The future of work and the changing world of work are changing faster than expected. AI is transforming productivity, agent-based systems are reshaping decision-making, and skills-based strategies are redefining how companies grow.

According to a new study from SAP, employees save 75 minutes a day by using AI – time that can be invested in innovative projects, professional contacts and value-adding tasks.

But amid economic volatility, changing regulations and a global skills shortage, companies face a crucial challenge: How can they connect their people and their business in a way that promotes agility, resilience and growth? This fundamental change offers unprecedented opportunities

Unlock new possibilities with SAP SuccessFactors

The solutions from SAP SuccessFactors support this change – with trusted information, operational performance and innovations that turn these challenges into competitive advantage. With over 10,000 customers worldwide, we are privileged to work with leading international brands and help them lead their people and their companies through change.

The SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite is a comprehensive offering that connects all the building blocks of a company’s human resources strategy – from core HR functions and payroll to talent acquisition and talent management to personnel analytics. SAP Business AI is fully integrated into our HCM suite, and the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) enables our customers to expand and adapt their solutions as needed.

We constantly invest in our solutions and follow the signals of the market. This is how we ensure our customers have the tools they need to stay at the forefront of technological innovation.

At Success Connect in Las Vegas we have presented the latest innovations designed to improve the employee experience, streamline operations, and provide meaningful workforce insights.

Improving the employee experience

New Joule Agents

AI systems that act as standalone agents are redefining the employee experience and transforming the way tasks are completed. Routine tasks are automated, decision-making is accelerated and new productivity potential is opened up. Joule, SAP’s AI assistant, is embedded in enterprise applications to provide real-time information and automation through a simple, conversational interface.

Joule currently supports 80 percent of the most commonly used tasks in SAP systems, and Joule’s capabilities continue to expand. The AI ​​Copilot is available in eleven languages. And next month, the first HR-specific Joule agent – ​​the Performance and Goals Agent – ​​will be generally available, with more to come. This agent helps leaders lead impactful performance conversations by providing tailored insights, performance updates, and personalized conversation guides.

We will continue to add new agents who will work behind the scenes to help managers, employees and HR teams work more efficiently. We have now announced the next four agents that will be available in SAP SuccessFactors in the first half of 2026:

• The Career and Talent Development Agent automates succession planning and helps senior managers identify and develop future leaders.
• The HR Service Agent Acts as a direct contact person for employees and relieves human resources employees of having to answer recurring questions.
• The Payroll agent helps employees better understand their payroll by linking salary details with time data and enabling intelligent scenarios to “explain pay” – for example, by highlighting unexpected overtime and recommending appropriate action
• The People Intelligence Agentthe People Intelligence Insight application in the SAP Business Data Cloud connects Joule and SAP SuccessFactors so that executives and HR teams can ask questions in their own words and receive intuitive, accessible people analytics.

Introduction of the “Workforce Knowledge Network”

Building on these new features, we are also introducing Knowledge network for the workforce an industry-first integration that brings third-party content from industry experts directly into Joule, providing employees with more comprehensive insights. This is a big step forward, allowing interactions between agents and providing the most relevant information in a seamless user experience.

Content from leading HCM industry experts GP (Globalization Partners) and The Josh Bersin Company flow directly into joules. These integrations allow Joule to pull third-party content and interact with various agents, giving employees assistance based on real insights and trusted research.

For example, HR managers can access GP Gia, an HR agent developed by GP that provides access to expert guidance on global labor laws, directly in Joule. Additionally, they can ask Joule, “What are best practices for hiring engineers in a high-cost location?” And Joule can respond with research-based insights and recommendations provided by Galileo. Galileo is an AI agent developed by The Josh Bersin Company that is used by over 6,000 users across more than 800 companies.

“Joule offers groundbreaking technology that brings relief and improvements to everyone in the company,” said Josh Bersin, CEO of The Josh Bersin Company. “We are excited to make Galileo, one of the leading AI agents for HR, available to all SAP users, giving them comprehensive insights into all of their HR decisions.”

Optimization of processes

Innovations in core HR functions

Operational performance is the backbone of any great employee experience. It enables economies of scale, consistency and confidence, especially in times of change. That’s why we continue to invest intensively in core HR functions.

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is localized for 104 countries and used in 179 countries. The global HR operations solution is the most trusted in the industry. And now we have announced that this trust will become even stronger:

• Newer SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Scheduling Early Adopter January 2026 This new solution enables manufacturing shift planners and managers to create smarter schedules that align with operational demand and skills in real time. This reduces administrative workload, avoids costly overstaffing and understaffing, and ensures compliance with regulations.
• New enhanced absence features in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
  Generally available next month
  With this expansion, customers can comply with country-specific and complex vacation regulations in countries such as Australia, Germany and the USA. The functions help you comply with regulations and simplify processes for managers and employees.
• SAP SuccessFactors Enterprise Service Management Generally available now
  Announced earlier this year, our new HR service delivery solution expands the power of core HR functions by automating workflows, streamlining service requests and freeing up HR teams to focus on value-added, strategic tasks.

Providing world-class insights

People intelligence

Optimizing business processes lays the foundation, but real transformation occurs when data becomes insights. Here comes People Intelligence in SAP Business Data Cloud into the game. The first functions of People Intelligence, announced at SAP Sapphire in 2025, are now generally available. People Intelligence transforms people, skills and business data into meaningful, AI-powered insights that help HR employees and leaders make better, more strategic decisions for the company and its people.

At Success Connect, we introduced additional out-of-the-box insights for recruiting, learning, succession and career development planning, and performance and goal management. People Intelligence continues to expand. Further pre-configured insights for bonuses and rewards, benefits, time management and onboarding are planned for May 2026.

SmartRecruiters

SAP also contributes to the way companies attract and hire top talent. Last month, we acquired SmartRecruiters to shape the future of AI-driven talent acquisition. At Success Connect we showed how this step supports our vision. We combine the scalability of SAP SuccessFactors, the power of SAP Business AI and the expertise of SmartRecruiters into an intelligent, end-to-end global recruiting solution. This simplifies recruiting and ensures that every hire is tailored to the company and workforce goals.

Where innovation meets impact

Human resources is changing through innovation. People, processes and intelligent technologies are connected and work together. In this way, companies achieve more than just incremental improvements. You can become significantly more successful, react faster to changes and grow stronger. With continued advances in AI, a trusted global foundation, and intelligent, data-driven insights, SAP SuccessFactors helps companies address today’s challenges head-on and confidently shape the future of work.

Would you like to watch the recording of the keynote speech at Success Connect and learn more about the latest innovations in SAP SuccessFactors?

Then register for SAP Connect Virtual.

Dan Beck is General Manager and Chief Product Officer for SAP SuccessFactors.