Among SHRM’s 7 HR Trends of 2026 is workforce fragmentation, which is reshaping how organizations structure work, leadership, and culture. In this episode of People + Strategy, Nichole Oocumma, SHRM-SCP, draws on her experience leading HR across healthcare and public-sector organizations to make sense of this reality, exploring how remote, hybrid, and in-person models force difficult tradeoffs — and often create cultural tension. The conversation also examines how generational shifts and increasingly fragmented executive teams are changing the demands on today’s CHROs, requiring clearer messaging, tighter alignment, and more intentional leadership. 

2026 HR Trends: Planning for Business Impact 

Data Brief: Understanding the Labor Shortage

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

In this episode of People + Strategy, John Bernatovicz, founder of Willory, explores what it means to run HR as a true business function. Bernatovicz shares his journey leading payroll and executive search to building a virtual HR consultancy shaped by personal experience and values. He challenges the view of HR as purely administrative, calling on leaders to adopt an owner’s mindset grounded in financial understanding and strategic thinking. Through real-world stories, John illustrates how HR can shape culture while driving measurable business results.  

Related Article: The CHRO of The Future 

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

In this episode of People + Strategy, Darnell Lee, CHRO for the Chief Administrative Officer, reveals how leading HR for the U.S. House of Representatives means mastering the art of adaptability. With shifting leadership every two years and priorities that can change overnight, Lee has built a culture grounded in agility, excellence, and trust. He shares how competency models, data-driven planning, and curiosity around AI are helping the House modernize its workforce strategy. Hear what it takes to guide organizations through constant change — balancing service, stability, and innovation in one of the most dynamic workplaces in government. 

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

In this episode of People + Strategy, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and CEO of SHRM sits down with Jackson O. Lynch, founder of The Talent Sherpa to discuss workplace safety. This special episode was recorded at the SHRM Executive Network Visionaries Summit, where the duo discussed the concept of bringing your authentic self to work and why comfort is not the same thing as safety. Tune in for real world examples from the workplace, including why it’s worthwhile to forgo comfort to give employees feedback.  

For more information about the Visionaries Summit, visit https://shrm.org/enevents. 

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

This episode is part of the November CHRO alignment series, where we talk to leaders about the executive connection. Today, Paul Theisen, founder of TAG CXO and veteran fractional CIO, unpacks what makes the CHRO–CIO partnership work. Plus, stay tuned for a trivia segment on CIO business trends. Theisen shares why the CIO and the CHRO are both customers and providers to one another — and how shared goals around people, systems, and culture can transform an organization. From AI’s rise to the push for tech fluency in HR, Theisen explains how collaboration and trust turn technology into a true driver of human potential. 

• Related article: The CHRO & CIO: Reinventing Work for the AI Era: https://www.shrm.org/executive-network/insights/people-strategy/chro-cio-reinventing-work-ai-era  

• SHRM study Emerging Technology Skills in HR mentioned: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/research/emerging-technology-skills-hr  

• Gartner study mentioned: https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/ai-value 

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

This episode is part of the November CHRO alignment series, where we talk to leaders about the executive connection. Today, former Mastercard chief people officer Michael Fraccaro reveals what makes a strong relationship between a CHRO and the board. Drawing on his years leading through transformation,  Fraccaro shares how trust, openness, and regular dialogue help the board understand what’s really happening inside the organization. Plus, a trivia segment on business trends regarding the CHRO-board relationship. Fraccaro reflects on lessons from his time at Mastercard — from navigating generational shifts and AI adoption to embedding decency into leadership — and why the CHRO’s role with the board is as much about listening and learning as it is about advising. 

• Related article: The CHRO & the Board: https://www.shrm.org/executive-network/insights/people-strategy/chro-board-expanding-seat-of-influence  

• The Evolving Role of the CHRO in the Boardroom report mentioned: https://www.conference-board.org/publications/the-evolving-role-of-the-CHRO-in-the-boardroom      

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

This episode of People + Strategy is part of the November CHRO alignment series, where we talk to leaders about the executive connection. Today, we’re taking you back in time to the SHRM Executive Network Visionaries Summit, where Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Adam Chamberlain and CHRO Lars Minns shared a behind the scenes look into their leadership partnership. The duo dive into how they’ve aligned a complex organization behind a clear purpose, revealing how empowering teams and nurturing wellbeing can spark unity and strengthen performance. Together, they show that when leaders connect with intention and trust, even high-stakes change can feel grounded, human, and full of forward momentum. 

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

This episode of People + Strategy is part of the November CHRO alignment series, where we talk to leaders about the executive connection. Today, SHRM’s CHRO Jim Link and CFO Jane Hadley join us in the studio to unpack what true executive alignment looks like when people and finance leaders work as one. Plus, see how well they know each other through a game segment. Through candid conversation and a few laughs, they reveal how trust, curiosity, and data fluency help bridge dollars and decisions, creating a shared vision for growth. From budget season to incentive planning, Link and Hadley show how understanding each other’s “puzzle pieces” strengthens business performance. Their partnership models a modern C-suite where collaboration, not competition, drives both financial health and a thriving workplace culture.

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

In this episode of People + Strategy, Felicia Robinson, CHRO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, reflects on how HR can steer organizations through change with clarity and heart. Robinson shares her approach to translating a company’s mission into meaningful employee experiences — from nurturing internal talent to weaving purpose into every role. She explores the balance between data-driven workforce planning and the human side of leadership, emphasizing adaptability, digital fluency, and dignity at work. Robinson invites CHROs to reimagine workforce strategy as a living expression of purpose, resilience, and shared success. 

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

In this episode of People + Strategy, Claire MacIntyre, senior VP and chief people officer at Sam’s Club, explores what it means to lead through the rise of AI while keeping people at the center. She shares why today’s leaders may guide the last fully human workforce, and how HR can shape an era of “people-led, tech-powered” work. From reimagining jobs around purpose and creativity to advancing skills-based hiring, MacIntyre challenges CHROs to move beyond scarcity thinking, embrace AI as an enabler, and design workplaces where technology amplifies — not replaces — human potential. 

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r 

In this episode of People + Strategy, Brian Dickens, CHRO of the University of Tennessee System, opens up about the realities of leading while caring for both aging parents and growing children. As part of the sandwich generation, Dickens explores how empathy, flexibility, and purpose-driven leadership can help organizations better support a rapidly expanding caregiving workforce. He offers insights on balancing self-care, family, and professional responsibility while challenging HR leaders to rethink culture and benefits to meet the needs of employees navigating life’s most complex seasons. 

SHRM Report: 2025 Care and Career Report  

Related Article: Caring Across Generations  

Subscribe to People + Strategy podcast to get the latest episodes, expert insights, and additional resources delivered straight to your inbox: https://shrm.co/nq47pr  

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Explore SHRM’s all-new flagships. Content curated by experts. Created for you weekly. Each content journey features engaging podcasts, video, articles, and groundbreaking newsletters tailored to meet your unique needs in your organization and career. Learn More: https://shrm.co/coy63r