What radical but realistic decision would immediately transform the way you recruit, retain or train in 2026? Continuation and conclusion of our series devoted to HR wishes in the New Year. Nine professionals from the sector have agreed to share their list. On Tuesday, we asked them , and on Wednesday, which measure would improve .
—Our witnesses: Delphine Bath (chief HR officer, La Mondiale Europartner), (director of HR, marketing, communication and ESG, Raiffeisen), (head of human resources, LuxSE), (head of people & culture, KPMG Luxembourg), Christelle Noel (senior HR marketing project manager, Dussmann), (head of HR Europe, Pictet), Karine Rollot (HRD, Hôpitaux Robert Schuman), Olivier Schmitt (HRD, Centre hospitalier de Luxembourg), Myriam Sibenaler (head of HR, ABBL).
The end of the fixed shift
“Beyond proposing to our border colleagues that they teleport to avoid traffic jams (we said realistic!),” smiles Lise Roda, head of HR Europe at Pictet, “I would do away with the concept of fixed posts. Instead, evolving, temporary roles, recomposed according to projects, skills and aspirations. I would adopt a principle of dynamic mobility by default. By initial choice, each employee [would] change role, team or scope every 18 to 24 months, unless they explicitly decide to stay [in their original position].”
“This organised rotation transforms the company into a continuous learning ecosystem, supported by targeted training courses and regular assessment of potential,” continues the head of HR Europe. “Recruitment becomes mainly internal, loyalty is built on the diversity of experience and training follows the reality of career paths rather than fixed models. We’re no longer looking for talent on the market: we’re constantly cultivating it. An organisation that learns faster than its environment no longer needs to ‘retain’ its talent: it makes them want to stay.”
Implement an integrated and digitalised 360º internal and external talent platform, centralising skills.
Combining skills
For Karine Rollot, of Robert Schuman Hospitals, “the decision would be to set up an integrated and digitalised 360º internal and external talent platform, centralising current and future skills, succession plans as well as the aspirations of employees and candidates. To achieve this, it is essential to identify and anticipate skills needs in critical services for all hospital staff. This would be enhanced by recruiting via innovative channels, developing the employer brand and optimising the candidate experience to increase the attractiveness of the establishment.”
“The success of the platform would also be based on optimising internal mobility paths, developing digital pre-onboarding, as well as personalising face-to-face onboarding, accompanied by the appointment of dedicated tutors,” imagines the HRD. “Finally, to ensure the retention and development of talent, this approach would incorporate tailored training, mentoring, blended training schemes, and support measures tailored to the staff. Taken together, this would be an innovative, humane and sustainable decision, promoting both employee fulfilment and hospital efficiency.”
We could no longer systematically offer open-ended or fixed-term contracts.
On the skills side, again, “the most transformative decision would be,” for Myriam Sibenaler, from the ABBL, “to adopt a recruitment approach that focuses on skills, potential and human qualities, rather than on traditional academic backgrounds. By focusing on curiosity, open-mindedness and the ability to learn, we would broaden our talent pool and attract profiles capable of adapting and innovating. This strategic approach would boost retention and enable us to build bespoke training pathways aligned with the real needs of the business and the development of our employees.”
Grande Région and beyond…
At Dussmann, Christelle Noel is proposing to “adapt the tax and organisational frameworks to the reality of cross-border workers, who make up an essential part of the workforce in Luxembourg and a driving force behind the financing of the social system, particularly pensions. Cross-border taxation and commuting times have a direct impact on attractiveness and retention, especially as these employees, on modest salaries, generally have no realistic prospect of finding accommodation in the Grand Duchy in the short or medium term.”
Beyond the Greater Region, “I would expect strong, coordinated action to facilitate the arrival and installation of international talent,” fleshes out Delphine Bath, from La Mondiale Europartner. “This involves massive administrative simplification, particularly for non-EU profiles, and increased support for access to housing for first-time arrivals. These measures are essential to guarantee Luxembourg’s competitiveness and attract the best profiles, which are essential to the growth and innovation of our companies.”
Delphine Bath continues: “I also hope that the issue of employing experienced people will be put on the table. There are a number of measures in place to encourage the recruitment and retention of older workers, but I don’t think these are enough to meet the challenges of longer careers and ageing well at work. At a time when we are entering a decade of intense transformation of skills and a shortage of profiles, experienced employees constitute a highly valuable pool and we must be able to support all generations throughout their lives.”
“We could no longer systematically offer open-ended contracts or fixed-term contracts,” suggests Christopher Frères, from LuxSE. “Instead, we could offer more flexible alternatives, such as consultancy contracts, freelance positions or hybrid working models. This approach would also better meet certain needs of the new generations, who are often looking for more flexibility and autonomy in their careers. This increased flexibility could also foster innovation and agility within the organisation, by allowing employees to work on a variety of projects.”
A radical decision would be to do away with the traditional annual interview in favour of an individual impact contract.
Transforming the managerial relationship
“A relatively radical decision would be to do away with the traditional annual appraisal in favour of an individual impact contract, co-constructed between the employee and their manager,” suggests Laurent Derkum, from Raiffeisen. “This contract would define, for a given period, three clear elements: the contributions expected, the skills to be developed and the forms of cooperation with other teams. It would be revised regularly, lightly and continuously, rather than judged after the event. This approach would transform the managerial relationship: less grading, more dialogue; less control, more accountability. It would strengthen commitment, clarify expectations and give meaning to training, directly linked to the real impact of the work. Radical because it calls into question a central HR ritual. Realistic because it is based on continuous feedback practices already tried and tested in demanding environments.”
A salary budget per employee
“For 2026, I would take a decision that is both radical and realistic: to allocate to each employee, depending on his or her position and performance, a global remuneration budget granted by the employer, which each individual could then allocate freely according to his or her needs and priorities at the time,” argues Géraldine Hassler, of KPMG Luxembourg. “Rather than systematically and uniformly increasing the salary package, this budget would give access to a customisable remuneration portfolio, pre-structured in compliance with legal and tax constraints.”
“Some employees would choose to increase their car leasing budget, others to strengthen their provident or health insurance cover, while still others would favour buying additional leave, alternative mobility solutions or other benefits,” projects the head of people & culture. “Partial tax exemption of this budget would be welcome, as long as this special amount is allocated or invested in causes supported or encouraged by the government such as the ecological transition, soft mobility or continuing training.”
Neighbouring countries, such as Belgium, have already developed flexible pay schemes that are widely used by employers.
Géraldine Hassler illustrates: “In concrete terms, this system would be based on an intelligent platform capable of proposing personalised scenarios, simulating the financial and tax impact of each option in complete transparency, for both the employer and the employee, and ensuring that choices are made in compliance with the legal framework. Employees would thus become players in their remuneration, in a simple, autonomous and informed way, while ensuring that HR management runs smoothly.”
“This decision would immediately transform the way we recruit, retain and develop talent: it would enhance the company’s attractiveness thanks to an individualised value proposition; it would improve retention, as remuneration would be better aligned with employees’ real and evolving needs; and it would enable HR teams to refocus on a strategic advisory role, rather than repetitive administrative tasks. Neighbouring countries, such as Belgium, have already developed flexible pay schemes (’cafeteria plans’) that are widely used by employers, demonstrating that this type of scheme is realistic, operational and immediately effective. In 2026, this would be a powerful lever for modernising our pay policy and strengthening employee commitment over the long term.”