There are only a few days left to participate in Blanchard’s 2026 HR / L&D Trends Survey. It closes on November 16. Hundreds of leadership, learning, and talent development professionals have participated in this year’s survey that explores a wide variety of topics including:
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- Hiring
- Retention
- Engagement
- Training Design
- Training Investment
- Leadership Skills
One unique feature of the Blanchard survey is several open-text questions where survey participants can share thoughts, experiences, and challenges in their own words. Even though the data is still preliminary, many themes are beginning to develop across different sections of the survey. For example, in the section that looks at top challenges for the new year, more than 300 respondents shared their top challenges going into 2026.
Here’s a quick summary of what they are identifying. How does this match up with your experience? Use this link to take the survey.
1. Talent Acquisition, Retention, and Development
Many respondents highlighted the struggle to attract, retain, and develop talent—especially individuals with specialized or digital skills. Organizations are experiencing skill shortages, high turnover, and difficulty building leadership pipelines.
Representative ideas:
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- Acquiring and retaining specialized or digital talent
- Building leadership and succession pipelines
- Developing and reskilling employees for future needs
- Early onboarding and career development
2. Organizational Change, Transformation, and Agility
Respondents consistently mentioned the challenge of managing transformation—whether digital, cultural, or structural. HR and L&D functions are under pressure to enable change, manage resistance, and foster agility within fast-evolving organizations.
Representative ideas:
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- Supporting transformation and organizational restructuring
- Shifting mindsets of top and middle management
- Increasing flexibility and adaptability to change
- Embedding a learning and innovation-oriented culture
3. Productivity, Engagement, and Well-being
Another strong theme was the focus on maintaining productivity and morale amid limited resources and heavy workloads. Leaders struggle to engage employees, prevent burnout, and ensure well-being while pushing for efficiency and performance.
Representative ideas:
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- Improving employee engagement and psychological safety
- Maintaining productivity while reducing overtime
- Addressing overwork and burnout
- Encouraging self-driven growth and accountability
4. Leadership and Capability Development
Many responses emphasized a gap in leadership skills and capabilities, particularly in preparing managers for the AI era and developing future-ready competencies.
Representative ideas:
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- Developing leaders capable of managing change and digital transformation
- Strengthening coaching, feedback, and performance management skills
- Creating leadership development programs that align with business strategy
- Building global and inclusive leadership mindsets
5. Resource Constraints and Strategic Alignment
Respondents frequently cited budget limitations and alignment issues, including difficulties linking learning and HR efforts to business strategy and demonstrating impact under tight financial conditions.
Representative ideas:
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- Limited budgets and rising personnel costs
- Aligning HR/L&D initiatives with strategic business goals
- Demonstrating ROI and effectiveness of programs
- Managing people costs while sustaining learning investment
And that’s just one section of the survey!
Overall, the responses paint a picture of organizations striving to balance transformation and performance under pressure. HR and L&D leaders are being asked to do more with less: drive cultural change, build future capabilities, and prove measurable business impact despite resource and engagement challenges.
Share your experience
There is still time for you to participate. Join peers and colleagues from around the world in this year’s survey. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete and you’ll receive early access to the final report. You’ll also be invited to a special webcast December 3 that explores the results, and free follow-up events that take a deeper dive into key topics.
Don’t miss out—join the conversation—take the survey now!
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