‘Invigorating’ | Why attending an HR conference could be your team's biggest win of 2026

Each time I meet with an HR professional – and I’m fortunate enough to chat to a lot of you – the conversation invariably starts the same way.

‘How are you?’ I begin. ‘What’s your week been like so far? Having a good start to the year?’

The weary response comes back: ‘Busy… good… but busy. So busy. Too busy.’

This is, apparently, the life of the people leader in 2026. Between the packed calendars, overflowing to-do lists, and a relentless slew of Teams notifications, HR professionals are understandably exhausted, strained, and downtrodden.