The Real Future of Managers in 2026 (and Why Most HR Teams Aren’t Ready)
In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we speak with Sandrine GIRSZYN, Chief Human Resources Officer Headquarters at AXA, about redefining the role of the manager in a fast-changing world. Sandrine explains how managers have become the crucial layer holding transformation, well-being, and performance together, and why HR must put them back at the center of organizational strategy.
She shares how AXA is supporting more than 4,000 managers worldwide through a human-centered approach built on listening, co-creation, and trust. Rather than relying solely on AI or digital training, Sandrine reveals how in-person connection, community, and peer learning have become AXA’s secret to real development.
From creating a “People Link” community to launching a global coaching platform, this episode is a roadmap for every HR leader trying to upskill managers while keeping the human touch alive.
🎓 In this episode, Sandrine discusses:
Offering real-time, human coaching, not AI substitutes
How in-person connection strengthens trust and capability
How AXA supports them through listening and co-creation
Building a “People Link” community for peer learning and support
Why middle managers are the most critical layer in transformation
Discover how to Build Human-Centred Workplaces which Thrive!
Workhuman partnered with Gallup to decode why only 33% of U.S. employees feel engaged and what leaders can do about it.
The answer? Recognition done right.
When companies build flexible work, psychological safety, and authentic appreciation, engagement soars.
The research shows recognition:
✅ Boosts retention
✅ Fuels feedback cultures
✅ Elevates wellbeing
✅ Powers upskilling in the AI era
Engagement isn’t chance, it’s design.
The future belongs to organizations that make recognition their competitive edge.
Chris Rainey 0:13
Sandrine, how you doing? I'm
Sandrine Girszyn 0:14
doing fine. Thank you. I have to apologize before starting because I lost my voice three days ago, but I will do my best to be with you today.
Chris Rainey 0:22
And it always happens just before an event where you're speaking exactly
Sandrine Girszyn 0:26
because I was just before on stage, so it was difficult, but now with hot tea, things are going
Chris Rainey 0:32
better, nice and do with me now, so it's just relaxed,
Sandrine Girszyn 0:35
yes, yes, I'm very relaxed and very happy to be with you. No worries about that. What
Chris Rainey 0:38
was the what was
Sandrine Girszyn 0:40
the session around the session was about management, because, as you know, I have very strong conviction around this topic and how we can support in organization immediate managers. So I was on stage to discuss about what that means to be a manager today. What type of challenge do they face, and how can an organization and HR can support them on their daily basis, and how can we upskill them to ensure that they are going in the right trajectory?
Chris Rainey 1:05
Yeah, so what are some of the big challenges that you're seeing with middle managers that they're facing today?
Sandrine Girszyn 1:12
I think that the function has quite evolved in the last years. To be very honest with you, at the beginning, we were looking for really very strong experts capable to manage teams through the expertise and the performance of the team. And in the past years, we have seen a very strong extension of the needs, because now managers need to manage at the same time individual needs and collective needs. They need to manage performance and mental health. They need to manage transformation. So they are really facing on a daily basis, a lot of challenges they need to implement transformation on a regular basis. So for me, they are really a critical layer in organization that we need to take care of more and more in the years to come, without any doubt. Yeah.
Chris Rainey 1:53
So what is your approach now of helping prepare them?
Sandrine Girszyn 1:58
So I think that our approach is really to be close to them. So first to listen to their needs, because probably in the past years, we were building managerial capabilities development depending on HR vision, and we have probably changed and switched a little bit our approach by saying, Okay, what do they need? What are their strengths, but what are their challenges today? And how can we come to then help them and support them, to ensure that we are supporting them in the appropriate way. So it's really listening to them, understanding their challenges, asking them what they need and how we can help them, and CO building approaches to ensure that it really fits their needs.
Chris Rainey 2:36
Yeah, what's some of the big things that they're raising, the challenges that they're facing
Sandrine Girszyn 2:41
one of the biggest challenging challenges for them is probably, how do you manage a team and as an individual, in a team, and at the same time a collective performance? Because they are like in a sandwich, you know, they are between the senior leaders asking them to transform. And you see the trends and the fast learning organization we are in, and at the same time, they need to manage a team of 1020 people, which is each individuals trying to care for their people, and at the same time to push for innovation, to push for transformation. And this is probably one of the biggest paradox all injunctions that they need to face on a daily
Chris Rainey 3:18
basis in terms of your delivery. Now, what? How are you delivering this upscaling or reskilling? Is it for an AI solution in person workshops?
Sandrine Girszyn 3:28
Quite surprising, because I know that AI is a big trend, so each time we're asking to a question to HR, we expect us to speak about AI. But from my perspective, we have probably gone in another road at the AI side quarters by deciding to go with the people link and the creating the collective mindset. So what we have put in place is really creating a three pillars approach when we have decided to say, okay, when you become a manager, you need to be supported. So you have a very strong onboarding and learning program where you learn how what are the basics? Then we have built a community with a very strong willingness to create informal and formal moments about people, trends, managerial capabilities, to feed our managers on a regular basis with insight coming from the external and internal market. And then we help them to grow through very dedicated workshops, trainings on, for example, psychological risk in person. In person, yeah, okay, and we are doing that in person because we have also a strong conviction that this is a need today, and maybe even more in the society we are living where everything is E breed, where everything is done with technology, creating, again, this link and in person link seems to be really critical. And I can share with you a very anecdotal element, which is funny. When we started to do the community, we said, Okay, we will have two times. The first one will be a guest speaker talking about the topic, and the second one was to say, we will do a cocktail. Yeah. So that we can have a drink after it seems to be so basics when you share that, but you cannot imagine the power of it, where people listen to someone, get insight about the people management, and then have time together to discuss about it, yeah, to share their feedback, what they have learned, what are their challenges? How do they face and by doing these type of things on a regular basis, on a monthly basis, we have succeeded to create a community where talking about people is not something
Chris Rainey 5:29
strange, something you do once a quarter exactly.
Sandrine Girszyn 5:33
You do it on a regular basis, and you pick and choose. You take what is needed in your career path. What do you need to develop? Etc. So for me, this type of link creates really a very strong trust between also HR and managers, which is critical,
Chris Rainey 5:47
yeah. And I think one of the important things that people maybe miss is sometimes it can be pretty lonely, so being able to have be surrounded by other managers say, oh, it's not just me having this problem.
Sandrine Girszyn 5:58
Exactly, yeah, exactly. So you have a mirror effect. You have also the effect of saying, okay, in the room, you can have managers, very senior managers, but also Junior managers, so they become aware on the fact that being manager can be a challenge at any level in an organization. And you can, in addition of those type of community, create peer to peer coaching to ensure that it's not only insight coming from guests, but it's also discussing about very concrete case, and you can take help from other managers. So in parallel, you can co build and build different pillars of your plan to ensure that they can use what they need and develop capabilities together. And it makes a huge difference.
Chris Rainey 6:40
How are you approaching coaching? We've seen a lot of AI coaching solutions around they're popping up every day. New ones is something you're playing around with. So
Sandrine Girszyn 6:50
we are playing we have decided, two years ago to implement platform coaching, which is called Simon dia Okay, and we are offering to our managers license, so it's a voluntary license that they can use when needed. But in addition to that, I think that HR is also playing a very strong role in terms of coaching on a daily basis, because the HRBP, for example, as HR generalists, are here to advise coach, Support Manager on a daily basis on what they are facing. Coaching is not magic, but coaching can really help to emphasize some topics and to support at key moments in a managerial career, exactly.
Chris Rainey 7:26
And I think one of the benefits of that is, is coaching in the moment
Sandrine Girszyn 7:32
right when the manager needs it. I mean, it's not you saying you need to be coach. It's me as a manager when I feel I need it. I cannot.
Chris Rainey 7:39
I've got a meeting coming up tomorrow, feedback. That's when you really need it, right? Not, oh, I've got a coaching session booked two weeks now. It needs to be in the in embedded in work itself,
Sandrine Girszyn 7:53
exactly. And this is the flexibility of the platform, because then, with the platform, as you are giving a license, you are offering to your manager, the capability to connect when they have time, when they need and when this is the right moment for them, yeah.
Chris Rainey 8:05
And also it understands all of their data, their context exactly, so it becomes really personalized Exactly.
Sandrine Girszyn 8:12
Those are true coach. This is not AI, so just to clarify, yeah, we have decided to take a solution really amazing. Okay, sorry, I missed that part, AI or chatbot talking to the managers. It's really they can book it exactly. So you book a coach, the coach can talk to you in your own language, so you know that we are in an international headquarters,
Chris Rainey 8:32
so it can find a coach with the right language. Wow, Spanish,
Sandrine Girszyn 8:36
French, incredible. And you can connect, you book your slot, and you have three three session as a first license so that you can solve an issue. And if you need to extend, you can ask HR to have an extension in terms of additional license. Yeah.
Chris Rainey 8:50
What are you excited about next? What's in the pipeline for you in the team?
Sandrine Girszyn 8:55
You mean, from a manager? Yeah, you've got many things planned. Like, for sure, what we are looking today is how AI can support managers to develop their capabilities. And I think that as HR, we cannot say that it doesn't exist, and I don't want to see it. I mean, it doesn't make sense. So for sure, what we are, and this is why I'm very happy to be here today, is the question is really, what is in the market, what can make sense for us? So for example, we are exploring some AI tool where we can help manager to give better feedback. And I think it can be a way, in addition of in person workshop, in addition of individual coaching to really practice and develop your capabilities. So this is the things we are looking for 2026
Chris Rainey 9:37
amazing Wale, years to come. Yeah, well, listen, I appreciate you joining me, especially with the sore voice, but that's now you can relax for the rest of the day. It's always good speaking to you. Thanks so much.
Sandrine Girszyn 9:46
Thank you so much for welcoming me. See you. Thank you.
More from the HR Leaders Podcast
Sandrine Girszyn, CHRO Headquarters at AXA.