Culture and employee experience in 2026 - what to focus on

Culture TransformationTeam Effectiveness

Dec 17

Work has changed faster than most organisational cultures have been able to keep up. Hybrid working, AI, technological change and constant change and uncertainty have reshaped how people experience work day to day. What hasn’t always shifted at the same pace is how intentionally culture is designed.

Traditionally, culture emerged by default, shaped by shared offices, informal conversations and unspoken norms. In 2026, that’s no longer enough. Culture doesn’t just happen anymore - it needs attention, intention and care.

In 2026, organisations must pay close attention to how work actually feels for people, how pressure shows up in the system, and how values, behaviours and ways of working are experienced across different teams and individuals.

Here are the workplace culture and employee experience shifts I think matter most as we move into 2026.

1. Culture becomes something organisations design, not leave to chance

As organisations become more distributed and complex, culture is no longer organic. Without shared space and routine, people’s experience of culture can vary dramatically from one team to the next.

In many organisations, culture exists, but it’s inconsistent, reactive or vague. People sense what’s acceptable by watching what gets rewarded, ignored or tolerated, rather than through any formal statement of values. This is where culture design becomes practical: clarifying what good looks like, naming unhelpful patterns, and creating alignment across teams rather than leaving culture to chance.

For example, I often see organisations where values like trust, care or collaboration are clearly stated — yet people learn very quickly that speed, availability or individual heroics are what actually get noticed. Two teams can sit under the same values statement and have entirely different lived experiences

In 2026, the organisations that perform well will be those that treat culture as something to be deliberately shaped. That doesn’t mean launching a big “culture programme”. It means paying attention to everyday behaviours, expectations and decisions, especially under pressure.

What this means for organisations:

Culture needs to be discussed, not assumed
Values need to be translated into behaviours that people recognise in daily work
Leaders need shared language and expectations around how work gets done
Inconsistencies between teams need to be surfaced and addressed

Questions to reflect on:

Is our culture being designed intentionally, or is it being shaped by chance?
How consistent is the employee experience across different teams?
What behaviours are currently being rewarded or reinforced, even unintentionally?
If someone joined tomorrow, how would they experience our culture in practice?

2. Personalisation replaces one-size-fits-all employee experience

People increasingly expect to be treated as individuals, not job titles. This shows up in how they want to work, what support they need, how they learn, and what motivates them. Standardised policies still have their place, but managers must recognise that people bring different strengths, pressures, life stages and motivations to work and that these shape how they experience their job.

Many organisations still design employee experience around a hypothetical “average employee”. In reality, that person doesn’t exist. What feels supportive and motivating for one person can feel constraining or overwhelming for another. When people feel seen and understood as individuals, they’re more likely to feel engaged, supported and committed. When systems are too rigid, people often adapt themselves to the system until they quietly disengage or leave.

In 2026, personalisation becomes less of a “nice idea” and more of a practical necessity — especially in hybrid, high-pressure environments. What this means in practice:

Flexible ways of working that respond to real needs, not rigid rules.
For example, two people in the same role may work different patterns because one has caring responsibilities and another does their best thinking early in the day, within clear team boundaries.
Tailored development and growth, rather than identical programmes for everyone.
Some people may want stretch opportunities and visibility; others may want to deepen expertise or rebuild confidence after a demanding period.
More individualised recognition, instead of standard rewards.
One person may value public recognition; another may prefer a quiet thank you, greater autonomy, or protected time to focus on meaningful work.
Managers must adapt how they lead, rather than treating everyone the same.
For example, offering more structure and reassurance to someone new or stretched, while giving greater autonomy to someone who thrives on independence.
Inclusive design from the outset, rather than retrofitting adjustments later.
Thinking early about accessibility, neurodiversity, health or caring needs when designing meetings, roles and ways of working.

Questions to reflect on:

Where do our systems and policies assume everyone has the same needs or capacity?
How well do we really understand what work feels like for different people in the organisation?
How confident are our managers in having individual conversations about support?
Where could personalisation improve performance without creating complexity?
Who might be well served by our current set-up, and who might be struggling quietly?

3. Hybrid working shifts the focus from location to connection

Hybrid working is now normal, but many organisations are still finding their feet. The challenge isn’t really about where people work; it’s about how work flows, how decisions are made and how connection is maintained when people aren’t together.

Without intentional design, hybrid working can quietly increase strain. I regularly hear teams say they now spend more time in meetings than they did before — not because collaboration has improved, but because there’s no shared agreement on how communication should work. Meetings fill the gaps left by uncertainty.

In 2026, attention shifts from where people work to how teams work together. Human connection doesn’t happen automatically in hybrid environments. It has to be created.

What this means for organisations:

Clear agreements about communication, availability and decision-making
Fewer, more purposeful meetings
Better use of asynchronous updates for information sharing and decisions
Intentional moments for connection that don’t rely on chance encounters

Questions to reflect on:

How clear are expectations around availability and responsiveness?
Where does collaboration feel energising — and where does it feel draining?
How much space do people have for focused, uninterrupted work?
What helps teams stay connected when they’re not in the same place?

4. Stress becomes a systems issue, not an individual one

Pressure is a defining feature of modern work. Ongoing uncertainty, workload, change and the pace of communication all contribute to rising stress levels, often long before burnout is visible.

Stress rarely shows up first as absence or complaints. More often, it appears as slower decisions, repeated rework, missed handovers or people quietly lowering expectations of what’s possible. These are system signals, not personal weaknesses.

When stress is framed purely as an individual resilience issue, organisations miss the opportunity to look at how work is designed. In 2026, more organisations will need to look at stress through a systemic lens rather than expecting individuals to absorb it.

What this means for organisations:

Reviewing workload, pace and prioritisation — not just offering wellbeing initiatives
Noticing where ambiguity or constant change is creating unnecessary strain
Helping leaders and managers recognise stress signals early
Designing work in a way that supports sustainable performance, not just output

Questions to reflect on:

Where is pressure building up repeatedly in the system?
What feels unclear or constantly shifting for our people?
How well do we help teams prioritise when everything feels urgent?
What signals might we be missing because people are coping quietly?

5. Values fit is tested most when things are difficult

Values matter most when they’re under pressure. People pay close attention to how decisions are made during change, how mistakes are handled, and how fairly opportunity and workload are shared.

Values aren’t what’s written down - they’re what people experience day to day. Values alignment shows up in small moments: how feedback is given, who gets listened to, how transparent leaders are when decisions are unpopular, and whether people feel respected when pressure is high.

In 2026, values fit becomes a key part of employee experience, not because values have changed, but because people are more willing to question misalignment and act on it.

What this means for organisations:

Greater scrutiny of whether stated values match lived experience
A need for honest communication, particularly during uncertainty
Leaders modelling values through everyday decisions, not just communication
Culture and values play a direct role in trust, retention and reputation

Questions to reflect on:

How do our values show up when decisions are difficult or unpopular?
Where might there be a gap between what we say and what we do?
How confident are people that they’ll be treated fairly under pressure?
What stories do people tell about “how things really work around here”?

What this means for workplace culture in 2026

Workplace culture in 2026 will be shaped less by big initiatives and more by the cumulative effect of everyday experiences. Organisations that invest in intentional culture design, clear and people-first ways of working, stronger connections across teams, personalised employee experience and values that show up in practice will be better placed to manage pressure, retain their people and perform sustainably.