What could pose as workforce risks in 2026

Employers that fail to address grind culture and demoralization risk significant harm to employee well-being and organizational performance in 2026, according to a recent report.

The Winter 2026 State of the Workforce Report from meQuilibrium’s (meQ) outlined four trends shaping the year ahead, emphasizing resilience as a critical business strategy.

Andrew Shatté, PhD, chief knowledge officer and co-founder of meQ, says organizations must abandon outdated notions of overwork.

“Grind culture will not lead to high performance in 2026, even as overwork trends like ‘996’ have their moment in the AI boom,” he said, referring to the 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six-days-a-week work schedule. “Individuals and organizations that perform best will work the hardest — but they’ll never stop protecting long-term well-being.”

Shatté added that employees who embrace grind culture experience burnout rates roughly 50 per cent higher than peers, while resilient workers balance effort with recovery.

“Successful organizations intentionally foster workforce resilience and proactively invest in manager support to reduce workplace stress,” he noted.

The report found that three in five manufacturing workers believe in constantly improving or they’ll fall behind.

“Surprisingly, this is second only to tech employees, long known for their competitive drive,” said Steve Foster, executive chairman of meQ. He emphasized that frontline-focused development programs can unlock operational excellence and innovation.

Proactive resilience strategies will dominate workforce planning this year, according to meQ CEO Brad Swingruber.

“Our world is rapidly changing, and employers must equip their people with the proper support and skills to combat the headwinds of stress and burnout,” he said. “In 2026, companies will double down on making proactive resilience a core workforce strategy due to its powerful long-term effect, ROI, and performance benefits.”

Swingruber added that resilient employees experience a 66 per cent greater reduction in burnout and are 33 per cent more likely to believe effort leads to reward, while supportive managers reduce burnout by 58 per cent.

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