Marvin Onumonu79% of employees were engaged in 2025, matching 2024’s figures, according to a new People Insight report on Employee Experience Trends 2026 using Pearl™ engagement model data.
The research found four main forces shaping the workplace: trust and transparency, connection and loneliness, workload and skills, and artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) impact on capacity.
Trust in leadership remained under pressure, with cost controls and restructures leading employees to assess decisions by how they were made, not just outcomes.
Trust in direct managers fell, especially among older workers.
Scores for senior leaders listening to staff rose from 59% in 2024 to 61% in 2025.
The percentage agreeing senior leaders provide a clear vision of direction increased from 60% to 63%.
Understanding of organisational performance moved from 61% to 62%.
On connection, one in five employees reported feeling lonely at work, with 38% of Gen Z in the UK feeling lonely or isolated.
Communication was less open in 2025, at 53% compared to 60% in 2024.
Staff support was 77% in 2025, down from 79% in 2024.
Involvement in decisions remained steady at 65%.
Workload and skills continued to be an issue, as only 64% said they could cope with their workload in 2025, unchanged from 2024.
69% said their job made the best use of their skills, down from 71%.
Interest and challenge in work stayed at 82%.
Opportunities to learn and grow were 63% in 2025, down from 64%.
AI’s impact was noted, with 72% of Gen Z concerned about automation.
Additionally, the report found perceptions of workload remained unchanged at 64%, despite rapid AI adoption.
The percentage able to strike the right balance between work and home life was 74% in 2025, up from 73%.
72% felt they had the equipment and resources needed for work, unchanged from 2024.
