Employees expect more from their workplaces (and leaders must rise with them)
Every year leaders ask me the same question: “What’s the next big thing in HR we should prepare for?” But 2026 feels different. It’s not one big thing; it’s a convergence of possibility, pressure and expectation.
16 Feb 2026
Anja van Beek, Talent & Culture Strategist, EQ-Driven Leadership & HR Expert, Executive Coach
People have changed. Work has changed. Workspaces have changed. And leadership must follow.
Globally, employees are signalling a clear shift. Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report shows that stress remains stubbornly high, engagement is flat, and only 23% of workers strongly agree that their organisation cares about their well-being. This number should make every leader pause.
Employees aren’t asking for perks, but they are asking for places where they can think, contribute, grow and feel psychologically safe doing so.
Here are the six HR trends that will shape 2026, along with what leaders and HR teams need to do next.
1. Manager well-being becomes a business risk + a strategy
Middle managers have become the organisational “shock absorbers”: delivering strategy downwards, absorbing pressure upwards, and supporting teams sideways. Unfortunately, this results in them feeling overloaded and undervalued.
Gallup’s research shows managers influence 70% of engagement variance, which means when a manager is exhausted, the entire team feels it.
In 2026, HR can’t offer generic wellness initiatives and hope for improvement. Manager well-being needs structured support:
- Dedicated leadership coaching
- Realistic workloads
- Protected time for leadership tasks
- Communities of practice where managers can offload, learn, and recharge
Healthy managers build healthy cultures. On the flip side, tired managers unknowingly create tired teams.
2. EQ and “power skills” move from soft to core
LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Trends report lists communication, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and strategic thinking as the most in-demand skills across industries.
We don’t call them “soft skills” anymore, but rather the skills that hold everything else together.
In hybrid, multi-generational, cross-functional teams, emotional intelligence (EQ) is the infrastructure of performance as it shapes retention, trust, conflict resolution, and team resilience.
In 2026, HR will prioritise:
- EQ assessment in leadership pipelines
- Practical micro-learning for EQ in action
- Feedback cultures built on curiosity, not fear
- Promotion criteria that reward behaviour, not just output
People follow leaders who understand people.
3. Internal mobility is the new competitive advantage
AI won’t replace leaders, but leaders who know how to use AI will outperform those who don’t. The real HR question for 2026 is not “Should we use AI?” but “How do we use it responsibly and skilfully?”
McKinsey’s 2025 AI Global Workforce Report estimates that 30% of current work hours could be automated by 2030, pushing organisations to redesign roles and elevate human-centric work.
AI isn’t “coming”. It is here and it is reshaping job tasks faster than job titles. The solution to this is developing the talent you already have – not necessarily hiring more talent.
Key priorities:
- Clear policy on AI use in recruitment, performance reviews, and internal decision-making
- Skills programmes that teach employees how to work with AI, not compete with it
- Transparency when AI informs people decisions
- Human oversight to prevent bias and uphold ethics
AI will streamline work, where EQ will humanise it. The winners in 2026 will be organisations that can combine both.
Be careful: Reskilling shouldn’t be a Learning & Development initiative. This should be a strategic focus.
4. The fear of falling behind (FOFB) quietly undermines culture and well-being
One of the most overlooked drivers of burnout is the fear of falling behind. I see it in coaching conversations often: “If I don’t quickly check in, they’ll think I’m not committed.”
“If I’m offline too long, something will slip.”
The shocking part is that professionals easily work 50 - 65+ hours a week, with extra hours spent monitoring their phones outside of work. This constant connection blurs boundaries and drains recovery for high performers.
In 2026, HR must treat FOFB as a cultural risk:
- Redefine what “responsiveness” means in company policies
- Build clarity around handover and accountability during leave periods
- Reward outcomes more than visibility
- Train managers to model true disconnection
Leaders need to stop sending emails from the beach or the braai and start normalising rest.
5. Psychological safety becomes a measurable organisational capability
If 2020–2025 were about remote work, agility, and burnout recovery, 2026 is the year psychological safety becomes non-negotiable. People need to feel safe to share ideas, ask questions, challenge assumptions, make mistakes, and learn from them.
The business impact is undeniable. Google’s Project Aristotle found that psychological safety was the top predictor of high-performing teams and Gallup continues to show its link to innovation, retention, and team productivity.
In 2026, expect:
- Monthly psychological safety pulse metrics
- Leadership KPIs tied to team safety scores
- Normalisation of speaking up early rather than apologising late
- Team rituals: retrospectives, “red flags” sessions, feedback forums
A workplace can’t be high-performing if people are self-protecting.
6. Hybrid work matures
Hybrid is no longer an experiment, yet the systems need rules. The companies leading the way into 2026 have moved past “work wherever you want” into intentional design:
- Clear norms for when teams meet in person
- Role-based flexibility
- Asynchronous work protocols
- Transparent criteria for visibility and career growth
Hybrid equity matters and if remote team members don’t get equal access to mentoring, stretch roles, and recognition, organisations will quietly build a two-tier workforce. This is where HR’s influence becomes essential.
Energy, humanity and sense of belonging
Every trend above returns to one central truth:
People don’t thrive in fear-based cultures. They thrive where they feel seen, supported, and safe enough to contribute fully.
When leaders model rest, teams follow. When leaders regulate emotion, teams stabilise. When leaders invite honest feedback, teams grow braver.
In 2026, the organisations that will stand out aren’t the ones with the newest tech or the fanciest learning platform. They’ll be the ones who understand that psychological safety is the foundation of performance, innovation, and sustainable growth.
HR’s role is to build cultures where energy is protected, EQ is taught, and people can do their best work without sacrificing their health to do it. This is the real future of leadership.
About Anja van Beek
Anja van Beek is an independent leadership consultant, talent strategist and coach.
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