The SHRM Special Expertise Panels began to compile their lists of key trends more than five years ago. This exercise is an opportunity for SHRM to tap into the cutting-edge insights from the most experienced thought leaders in the HR field. Since then, the panels have been regularly reviewing their most recent trends and adding, subtracting or changing them as new developments occur.

Though the panels vary widely in the subject matter they cover and many of the trends in their lists reflect these differences, they also have some overlap, indicating that some broader trends are influencing many aspects of HR and the workplace simultaneously.