Reflecting on the Role: How HR Professionals Feel About Their Work

Even with the global workforce facing the biggest challenges in decades — including U.S. debates over diversity, remote work and the increasing role of artificial intelligence — HR teams remain optimistic about the future.

Is this an evidence-based statement or provocative wishful thinking?

Before I continue, please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dr. Amy Dufrane, the CEO of HRCI, a leading credentialing and learning organization for the HR profession, and a new contributor to WorldatWork and its Workspan Daily platform.

HRCI recently conducted its annual research into the State of HR. This year’s results are based on a survey completed in late 2025 by 4,583 HR professionals, of whom the vast majority (85%) practice in the U.S. and represent a broad range of roles, experience levels, industries and organizational contexts. In my upcoming articles, I’ll be sharing our formal findings.

This article will unpack a few items from the research.

A Profession That’s Positive and Positioned

First, despite facing career-defining challenges and massive changes impacting American workplaces, our research demonstrates that HR professionals remain largely positive about their role.

• 76% of survey respondents said they enjoy working in HR “immensely” or “a lot.”
• 64% are “extremely” or “very” hopeful about the future of HR.
• 72% are likely to recommend HR to others as a career path.

Overall, the state of HR is strong. Based on the research, the sentiment is that:

• HR professionals, as a group, are optimistic about the future and resilient in the present.
• They sincerely appreciate genuine connections and meaningful work.
• Relationships matter to them, especially the relationship between people and performance.
• They understand that tough times don’t last, and looking past adversity into the future helps get the job done.

And while it might feel like those in the profession are reading about gloom and doom on a daily basis, 67% of respondents said they work in HR departments that can be classified as status quo or better. In fact, one-fifth of those polled said they are experiencing growth in both staffing levels and department budgets. The synopsis is that HR remains a healthy business function.

That’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. HR professionals face plenty of challenges on the job. The survey asked them to select the two aspects of HR they feel least prepared to handle, and by far, “implementing HR technology” topped the list, at 52%. The other areas where respondents said they feel “least prepared” included:

• Developing effective compensation and benefits strategies (39%);
• Managing employee performance and skills (32%); and,
• Developing strategies that support organizational vision and values (28%).

Those are big topics that will be addressed in my upcoming articles.

Leading with Lifelong Learning

Almost 80% of survey respondents agreed with the statement, “I am well prepared to carry out my job.” Being prepared for the job is directly linked to enjoying HR work, and HR professionals are lifelong learners. Our research revealed that 95% of HR practitioners participated in professional development last year, and 98% expect to participate this year. A strong majority (71%) said they consider professional development to be important or critical.

In my opinion, and certainly underscored by our research, there’s a direct relationship between employee satisfaction and a happy HR department. While it’s not realistic for HR to be the purveyor of happiness 24 hours per day, seven days per week, well-supported HR teams can help create positive work cultures. And it’s clear that HR professionals share optimism in their workplaces through their own job satisfaction.

Looking Ahead

Please watch Workspan Daily for further findings from the State of HR research, as well as focused observations on the trajectory of the profession. If you’d like your own copy of this report, you can download it from hrci.org.

Editor’s Note: Additional Content

For more information and resources related to this article, see the pages below, which offer quick access to all WorldatWork content on these topics:

• Career Growth
• Organizational Performance