professionnel”, which replaces the “entretien professionnel” from October 2026(law n°2025-989, known as the “loi séniors”), refocuses the dialogue on the skills and development prospects of each employee.
  It is up to HR to implement these measures according to a precise timetable, and to anticipate the impact on their recruitment, payroll and career management processes.

Salary management with the start of the withholding tax

Working closely with the accounting departments, HR is responsible for the payment of salaries. This relatively complex task involves combining information on remuneration, leave, absences, bonuses, variables and expenses.

In addition to operational management, salary transparency now requires a structural overhaul of practices: formalized salary grids, documented development criteria, linkage with skills management. This transformation involves close collaboration between HR teams, managers and payroll teams, and is one of the most structuring projects of 2026.

Social networks, a recruitment and communication tool

Social media have revolutionized HR in terms of recruitment processes and employer brand development. HR departments need to get to grips with the best practices for using the main professional social networks to attract new talent: LinkedIn in the lead, but also Instagram, TikTok and specialized platforms depending on the profiles sought.

They also need to revamp their career sites, integrating new concepts such as CSR, career paths, corporate values and employee testimonials. For recruiters, social networks offer many advantages:

• they represent a pool of potential candidates whose career paths and skills are generally accessible
• allow you to search for profiles by keyword and display targeted ads
• they enable candidates to be contacted quickly thanks to integrated messaging systems
• they amplify the reach of offers thanks to sharing functions

The other benefit of social networks concerns the organization’s visibility. A classic website is no longer enough to stand out and attract new candidates. By creating active company pages and communicating about internal events, organizations develop a strong employer brand and enhance their corporate culture.

The quality of working conditions to be optimized

First of all, for legal reasons, HR must guarantee that employees can work safely, whether on the company’s premises or on the move. They must establish the nature of potential risks for each position, ensure that employees’ training levels are appropriate for the tools they use, and check that equipment complies with standards.

In addition to safety, HR must also work towards quality of life and working conditions (QWLC). Legally regulated and recognized as a Great National Cause 2025-2026, QWL is a strategic lever that fosters both employee commitment and organizational performance.

According to the Blog-RH / Baromètre tendances RH 2026, 45% of French employees are in a situation of psychological distress. Three quarters of organizations now rank mental health among their HR priorities, but the gap between awareness and implementation remains significant: 21% have yet to take any concrete action (Baromètre des DRH 2026).

Security and confidentiality of personal data

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has applied throughout the European Union since 2018. It has a direct impact on the information collected by HR and introduces several rules, including :

• the creation of data processing registers
• the obligation to inform employees and obtain prior consent for certain sensitive information
• strict security and confidentiality rules
• minimizing the amount of personal data stored
• the definition of a retention period beyond which information will be destroyed
  the appointment of a Data Protection Officer (DPO)

With the multiplication of HR tools and the rise of AI, the issue of data security takes on an extra dimension. HRIS deployment must integrate GDPR requirements right from the design stage to avoid any risk of non-compliance.

Respect for diversity and professional equality

In order to comply with legal obligations, in a context of great diversity (cultural, religious…), HR must ensure :

• that their recruitment process does not contain any discrimination: the job offer must mention only criteria relating to skills and qualifications; the interview must not include questions on subjects unrelated to the position offered; the refusal of an application must be based on non-discriminatory criteria
• that the workforce includes disabled people in the proportions required by law or that the company pays a compensatory contribution to the funds for the professional integration of disabled workers
• that professional equality between men and women is a reality, both in terms of pay and career development opportunities.

Beyond these obligations, HR also has a responsibility to ensure that there is no discrimination within the company by promoting a corporate culture of inclusion and collaboration. In 2026, the Pay Transparency Directive will reinforce this requirement by making it compulsory to publish pay differentials between men and women.

Recruitment, training and follow-up of employees

One of the key activities of the HR function is managing the organization’s human capital:

• Recruitment: drafting and distributing job offers, selecting candidates, interviewing and managing candidate communities. These stages are sometimes more difficult when the profile sought is rare. The contribution of new technologies, in particular AI and data analysis, can be decisive in identifying potential candidates.

• Training: the HR department must ensure that it meets the expectations of employees and management, by verifying the match between requests, proposals and positions. In 2026, the Skills-Based Organization model will take hold: the unit of measurement of work will shift from fixed “jobs” to dynamic skills management, enabling a more agile allocation of resources.

• Integration and follow-up: by ensuring that the working environment is stimulating and caring, HR encourages employee motivation and commitment. This set of conditions helps build employee loyalty and long-term recruitment.

These three dimensions are part of a broaderemployee-centric approach, which places the employee at the center of HR decisions, just as the customer-centric approach has done for customers.

Conclusion: the HR function, the strategic pivot of transformation

Today’s HR challenges are multiple, interconnected and constantly evolving. Between growing regulatory obligations, digital transformation, attractiveness issues and human imperatives, the HR function can no longer be content with an operational role. It is becoming a true strategic partner to senior management, an architect of organizational transformation.

According to theMercer study, 98% of HR managers now report directly to senior management, a sign of this strategic rise in power. Meeting these challenges requires the right tools, structured processes and rigorous support for change.

Are these issues relevant to your current situation? SQORUS HR consultants support HR departments in their transformation: HR strategy, HRIS deployment, change management, data governance. Contact us for an initial discussion.

FAQ – Today’s HR issues

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