The Future of HR: Growing or Declining?

Bo, Founder of SyngularEdge and formerly with the Josh Bersin Company, argues that HR must move from support function to leadership role in guiding organizations through this transformation.

- There is a lot of debate about this, and I understand why, she says. On one hand, artificial intelligence is taking over much of the work HR has traditionally been responsible for, from recruitment and onboarding to training programs and performance reviews. This may lead some to believe HR is losing relevance. In fact, the opposite is true.

HR is not disappearing, it is being restructured. The organizations that succeed will not be those that cut HR to the bone, but those that elevate it to a strategic partner. The HR leader of the future is no longer an administrator, but an architect shaping work, developing culture and ensuring technology remains human-centric.

Insights from Working with Josh Bersin

Bo has worked with one of the biggest names in HR, and we asked her what she took away from her time with Josh Bersin.

- Spending time with Josh, a couple of things landed hard for me, she explains. One of the strongest lessons was the importance of ‘’fixing the plumbing first". If your processes are broken, throwing AI at them just makes the chaos run faster. Redesign the work before you digitize it.

Another key insight, she says, is that productivity is the new currency. HR has to stop measuring its value in programs run or forms filled. The real question is: how do we help people and teams get better, faster and smarter at what truly matters?

She also points out that HR jobs themselves are changing. Within a few years, many of the tasks we know today will be automated, and the HR role will look more like that of internal consultants, guiding leaders, managing AI responsibly and making sure the human side of work doesn’t get lost.

Her advice to others is clear: be curious and experimental. - Don’t wait for the major vendors or the CFO to tell you to change. Start now: simplify one process at a time, test one AI tool, re-introduce one employee journey. This is how you build momentum, says Vialle-Derksen.

HR’s Next Chapter

Looking ahead, we asked Bo what the HR function will look like in the next five years. She points to five big shifts:

1. From service to strategy. We’ll spend less time answering questions and more time redesigning the work itself. 
2. Innovation at the center. HR won’t just adopt technology, it will be the function that teaches the rest of the business how to work alongside it. 
3. AI as a teammate. Not a threat. AI will become a core member of the HR team, handling the transactional so people can focus on judgment, empathy, and innovation. 
4. Real-time insight. Leaders won’t tolerate waiting six months for an engagement survey. They’ll want live data on skills, sentiment, and readiness. HR has to deliver that. 
5. Culture as a competitive edge. The more digital we get, the more human connection matters. HR is the function best placed to keep culture intentional, not accidental.

The Verdict

Vialle-Derksen is clear. - The role of HR is not shrinking. It’s becoming more complex, more strategic and more exciting. The leaders who lean into AI, embrace design thinking, and keep people at the center will be the ones shaping the future of work.

For European businesses, this moment is also a unique opportunity: to invest in HR technologies that are compliant by design, keep data local and reflect values of sovereignty and ethical governance. The winners will be those who act, experiment and learn, rather than wait for certainty that never comes. They will invest in skills, create mobility and give employees room to grow while the business adapts. People are not just one source of competitive advantage. They are the advantage.