The HR Research Institute, powered by HR.com, has announced the formation of its 2026 Employee Productivity and Engagement Advisory Board, bringing together senior HR leaders, workforce strategy experts, and engagement specialists to help shape upcoming research and a virtual event. This initiative focuses on one of the most critical challenges facing organizations today: improving productivity and engagement in the evolving workplace.
As organizations adapt to hybrid and remote work and the rise of generative AI, understanding how to improve productivity and engagement has become more important than ever. The Advisory Board will guide a 2026 research initiative and a virtual event focused on turning insights into practical strategies HR leaders can use in today’s evolving workplace.
The Board will consider how organizations define and measure engagement, and which HR and management practices have the greatest impact. It will also examine how productivity and performance are viewed across different contexts, and how engagement, productivity, performance, and retention are connected to drive better business outcomes. Findings from this work will inform both the research survey and a virtual event focused on actionable strategies for HR leaders.
The newly formed 2026 Employee Productivity and Engagement Advisory Board features distinguished experts including Deepti Chaudhary, Senior HRIS Manager at Dover Corporation; Madeline Des Jardins, Global Senior Director, Internal Communications & Employee Engagement at WalkMe; Janiece Ferrell, Global Program Manager, Talent Supply Chain, Workforce Planning, Effectiveness and Efficiencies at Dell Technologies; Bridgett Hart, Vice President, Employee Experience at Ibex; Shipra Kamra, Vice President, People Team (Head of HR - Global) at Responsive; Susana Kelly, Employee Experience & Engagement Analyst at Numeracle; Sandra Loughlin, Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems Inc.; Cassandra Lowery, Global Human Resources Manager at Liminal; Lauren Mutz, Director, Employee Experience & Engagement at Daiichi Sankyo Inc.; Jason Richmond, Chief Culture Officer at Ideal Outcomes, Inc.; Kristen Ruttgaizer, Chief People Officer (on sabbatical); and Siri Svay, Program Manager, Culture and Engagement at IAT Insurance Group.
“We are thrilled to bring together such an outstanding group of experts to guide this important work,” said Debbie McGrath, CEO of HR.com. “Their real-world experience will help HR leaders better connect productivity and engagement in a time of rapid change, and we look forward to the impact this collaboration will bring to the HR community.”
The HR Research Institute releases annual “State of the Industry” reports in a variety of HR topic areas, including last year’s research report, HR.com's State of Employee Productivity and Engagement 2025, covering the same topic. This and other free research reports and infographics can be downloaded at hr.com/researchinstitute.
The HR Research Institute, powered by HR.com, identifies key trends and best practices to help more than 2 million HR professionals and their organizations make strategic decisions with informed and insightful research findings. The Institute has published hundreds of high-quality reports across a wide array of HR topics. HR.com’s free membership offers many benefits, including access to over 300 exclusive primary research, state-of-the-industry reports, and infographics. These resources are published based on surveys developed with the assistance of a panel of thought leaders and industry experts on the advisory boards.
The upcoming State of Employee Productivity and Engagement Virtual Event is scheduled for August 19, 2026. This event will bring together HR leaders to discuss actionable strategies derived from the research.
