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Workplace trends and safety: redefining talent, well-being and safety
Shifting employee expectations. Expanding safety priorities. Redefined strategies for leadership. Everywhere, the workplace is evolving — and fast.
In 2026, organizations will need to move with agility: focusing on career mobility, targeted attraction and intentional development to retain and grow talent. Hybrid and remote work will continue to reshape onboarding and mentorship, making connection and culture more critical than ever.
Reimagined leadership will mean leaning into people skills, team-building and purposeful mentorship. Technology and AI bring both challenge and opportunity — driving the need for reskilling and upskilling to elevate human work and deliver consistency, quality and better experiences for clients and colleagues.
Mental health and psychological safety are now core to workplace safety strategies. Burnout and well-being aren’t side conversations — they’re central to building resilient, high-performing teams. Organizations are broadening their focus beyond physical injury to include mental health, the impacts of tech change and the need for proactive support. Open cultures and immersive training will be key to helping people thrive.
This section explores the trends, challenges and strategies shaping workplace safety and talent management in the year ahead — highlighting the need for agility, intentionality and a holistic approach to colleague well-being and organizational resilience.
Workplace trends: expectations over scarcity
Organizations report changing expectations as a more pressing concern than competition for talent, signaling a fundamental recalibration in employer-employee dynamics. Struggles with leadership development center on skills transfer rather than recruitment. Employers grapple more with evolving expectations and skills transfer than with pure talent scarcity. Mental health emerges as the primary safety driver, while 23% report injuries aren’t a factor or don’t know.
01
Talent challenges
Changing employee expectations (32%) edges out competition for talent (30%) as the top workforce challenge
02
Leadership pipeline
Difficulty transferring leadership skills (47%) is the leading barrier, higher than mentorship gaps (16%)
03
Safety factors
Mental health/burnout (63%) and new tech including AI (51%) are top safety considerations
04
Injury reduction
Targeted training for high-turnover roles (28%) leads strategies, followed by immersive VR/AR (20%)
Sedgwick leader perspective
The future workplace will be defined by bold transformation and human-centric innovation.
Evolving employee expectations, intentional leadership development and a relentless focus on mental health and psychological safety will set the new standard. At Sedgwick, we feel organizations that champion ongoing reskilling, embrace holistic talent strategies, and invest in both technology and people will not just adapt — they will lead. In 2026 and beyond, those who prioritize adaptability, creativity and well-being will inspire their teams, unlock new potential and shape the future of work.
01
Talent strategies must be targeted, dynamic and tech-powered.
- Winning organizations will relentlessly pursue the right people for the right roles, upskill them for tomorrow’s challenges and enable true career mobility. The future demands a seamless, connected experience for every new hire, especially in hybrid and remote settings.
- The future demands a seamless, connected experience for every new hire, especially in hybrid and remote settings.
- AI will do more than just identify competencies — it will fuel ongoing development and unlock hidden potential.
02
Leadership pipelines must be intentionally built for the next era.
- The leaders of tomorrow will be defined by people skills, mentorship and adaptability — not just technical expertise.
- Organizations must actively prepare for generational shifts and implement global leadership frameworks that transcend borders and business lines.
- The goal: Cultivate visionary leaders who inspire, connect and drive transformation across the enterprise.
03
As technology redefines work, reskilling for AI is non-negotiable.
- The future workforce will harness AI to automate the routine, freeing employees to focus on high-impact, innovative work.
- Organizations that invest in upskilling will drive consistency, spark innovation and deliver better experiences for clients and teams alike.
- Those who embrace this shift will set the pace for the industry — and redefine what’s possible.
The challenge isn’t just attracting people — it’s finding the right talent and skilling them up effectively.”
— Michelle Hay, Chief People Officer
Injury reduction strategies
Targeted training
28% prioritize role-specific training for high-turnover positions as the most effective injury reduction approach
Immersive technology
20% leverage VR/AR simulations to enhance safety preparedness and reduce incident frequency.
Hands-on onboarding
19% extend practical experience time for new hires to build competency before full exposure.
Risk education opportunity
23% of organizations either report that injuries are not a factor or indicate uncertainty about injury trends, revealing a significant gap in risk visibility and measurement. This represents an untapped opportunity for leading indicator development and proactive risk assessment.
Sedgwick leader perspective
It’s clear that mental health belongs at the center of workplace safety.
Supporting psychological well-being isn’t a trend — it’s a strategic imperative for keeping people engaged, productive and present. The future calls for smarter training and risk assessment powered by technology, alongside open, proactive cultures where employees feel safe to speak up and seek support.
Organizations that champion mental health, invest in innovation and foster genuine connection won’t just reduce injuries — they’ll unlock the full potential of a high-performing, future-ready workforce.
01
Mental health and burnout have overtaken physical injury as the most urgent safety challenge.
Incidence rates are higher than during the pandemic, with complex causes and a direct impact on productivity, revenue and retention. Supporting mental health is now a business-critical strategy for keeping people at work.
02
AI and new technologies are reshaping safety — for better and for worse.
While uncertainty and anxiety about job security persist, advanced tools like VR, AR and predictive analytics are unlocking new possibilities for immersive safety training and smarter risk assessment.
03
Psychological safety is non-negotiable.
Organizations must build cultures where employees feel empowered to speak up, dissent and raise concerns without fear. This openness fuels innovation, well-being and team performance.
04
Safety strategies must be intentional and proactive.
Targeted training, immersive onboarding and risk education are essential for reducing injuries and building a resilient workforce ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
The leadership pipeline requires not just succession planning, but active development and exposure to new challenges.”
— Ian Bell, SVP Global Talent Management
