Abstract A confluence of mega-trends mean that HR is experiencing disruption and change on an unprecedented scale. This special issue is designed to inform our understanding of these shifting landscapes of HRM. In this overview we detail the broad contextual backdrop of key changes, before providing an overview of the six articles that make up this special issue. The articles cover agile HR, HR disruption, strategic human capital, employee health and safety, HR co-creation and global flexible working arrangements. We conclude by threading key insights together with suggestions on how theory and research might seek to better embrace disruption and navigate the shifting landscapes of HRM. This includes striving for interdisciplinary insight, finding motivation in practice, looking back to go forward, using multiple pathways for understanding, challenging assumptions and accommodating HR agency. The understanding and insight offered in this special issue hold special relevance in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.