Workshop for company and HR executives

HR 2026: less flexibility, higher expectations?

What can HR do if it still wants to achieve business impact?

February 11, 2026 (Wednesday), 9:00 a.m.–13:00 p.m.

An intensive morning session where, based on fresh, large-sample HR studies (asking 2000 organisations about HR issues) – including the Best HRM Solutions in V4 countries project, the Cranet surveys, and the public materials of HR+ – we summarize the unified directions shown by the results and what this means for Hungarian HR in 2026.

Location: Kecskemét (Hungary)

The event will be held in Hungarian.

Our central question:

Which HR areas are worth investing in if the goal is to achieve real business impact – and how can Hungary catch up in all of this?

BACKGROUND OF THE EVENT

The aim of the event is to provide a data-based picture of:

how research sees the situation of Hungarian HR systems in the Central European region,
which areas of development will be the most critical in 2026,
and what specific steps HR should focus on if it wants to influence business processes and results.

The results of the research will not be presented separately, but summarized and organized in one direction, and then further developed in roundtable discussions and small group work.

What are we working from?

The event draws on several mutually reinforcing sources, including:

the results of the Best HRM Solutions in V4 countries project and its predecessor project,
Cranet international HR surveys,
HR+ public research and case studies,
other domestic and regional HR research.

These provide participants with a coherent picture of where Hungarian HR stands in the region and the direction in which it should move.

The aim of the project is to combine academic knowledge, corporate experience, and HR management practice in order to develop practical HR tools tailored to the real needs of the region. The HR 2026 delivers this knowledge in an intensive, four-hour interactive format.

Five key topics – and the related action opportunities

The discussions and small group work will focus on five major HR areas. The question for each topic is:
What can actually be achieved in an organization in 2026?

1. Strategic HR integration

How can HR make a meaningful contribution to business decisions and metrics?
What structures, roles, and consultation forums strengthen the strategic importance of HR?
How can an HR manager truly elevate their field to a strategic level?

2. HR digitization

Which HR processes will provide the greatest added value in the coming years?
How can data-driven yet people-oriented HR operations be built within a company?

3. Talent and succession development

What programs truly support retention and future leadership succession?
How can programs be adapted to the challenges of the digital and green transition?
What are the key elements that research shows are common to all successful talent programs (business-driven selection, transparent frameworks, work-embedded development, strong leadership involvement, measurable results)?

4. Rethinking job descriptions and roles

How are digitization and artificial intelligence transforming job profiles?
What does “rewriting” job descriptions in a transparent, modern role system mean in practice?

5. Performance management systems

What does a performance system look like that is not an administrative burden, but a real feedback and focusing tool?
What are the main success criteria for such a system?
What metrics can be used to support the business benefits of change?

In small group discussions, we collect specific, practical exercises and, above all, opportunities for action for each topic: what is worth introducing, transforming, or even abandoning in 2026.

Who is the event for?

For HR directors and HR leaders

Who need to prove that HR visibly contributes to business results.

For HR business partners and specialists

Who must argue daily with business decision-makers in favor of HR developments.

For company executives and owners

Who expect real business partnership from HR.

What will participants likely take away?

By the end of the event, participants will:

they will gain a clear overview of where Hungarian HR stands in light of regional research

they will be able to position their own organization across five major HR areas using a quick assessment

they will define 3–5 development priorities tailored to their own company for 2026

and they will receive a set of arguments that allow them to present HR’s expected impact in business terms

The presentation slides and the summarized takeaways from the small-group discussions will be provided exclusively to the workshop participants. In addition, attendees will receive selected access to HR knowledge from the Visegrad countries: fresh research findings, articles, case studies, and – if requested – new opportunities for professional HR networking.

Program

08:45-09:00

Registration, welcome coffee

09:00-09:10

Opening

Presentation of the event’s objectives, main topics, and morning program.

09:10-09:30

Strengths, blind spots, shortcomings – the Hungarian HR landscape at the dawn of 2026 – by Dr. József Poór, DSc, Research Professor, MATE, Certified Management Consultant (CMC), President of HSZOSZ

Key messages from V4, Cranet, HR+ and other research,
the situation and characteristics of Hungarian HR in regional comparison.

09:30–09:45

Advantage from transition: HR responses to green and digital challenges – by Kálmán Botond Géza, PhD
John von Neumann University, Department of Finance and Accounting Assistant Professor

What the digital and green transition means for HR systems
What new skills, roles, and organizational responses are becoming crucial, according to the latest HR research findings

09:45–10:30

Roundtable discussion

Topic: The growing strategic role of HR and its shrinking scope of action in 2026

Dr. József Poór

Research Professor, MATE, Certified Management Consultant (CMC), President of HSZOSZ

Noémi Csaposs

Director of the HR Advisory Department at BDO Hungary, President of OHE

Ágnes Fábri

HR Manager at GALLICOOP Group

Réka Harai

Global Total Reward Manager at Lexmark – Xerox

Moderator of round table discussions

Edina Kálmán, owner and managing director of Knowhouse Consulting Kft., consortium leader of the Best HRM Solutions in V4 countries project

10:30–10:45

Coffee break, informal conversation

10:45–11:45

5 topics – 5 focal points in HR

Small group work in five major, critical HR areas

The discussions and joint work in each area seek to answer the same question: as a company or HR manager/professional, what can actually be achieved in my organization in 2026?

Small group topics:

1. Strategic HR integration

How can HR make a meaningful contribution to business decisions and metrics?
What structures, roles, and consultation forums strengthen the strategic importance of HR?
How can an HR manager truly elevate their field to a strategic level?

2. HR digitization

Which HR processes will provide the greatest added value in the coming years?
How can data-driven yet people-oriented HR operations be built within a company?

3. Talent and succession development

What programs truly support retention and future leadership succession?
How can programs be adapted to the challenges of the digital and green transition?
What are the key elements that research shows are common to all successful talent programs (business-driven selection, transparent frameworks, work-embedded development, strong leadership involvement, measurable results)?

4. Rethinking job descriptions and roles

How are digitization and artificial intelligence transforming job profiles?
What does “rewriting” job descriptions in a transparent, modern role system mean in practice?

5. Performance management systems

What does a performance system look like that is not an administrative burden, but a real feedback and focusing tool?
What are the main success criteria for such a system?
What metrics can be used to support the business benefits of change?

In small group discussions, we collect specific, practical exercises and, above all, opportunities for action for each topic: what should be introduced, transformed, or abandoned in 2026.

11:45–12:45

Sharing small group results in plenary session

A shared vision of