that two in five employees lack decision-making authority, even for basic tasks like solving customer problems or improving processes.

The solution: Leaders should shift their focus from engagement programs to enablement strategies to build trust-based cultures while providing autonomy, access to tools, and personalized and holistic well-being support. According to decades of Great Place To Work research, high-trust cultures generate 42% more discretionary effort in both good and recessionary times.

What it means for employees: In high-trust environments, employees should actively and thoughtfully identify new tools and solutions, required resources, and/or barriers affecting performance. Surfacing issues and recommending solutions to leaders will strengthen an employee’s overall impact. With management support, employees can be more than problem identifiers — they can become problem solvers.

For more information about these trends and how employers and managers can adapt to these shifting workplace dynamics, UKG is holding a session about these workplace Megatrends at its next complimentary HR and Payroll e-Symposium: Understand Your Workforce on January 28, 2026.

 

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