Hopes and fears for workplace culture in 2026
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The start of a new year sparks reflection. A blend of anxieties, doubts and hopeful thoughts — often lacking any grounding to turn them into reality.
Perhaps that’s the point of reflections…
But this year, I do feel more hope than doubt.
And I want to help as many leaders as possible make workplace cultures that sustain growth for people and businesses, an everyday reality.
Three things give me hope:
1. There are leaders out there choosing a better path
2. Small, intentional steps can make a big impact
3. We understand what works!
Shaping workplaces where people and businesses grow.
Choosing trust, not control
In a year where many organisations pulled people back “just in case,” this moment stood out because leaders chose trust over fear. Spotify backed flexibility, valued diversity of lives and locations, and showed that high performance doesn’t require watching people — it requires believing in them.
Questioning broken norms instead of accepting them
Rather than shrugging and saying “meetings are just ineffective,” BHP Billiton CEO Mike Henry called it out — and then did something about it. By inviting feedback and role-modelling better habits, they showed that poor ways of working aren’t inevitable; they’re changeable.
Challenging the always-on culture from the top
This wasn’t a wellbeing policy buried in HR guidance — it was a leader using their voice to reset expectations. Returning Bumble CEO Witney Wolfe-Herd highlighted the cost of constant availability and chose to model healthier boundaries, creating permission for others to work more sustainably too.
Winning through collaboration, not heroics
McLaren’s Formula One win reminded us that peak performance is rarely about individual brilliance. Success came from a culture where roles were clear, trust was high, and everyone understood how their contribution powered the whole system.
Making people feel they matter
At the end of the year, Taylor Swift reminded us that culture isn’t shaped by grand speeches, but by small, intentional acts that say “I see you.” From remembering names to thanking people personally, these moments of kindness create belonging — and when people feel they matter, they give more of themselves, more sustainably.
What struck me most about each of these is this: the cultures that moved forward didn’t do so because the context was easy. They did so because leaders chose to shape the climate around them — deliberately, humanly, and often in the face of real pressure.
That’s what gives me hope for workplace culture in 2026.
In each of those moments, leaders set a standard through their behaviour.
They questioned norms that had quietly become accepted. They role-modelled trust when it would have been easier to control. They named what wasn’t working, rather than stepping around it. And they did this not through grand gestures, but through small, visible actions that signalled: this is how we do things here.
And critically, they focused on foundations.
Not those we instinctively reach for when things feel tough like control or command.
But the foundations for human growth:
· Psychological safety — so people could speak up, challenge, and think clearly
· Integrity and fairness — standards that apply to everyone, whatever their role
· Purposeful work — so effort and ideas feel meaningful, not just busy
None of this was easy. Culture shaping rarely is.
It takes courage to slow down when everything is screaming for speed. It takes self-awareness to notice when ego, fear, or fatigue are creeping into our decisions. And it takes consistency — turning up, again and again, modelling the behaviours we say we want to see.
Small, human choices compound.
Over time, they create trust. They unlock energy. They make growth possible.
And yet, alongside that hope, I carry fear for 2026 too.
Because I’ve also seen the other path — and it’s an understandable one.
Under pressure, leaders revert to what feels safest. Short-term results start to dominate. Control tightens when uncertainty rises. Unhelpful behaviours are tolerated because “now isn’t the right time”. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, cracks form.
This isn’t about bad intent. It’s about being human.
Culture doesn’t stand still. When it’s left unattended, it drifts — and the cost shows up later in burnout, silence, disengagement, and stalled performance.
So, as we head into 2026, the question isn’t whether culture matters. We’ve settled that debate.
The real question is this: what will we choose to practise, especially when it’s hard?
Culture isn’t shaped in strategy days. It’s shaped in everyday moments — in how leaders listen, respond, decide, and behave when the pressure is on.
2026 won’t be won by louder culture statements or shinier values posters. It will be shaped by leaders who are willing to model the way, one small, human action at a time.
That’s where real growth starts, evolves and sustains.
If you want to make 2026 the year culture fuels sustainable growth — for your people and business — get in touch.
If you want to start now, join the Make It Human Club and join the Simplifying Culture Skills Sprint. In 5 days, learn how to break culture down into focused, tangible steps to fuel long-term growth.
Join our upcoming Accelerator or Masterclass virtual learning sessions to kick-start 2026 with the skills, tools and inspiration you need to make culture your growth engine.
