The Big People & Culture Trends Shaping 2026
Every January at Nine Yards we do the same thing: read articles, listen to podcasts, attend webinars, argue a bit internally, and try to make sense of the signals emerging in the world of work.
We are suckers for digging into the key predictions and trends. The kind that tell People and Culture leaders what they need to pay attention to, prepare for, and in some cases, push back on.
This year, two pieces of thinking strongly shaped our conversations:
While we didn’t agree with everything (more on that later), there was a striking level of alignment across both - and with what we’re seeing on the ground with clients.
Here’s how we’re making sense of 2026.
1. Performance pressure is rising - but culture hasn’t caught up
One of the clearest signals across both Gartner and Culture Amp is that expectations are rising faster than organisations are willing to acknowledge.
Gartner describes this as culture dissonance – where output expectations, pace and pressure escalate, but the employment deal remains vague or unchanged. Employees are asked for more intensity, more adaptability, more resilience…without clarity about what they’re getting in return.
Culture Amp’s work echoes this in a different way, pointing to growing gaps between what organisations say they value, and how performance is actually rewarded, recognised and managed.
Our take:
Culture doesn’t need to be “nice”, but it does need to be explicit.
In 2026, high-performing organisations will be the ones brave enough to clearly articulate what great performance really looks like now, what trade-offs exist (pace vs sustainability, flexibility vs availability) and what employees can genuinely expect in return
Ambiguity is no longer neutral. It’s corrosive.
2. The quiet burnout risk: AI, speed and cognitive load
One of the more sobering themes in Gartner’s report is the idea that AI’s biggest hidden cost may be mental fitness rather than job loss. As GenAI becomes embedded into everyday work, we’re seeing faster output expectations, shrinking thinking time and a subtle diminishing of judgment, confidence and craft in some roles
We really resonated with Gartner’s concept of “AI workslop” – fast, low-quality output that creates rework and drains energy.
Our take:
The problem isn’t AI. It’s how organisations are redefining productivity. In 2026, People & Culture teams will need to shift the conversation from “How much faster can we go?” to “Where does quality, judgment and deep thinking still matter most?”
This has real implications for:
role design
performance metrics
leadership capability
and how psychological safety is maintained in high-tech environments
3. The end of skills theatre – process thinkers will win
For years, the conversation has been about “critical skills of the future.” What we found really interesting is Gartner is now calling time on that framing.
Their data shows organisations get far more value from people who can redesign work, not just operate the latest tool. Or what they describe as process pros rather than tech prodigies.
Culture Amp similarly questions performative capability building – where organisations talk about skills, learning and growth, but don’t meaningfully redesign how work actually happens.
Our take:
2026 will expose skills theatre. Organisations that genuinely unlock value will redesign workflows end-to-end, invest in systems thinking and judgment, and stop pretending that a new tool equals transformation
This is a big opportunity for People and Culture to step into strategic territory – not just capability frameworks, but how work is architected.
4. The employment deal is fragmenting and needs renegotiation
One of Gartner’s more provocative trends looks at digital doppelgängers – employees training AI systems that replicate their knowledge, style or decision-making, sometimes long after they leave the organisation.
At the same time Culture Amp raises questions about EVP credibility, particularly where flexibility, growth or purpose are overstated and under-delivered.
Our take:
The employment deal is no longer one-size-fits-all, but it does need to be honest.
In 2026, we expect to see more personalised employment arrangements, more scrutiny of IP, data and contribution value, and far less tolerance for vague EVP promises.
Trust will belong to organisations that say less and deliver more.
5. Talent flows are becoming less predictable (and more human)
Gartner highlights two fascinating shifts:
white-collar professionals exploring trade or “AI-resistant” careers, and
rising concerns around candidate fraud and authenticity in AI-enabled hiring
Both point to the same underlying theme: the system is straining.
Our take:
2026 will reward organisations that rebalance technology and human judgment, efficiency and connection, scale and trust. High-touch recruitment, clearer role design, and better onboarding will quietly outperform flashy automation.
So what does this mean for People & Culture leaders?
If we had to distil 2026 into a few guiding questions, they’d be these:
Are we being explicit about the culture we’re actually asking people to work in?
Are our performance systems rewarding quality, not just speed?
Have we redesigned work or just layered tools on top?
Is our employment value proposition clear, credible and fair?
Are we protecting human judgment in an increasingly automated world?
2026 won’t be defined by a single trend. It will be defined by how intentionally organisations respond to pressure, technology and change. And as always, People & Culture sits right at the centre of that response.
If any of these themes are showing up in your organisation, 2026 might be the year to get intentional about your People & Culture strategy.
If you’d like to explore how your People & Culture approach stacks up for 2026, we’d love to chat.
