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The reading list

What the research says

1. State of the Global Workplace: The Human Side of the AI Revolution

   Gallup · 2026

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   22%

   of managers are engaged, down from 27% a year earlier and now barely above the people they lead

   9 points

   is how far manager engagement has fallen since 2022, most of the recent global downturn

   Go deeper · 5 more figures+

   20%

   of the world's employees are engaged at work, down from a 2022 peak of 23%

   $10 trillion

   was the cost of low engagement to the world economy last year, or 9% of GDP

   45%

   of managers report a lot of daily stress, against 39% of individual contributors

   12%

   of European employees are engaged, the lowest of any region in the world

   +10 points

   more loneliness is reported by leaders than by the people they lead

2. 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report

   Microsoft WorkLab · 2026

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   67% vs 32%

   organisational factors beat individual mindset two to one in predicting whether AI actually delivers

   66%

   of AI users say it has let them spend more time on high-value work

   Go deeper · 3 more figures+

   26%

   of AI users say their leadership is clearly and consistently aligned on AI

   13%

   of AI users say they are rewarded for reinventing how work gets done when results do not come immediately

   85% vs 64%

   of the most advanced AI users say their manager openly uses AI, against everyone else

3. 2026 Global Human Capital Trends

   Deloitte with Oxford Economics · 2026

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   88% vs 7%

   of leaders say orchestrating people and resources faster is critical, and say they are making great progress. The largest say-do gap in the survey

   80%

   of leaders, managers and workers worry colleagues are using AI to look more productive than they are

   Go deeper · 4 more figures+

   11%

   of managers strongly agree they get the data and tools to decide how work is distributed

   68%

   of workers say the constant cadence of change has decreased their wellbeing

   27%

   believe their organisation manages change effectively

   72%

   say purpose and belonging are the parts of their culture most worth preserving

4. Shifting Expectations: Work in the Age of Change

   theSHIFT, fielded by Opinium · 2026

   18% vs 35%

   of non-managers rate change communication as very good, against managers

   39%

   of managers say they get no clear direction from leaders about the changes they must pass on

   Go deeper · 3 more figures+

   53% vs 73%

   of non-managers feel comfortable sharing unpopular opinions, against managers

   23%

   of managers took the role because they actually wanted to manage people

   48%

   of managers say junior people are missing key developmental experiences because AI now does those tasks

5. The Decisiveness Crisis

   Uncertainty Experts · 2026

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   72%

   of managers would rather look decisive and get it wrong than look uncertain and get it right

   46.9%

   of C-suite executives make that same choice, the lowest of any level measured

6. 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer

   PwC · 2026

   52%

   of the new skills demanded of AI-exposed entry-level jobs are senior capabilities, against 7% for the least exposed

   49%

   of CEOs expect AI adoption to cut junior hiring within three years, against 12% for senior hiring

   Go deeper · 1 more figure+

   62%

   is the wage premium now paid to workers with AI skills, up from 57% last year

7. Bridging the Connection Gap

   Inspiring Change · 2026

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