Workforce data, smarter AI integration among greatest workplace priorities in the new year

The elevation of workforce data is no longer a possibility — it is here. And in the coming year, that data will play a bigger role than ever in C-suite decision-making.

“In 2026, an organization’s people data will rival its financial data in strategic importance,” predicts Steve Holdridge, president and COO at HCM tech company Dayforce. “AI will elevate workforce intelligence to a board-level asset, transforming it from a historical view of headcount and costs to a living map of capability, agility and operational potential.”

As Doug Dennerline, CEO of performance management platform Betterworks, points out, the C-suite is already asking different questions. “CEOs and boards are beginning to treat people data as seriously as financial data, asking questions like: How healthy is our performance culture? How often are managers giving feedback?” he says. “These aren’t ‘HR metrics’ anymore — they’re business indicators.”

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