Comp and Coffee What's in and out for HR and compensation in 2026: Predictions, opportunities, and challenges
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Jan 20, 2026 Lulu Cycli, Senior Corporate Employment Counsel at Payscale who advises on pay transparency and equity compliance. She talks about 2025 as a legal turning point for pay transparency. Short takes cover new pay transparency rules, EU and California compliance shifts, documentation and audit needs, and how AI and data integration are reshaping pay practices.
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Comp Is Becoming A Strategic Investment
- 2025 forced HR to rethink strategy amid rapid change, AI, and legislative shifts.
- Compensation is evolving from cost to strategic investment driving value creation.
AI Moved From Hype To Mandatory Tooling
- 2025 marked rapid AI adoption in HR tech from skepticism to urgent demand within months.
- Buyers shifted from wanting 'AI' as a label to demanding tools that solve specific comp problems.
AI Raises Need For Defensible Pay Methods
- Easy AI answers raise the bar for defensible pay methodology and documented data sources.
- Comp teams must justify ranges with reliable data or face legal and practical scrutiny.