Matt MonetteThe way we work never stands still and what employees value today looks very different from a year ago. As technology accelerates, expectations around flexibility, fulfilment and progression evolve just as quickly.
As we head into 2026, businesses face a challenge – adapting emerging employee demands and people strategies to keep pace with these rising changes. Several trends are currently gaining momentum, and together they point to a more fluid, human-centric world of work.
- The ‘great flattening’ – faster decisions or growing confusion
The first trend we are seeing is organisations stripping back layers of management in the name of speed and efficiency. This ‘great flattening’ is designed to cut costs and push decisions closer to where the work actually happens, giving employees more autonomy in the process.
Done well, flatter structures create momentum and strengthen accountability. Done poorly, they leave teams unsure on who owns what. Removing hierarchy without redefining responsibility doesn’t create empowerment – it creates uncertainty. The organisations that will truly benefit from this shift are the ones investing in clarity, not just cost-cutting.
- ‘Emotional salaries’ are as important as financial ones
With a UK labour market shaped by tighter budgets and economic uncertainty, salary increases are no longer always guaranteed. For people leaders, this has turned retention into a creative challenge rather than a solely financial one.
An emotional salary reflects everything employees receive beyond their payslip. Flexibility, wellbeing support, inclusive benefits and a sense of purpose, which all contribute to how valued people feel at work. For many employees, these factors now carry as much weight as compensation. Employers that fail to recognise this will struggle to hold onto talent, even if their salaries look competitive on paper.
- Putting performance under the spotlight with ‘keeper testing’
We will also see the ‘keeper test’ emerging as a way to focus on impact. It asks managers to consider whether they would actively fight to retain each member of their team if that person decided to leave. This involves managers looking at the output of an employee and working out their importance to team success, helping identify top talent and providing insight during periods of redundancy.
This approach brings clarity, but it also raises the stakes. Employees are becoming more aware of how they are perceived and are working harder to demonstrate their value. For organisations, the keeper test only works if expectations are transparent and feedback is regular. Without that, it risks feeling arbitrary rather than fair.
- Rearranging the workday with ‘microshifting’
Interestingly, we are also seeing the idea of a fixed working day steadily losing appeal. ‘Microshifting’ reflects a growing preference for structuring work around shorter periods of focus rather than rigid hours. Allowing employees to do their best work when it works for them. This shift challenges managers to measure success by output rather than availability between 9 and 5. Trust is a critical factor, and organisations that embrace this approach often see improvements in both productivity and wellbeing.
- Moving away from management with ‘conscious unbossing’
In another move away from traditional working, we are seeing many younger workers moving away from traditional management roles. ‘Conscious unbossing’ describes the deliberate decision to avoid management in favour of balance without constant pressure.
If leadership roles are seen as unsustainable and critically undesirable, the problem is not employee ambition but the role itself. Businesses need to create advancement paths that reward expertise and contribution without assuming everyone wants to manage others, giving employees more autonomy and trust so leaders feel more like mentors than bosses.
- ‘LinkedIn envy’ and the comparison trap
The U.K. has 42.9 million LinkedIn users, and it has become a staple in modern networking and career growth. Yet with this use, constant exposure to polished career updates has made professional comparison harder to avoid; logging onto LinkedIn and being hit by multiple promotions and new roles before you have even started the day. ‘LinkedIn envy’ describes the growing trend of people feeling like they’re falling behind when measuring personal progress against online success posts.
This trend highlights the importance of clear development pathways for all roles in your business and honest conversations about progression. When employees understand what progress looks like for them, they feel valued and understand their road to success, which in turn helps them be less focused on someone else’s success.
The move towards human-centric workplaces in 2026
Taken together, these trends signal a workplace that is becoming leaner, more flexible and far more human‑centric. Employees are asking for clarity, recognition and a sense of progress; organisations need adaptability, trust and cultures that genuinely support people. The businesses that will thrive in 2026 are those that can meet both needs, pairing operational efficiency with an environment where people feel seen, empowered and set up to succeed.
Matt Monette is head of UK & I at Deel
