The past year has been one of profound transformation for businesses globally. We’ve been fortunate to partner with many exceptional organisations and leaders who’ve turned uncertainty into opportunity. Here are five trends we've seen shaping client and candidate expectations in early 2026.
1. Relocation over Remote
- With most organisations now back in the office at least three days a week, to ensure on-the-ground leadership and collaboration, relocation is typically required for candidates outside daily commuting distance.
- Cultural misalignment can occur between recently-hired, office-based teams and any legacy, remote ones.
2. Performance over Pedigre
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In an environment in which sales, profits and unit growth is hard-won, clients are drilling down on the growth candidates have really delivered.
- Gone are the days when educational or CV pedigree can make up for any lack of recent achievements.
3. Total Rewards in the Spotlight
- With inflation easing and lots of talent on the sidelines, candidates have lowered their expectations slightly when it comes to base salary, in exchange for an achievable annual bonus, mid-term career advancement and long-term incentives.
- Total Reward leaders are no longer simply managing pay and benefits structures, but using predictive analytics to support role design and broader business decisions.
4. Impactful Role Design
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Leadership roles are increasingly being designed for speed of impact.
- With spans of control increasing and organisational layers thinning, breadth and depth of functional expertise are demanded.
5. People and Technology Fusing
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In Technology function, the People & Culture function is increasingly aligned with, and in some cases has even embedded in, the Technology organisation, led by a CHRTO.
- Elsewhere, we’re seeing clients transition the more transactional aspects of HR from off-shored humans to cloud-based AI agents.
These themes provide a useful snapshot of how expectations from both clients and candidates are evolving as we move through 2026.