The 29th Annual HR Systems Survey Is Open: Here's What You'll See Inside
Sapient Insights Group is an independent, women-owned research and advisory firm. It runs the largest and longest-running study of HR technology in the world.
The 29th Annual HR Systems Survey is now open and closes June 24th.
Last year, 4,670 organizations across 71 countries participated, with practitioners sharing what's working, what isn't, and where budgets are going. The data that comes out of this shapes how the entire industry benchmarks itself.
This year, WorkAxle is proud to be one of the survey's distribution partners to help these questions reach more participants. We believe in the value of this kind of research, for our industry, for our customers, and for us.
The research is independent, and every response is anonymous and aggregated. In addition, every organization that completes the survey receives the full 300+ page Annual HR Systems Survey report—an $1,800 value—as a thank-you.
If you've received our invitation and want a closer look at what the survey covers before you dive in, here's a quick breakdown.
The 15 Topic Areas Covered in the Survey: Answer What Applies to You
You choose the sections relevant to your role and share the rest with your corresponding team.
|
If you work in... |
You'd answer... |
Time |
|---|---|---|
|
HR / HRIS |
HRMS, Benefits, Talent Management |
15–20 min each |
|
Payroll |
Payroll, Core Applications |
15–20 min each |
|
Scheduling / WFM |
Time Management, Attendance, Resources, Budgeting |
15–20 min each |
|
Recruiting / Talent |
Recruiting, Learning, Performance, Succession, Rewards |
15–20 min each |
|
IT / Systems |
Security & Integration, System Maintenance |
15–20 min each |
|
Operations / COO |
Strategy & Spending, Analytics & Planning |
15–20 min each |
|
Anyone curious about AI |
Emerging Trends — AI adoption, emerging tech, innovation |
15–20 min each |
|
Anyone with vendor opinions |
Voice of the Customer — vendor satisfaction feedback |
15–20 min each |
One section = a complete response. You don't need to do more than one to participate.
Five Things to Know Before You Start
- It saves your progress. Close the tab, come back tomorrow. The survey picks up where you left off.
- One section is enough. You don't need to cover all 15 areas. Even one completed section counts as a full response.
- You can delegate sections. The survey lets you forward specific sections to colleagues who know those areas better. Your payroll lead takes Payroll. Your IT director takes Security. Everyone covers what they know.
- Responses are anonymous. Sapient Insights aggregates everything. No individual or company data is ever shared.
- It closes June 24, 2026. No extensions.
Take the Survey
15 topic areas. Pick the ones you know. 15–20 minutes per section.
The industry gets better when practitioners share what's actually happening. Your perspective matters.
Why We're Involved and What We've Been Writing About
WorkAxle is a distribution partner for the 2026 survey because we care about the same things this research measures — how organizations manage scheduling complexity, navigate compliance, adopt AI responsibly, and choose the right technology for their teams.
We've been following these conversations closely. If any of the survey topics sparked your interest, here's what we've been writing about:
- The EU Pay Transparency Directive Deadline Is June 7 — What Employers Must Do Now
- Predictive Scheduling Laws in 2026: Which Cities and States Are Next?
- AI Scheduling Is Getting Smarter — but Can It Explain Itself?
- Payroll Errors: Why Data Architecture Is the Real Problem
- What Actually Happens When Your WFM Vendor Gets Acquired
The Annual HR Systems Survey is conducted by Sapient Insights Group, an independent research and advisory firm specializing in HR technology. WorkAxle is a distribution partner for the 2026 survey.