益普索-2026+职场现实报告+The+Workplace+Reality

THEWORKPLACE

REALITY

A32-CountryGlobalAdvisorSurvey

October2026

◎lpsoslTheWorkplaceReality2026

Theworldofworkcontinuestobe

shapedbyuncertainty.Economic

pressures,geopoliticalinstability,

changingtechnologiesandshiftingexpectationsareinfluencinghow

peoplethinkabouttheirfutures,bothprofessionallyandpersonally.

Yetoneoftheclearestmessagesfromthisyear'sresearchisthatemployeeshavenotdisengagedfromwork.Rather,theyhavebecomemoredeliberatein

whattheyexpectfromit.

Across32countries,weseeaworkforcethatismakingcarefulchoices.Many

peopleareoptingforstabilityover

disruptionandcontinuityoverrisk.

Employeescontinuetolookfor

opportunitiestogrow,tocontributeandtobuildfulfillingcareers.Atthesame

time,theyarebecomingmoreselective

aboutwhereandhowtheyinvesttheirenergy.

Fororganisations,thispresentsanimportantopportunity.Thedata

throughoutthisreportconsistentlypointstoasetoffactorsthatremainfirmlywithinanemployer'scontrol.

Employeeswhofeelsupportedintheircareerambitionsaremorelikelyto

advocatefortheirorganisation.

Employeeswhoexperience

management,cultureandcareer

opportunitiesaspromisedaremore

likelytostaycommitted.Andthosewhoseeactiontakenontheirfeedbackaremorelikelytobelievetheirorganisationgenuinelycaresabouttheirexperience.

ThesefindingsshouldbeencouragingforHRleaders.Atatimewhenexternaluncertaintycanfeeloverwhelming,thestrongestdriversofemployee

commitmentarenotdependentonwidereconomicconditions.

Organisationscannotcontrolevery

externalpressurefacingtheir

workforce,buttheycancreateclaritywherethereisuncertainty,opportunitywherethereisstagnationandtrust

wherethereisscepticism.

Continuedoverleaf.

THEWORKPLACEREALITYINTRODUCTION

TheWorkplaceReality:AnOpportunityforEmployers

Theworkforcemaybeapproachingthefuturewithgreatercaution,butcautionshouldnotbemistakenfor

disengagement.”

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality20262

⑥Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality20263

■THEWORKPLACEREALITYINTRODUCTION

TheWorkplaceReality:AnOpportunityforEmployers

Theresearchalsohighlightsan

importantchallengearoundleadership.Manyemployeesremaininterestedinprogressingtheircareersbutare

increasinglyquestioningwhether

managementrepresentstherightpath.

Thisshouldnotbeviewedasarejectionofleadership.Instead,itisapromptfororganisationstorethinkhowleadershiprolesaredesigned,supportedand

rewarded,whilecreatingabroader

rangeofpathwaysforpeopletodevelopandsucceed.

Similarly,thegrowingimportanceof

careersupportshouldbeviewedasanopportunityratherthanaproblemtosolve.Employeesaretelling

organisations,clearlyandconsistently,

thatgrowthmatters.Thechallengeis

notalackofambitionamongemployees,butensuringthatdevelopment

opportunities,sponsorshipandcareer

pathwaysarevisibleandaccessibletoeveryone.

Perhapsmostimportantly,thefindingsremindusthattrustisbuiltthrough

everydayexperiences.Itisshapedby

whethermanagershavemeaningful

careerconversations,whether

organisationsdeliverontheirpromises,andwhetheremployeefeedbackresultsinvisibleaction.Thesemaysound

simple,buttheyareprovingtobe

powerfuldifferentiatorsofemployeeexperience.

Theorganisationsthatthriveoverthe

comingyearswillnotnecessarilybe

thosewiththemostgenerousrewardsorambitiousemployerbrands.Theywillbethosethatcreateenvironments

wherepeoplecanseeafuturefor

themselves,whereleadershipfeelsattainableandworthwhile,andwhere

employeescantrustthattheirvoicesmatter.

Theworkforcemaybeapproachingthefuturewithgreatercaution,butcautionshouldnotbemistakenfor

disengagement.Foremployerswillingtoinvestingrowth,trustandmeaningfulemployeeexperiences,theopportunitytostrengthencommitmenthasnever

beenclearer.

JamesTarbit

GlobalHeadofEmployeeExperience,lpsos

James.Tarbit@

THEWORKPLACEREALITYINTRODUCTION

FiveWorkplaceRealities

Careergrowthisthestrongestleverforcommitment

Careersupportisthesinglefactormostconsistentlylinkedtoadvocacy,intenttostayorleaveand

managementappetite.Yetfewerthanhalffeelsupported,withthisthinningoutsharply

belowmanagementlevel.

Employeesarestayingbutcommitmentisfragile

Retentionremainsresilientdespiteweaker

confidenceandadvocacy.Becautiousofconflatingretentionwithengagement.Theresearchindicatesthatpeoplearestayingforsafetyandstability,

ratherthanbecauseofadeepersenseofcommitment.

Theroleofmanagementappealstoaminority

Managementisincreasingly

viewedasaburdenratherthana

reward,particularlywherecareersupportislacking.Thisrisksthestabilityandqualityofthesuccessionpipeline.

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

Organisationsdeliveroncontractual

promisesbetterthanexperientialones

Workload,managementquality,career

andculturearewhererealitymostlyfallsshortandhasthegreatest

impactonintenttoleave.

4

Listeningwithoutvisibleactionisworsethannotlisteningatall

Askingemployeesforfeedback

withoutvisiblyrespondingisassociatedwithworsesentimentthannotaskingatall.‘Visible’starts

withsimplysharingwhatwasheard.

01

EMPLOYEESARESTAYING,

BUTCOMMITMENT

ISFRAGILE

⑥lpsosITheWorkplaceReality2026

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION01

Onlyhalfareconfidentinwheretheirorganisationisheading

Whatthedatasays

Globally,justoneintwopeoplefeel

confidentabouttheirorganisation's

futuredirection,withwidevariationbymarket.

SouthAfrica,IndiaandthePhilippineslead,whileJapansitsatthebottom.MuchofWesternEuropeandthe

English-speakingworldclustersat,orbelow,average.Irelandandthe

Netherlandsarenotableexceptions.LatinAmericaissplit:ColombiaandPerusitatoraboveaverage,whileBrazilandChileandArgentinatrail.

Thereisastrongassociationbetweenconfidenceandjobsecurity.Where

confidenceislow,peoplearemorelikelytosayjobsecurityhasgottenworseoverthelast6months.

Whythismatters

Confidencereflectsboththeexternalclimateandhowwellleadersexplainwheretheorganisationisgoing.Itisalsocloselyassociatedwithtrust(

see

page7

).

Inuncertainconditions,leaders

shouldn'tassumeemployees

understandorbelievethestrategy.Visibleleadershipandhonest,

consistentcommunicationbecomesmoreimportant,notless.

Ifeelconfidentaboutthefuturedirectionofthecompany

(%Agree,n=9,100)

%Moreconfidentin

jobsecuritynow

than6monthsago

78%

74%

62%61%60%

58%56%56%55%55%

53%

52%

51%

50%

49%

49%

48%

46%

46%

43%

42%

42%

40%

40%

39%

39%

37%36%34%

32%

32%28%

GlobalCountryAverageSouthAfrica India Philippines Indonesia Thailand IrelandNetherlands Colombia Malaysia AustraliaNewZealand SwedenUnitedStates

Peru Germany Mexico Singapore CanadaGreatBritain HungaryBrazil

ChileTurkiyeFranceBelgiumItaly

Spain Romania PolandSouthKorea ArgentinaJapan

49%

44%

51%

76%

44%

55%

59%

45%

47%

46%

54%

39%

35%

59%

44%

48%

33%

47%

43%

39%

35%

40%

49%

31%

31%

31%

33%

35%

37%

22%

37%

27%

26%

23%

Q.Comparedto6monthsago,areyouNOWmoreorlessconfidentaboutjobsecurityforyourself,yourfamilyandotherpeopleyouknowpersonally?Source:IpsosConsumerConfidenceSeptember2026

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality20266

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION01

APACLATAMNAEuropeAfrica

%agree“Itrustbusinessleaderstotellthetruth”

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

%agree“Ifeelconfidentaboutthefuturedirectionofthecompany”

Source:IpsosGlobalTrends2026

7

Base:29,542adultsundertheageof75across38countries,22May–5June2026.©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

Confidencereflectsboththeexternal

climateandhowwellleadersexplainwheretheorganisationis

going.Thisisstronglyassociatedwithtrust.”

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION01

Iwouldrecommendmycompanyasaplacetowork

(%Agree,n=9,100)

recommendtheiremployer

Whatthedatasays

Mirroringconfidence,only48%wouldrecommendtheiremployerasaplacetowork.

However,whileconfidenceisdirectedtowardstheorganisation;itsstrategy,itsleadershipanditsprospects,

advocacyisanindicatorofinternalexperience,andthetwodonot

automaticallyfollowthesametrend.

InBelgiumandSpain,peopleratetheiremployermorehighlythantheyfeel

confidentinitsfuture,whilein

GermanyandHungary,thereverseistrue.

Fewerthanhalfwould

GlobalCountryAverage

Whythismatters

Advocacyisamoresensitivemarkerofcommitmentthanretentionalone.It

respondssharplytowhenemployeeexpectations,includingcareer

support,areunmet(

seepage11

).

Lowadvocacymaythereforebeanearlywarningofreputationaland

talentrisk,wellbeforeitshowsupinattritiondata.

IndiaSouthAfrica Philippines Colombia Indonesia Ireland Malaysia Thailand Australia PeruNewZealand SwedenUnitedStatesNetherlandsGreatBritain Belgium SingaporeMexico

Brazil SpainCanada

ChileFrance

Turkiye Italy GermanySouthKorea Argentina Romania HungaryPoland

Japan

48%

75%

72%

62%58%

58%58%57%

56%

55% 53% 53%51%

51%

49%

48%

48%

47%

47%

46%

45%

44%

43%

43%

42%

41%

40%

36%

36%

35%

34%

31%

29%

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality20268

Overthenextyear,howlikely,ifatall,areyoutolookforanewjobwithadifferentemployer?(%Likely,n=9,100)

38%

Yetonly2in5plantolookforanewjob

62%

51%48%

48%

47%44%

44%44%43%

42%

41%

41%

41%

40%

40%

40%

39%

38%34%

34%

34%

34%

32%

32%

32%

31%

31%

30%27%

27%

26%24%

India MalaysiaSouthKoreaPhilippines Indonesia SingaporeBrazil

SouthAfricaPeru

Poland AustraliaNewZealand Argentina Turkiye Mexico Ireland ColombiaChile

CanadaRomaniaItaly

GreatBritain Spain Thailand Sweden JapanUnitedStates Hungary France BelgiumNetherlandsGermany

GlobalCountryAverage

Whatthedatasays

Only38%onaverageintendtolookforajobwithanotheremployerinthenextyeardespitelowerconfidenceand

advocacyscores.

Thiscouldbeanindicationof

employeeschoosingtostaybecausechangingjobsfeelsriskierinanalreadyunstableworld.

India,Philippines,MalaysiaandseveralAPACmarketsshowrelativelystrongconfidenceandadvocacyalongside

elevatedintentiontomove,whichmayindicatetheyaredrivenmoreby

opportunitythandissatisfaction.

Whythismatters

Historicallymanyorganisationshaveusedretentionasaproxyfor

engagement.Thisresearchsuggestsrelyingonthatcouldberisky.

Organisationsshouldbecautiousofconflatingretentionwith

engagement.Long-tenured

employeesmaystillbedisengaged,disconnectedoropentofuture

opportunities.

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality20269

02

CAREERGROWTHIS

THESTRONGESTLEVER

FORCOMMITMENT

⑥lpsosITheWorkplaceReality2026

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION02

Careersupporttransformshowpeoplefeel

Towhatextentdoyoufeelsupportedwithinyourcurrentorganisation/placeofworktofulfilyourcareeraspirations?(n=9,100)

UnsupportedNeithersupportednorunsupportedVerysupported

Whatthedatasays

Fewerthanhalffeelsupportedto

achievetheircareeraspirations,whileoneinfivefeelactivelyunsupported.

Thosewhofeelsupportedarefarmorelikelytorecommendtheiremployer

(+43pp)andlesslikelytolookforajobwithadifferentemployer(-14pp)thanthosewhodonotfeelsupported.

Thisimpliesthatcareersupport

stronglyshapeshowemployeesfeelabouttheirorganisationbutmaynotbeasstrongininfluencingtheir

decisiontoleaveduringperiodsofinstability.

20%27%48%

Whythismatters

Asenseofmasteryandgrowthare

well-establisheddifferentiatorsof

Ofthosethatsaytheyarenotsupportedorareunsure….

Whileforthosethatdofeelsupported….

71%

28%

…would

recommendtheiremployer

…arelikelytolookforanewjob

…would

recommendtheiremployer

…arelikelytolookforanewjob

employeeexperience.AcrossmuchofIpsos’researchwithitsclients,careerdevelopmentoftenappearsasastrongdriverofengagementandacommonreasonpeopleciteforleaving.

Atatimewhenpeoplearechoosingstabilityoveramove,organisationsriskincreasingasegmentoftheiremployeeswhoarequietly

46%

32%

disengaged,lackingsupportoravisiblepathwayforwards.

11

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

Employeesseecareergrowthasmorethanjust‘apromotion’

Whatthedatasays

Asignificantproportionofemployees(33%)lookupwardsfortheirnextstep,withaslightmajoritylookingfora

peoplemanagerrole.Theseemployeesarealsomorelikelytosaytheyfeel

supportedintheircareers.

However,manyemployeeslookto

developintheircurrentrole,orseetheirnextstepassidewaysoreven

downwards,potentiallyreinforcingadesireforstabilityoverchange.

Oneinsevendon'tknowtheirnextstep,andthisgroupisalsoleastlikelytofeelsupported.Thispopulationishighestamongover-50s.

Whythismatters

Whileit’spositivetoseeaslight

preferenceforpeoplemanagement,thechallengeorganisationsfaceis

convertingthatinterestinthefaceoflowgeneralpositivity(

seepage16

).

Atthesametime,organisationsremainbetteratsupportingtraditionalupwardsmoves;butasignificantpopulation

favouralternativecareertrajectories,statingapreferenceformovesthatfeworganisationshaveclearlydefined

pathwaysfor.

Ascareersgetlonger,stronger

supportstructureswillberequiredtoenablepeopletoidentifyandpursueagreatervarietyofgrowth

opportunities.

Whatwouldyouliketobethenextstepinyourcareer?(n=9,100)

Mostlikelytofeelsupported

Leastlikelytofeelsupported

5%

Continuingtodevelopinmycurrentrole

28%

Apromotionintoamoreseniorrolewithin

mycurrentspecialism,withpeoplemanagement

18%

Apromotionintoamoreseniorrolewithin

mycurrentspecialism,withoutpeoplemanagement

15%

Idon’tknow

14%

Transitioningintoaroleatthesamelevelbutinadifferentdepartmentorindustry

Takingastepdowntofocusonlearninganewcraft,avoidburnoutorprioritisework-lifebalance

5%

Operatingasafreelancerorconsultant,balancingmultipleclients,projectsorpart-timeroles

simultaneously

4%

Somethingelse

4%

Takingonasideprojectorjobshadowingtotestmyinterestsoutsidemycurrentrole

4%

Ashort-to-mid-termsecondmentopportunitywithinmycurrentorganisation/placeofwork

3%

12

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION02

Isprogression

openequallytoall?

Whatthedatasays

Employeeswithlowerlevelsof

educationalattainmentfeeltheleastsupportedintheircareer,16pplowerthanthosewithhighlevelsof

education.

Thereisalsoastarkdifferenceinhowpeopleseetheirfuture.Peoplewith

higherlevelsofeducationaremore

likelytoseeprogressioninto

managementasarealisticcareerstep,whilethosewithlowerlevelshavelessclarity.

Whythismatters

Thispointstoavisibilityproblemasmuchasasupportone.Ifroutestoprogressionareunclearorappearclosed,peoplestoppicturingthem.

Socialmobilityeffortscan'tstopatrecruitment.Theyneedtoextendtowhoisdeveloped,sponsoredand

shownapathoncetheyareinside.

Peoplewithlowerlevelsofeducationaremostlikelytobeunsureabouttheirnextstep,whilehighereducationworkersseemoreprogressionopportunities

Whatwouldyouliketobethenextstepinyourcareer?(n=9,100)

Apromotionintoamoreseniorrolewithinmycurrentspecialism,withpeoplemanagementresponsibilitiesIdon’tknow

25%

23%

17%

15%

9%

9%

Medium

(n=3,160)

High

(n=4,800)

Low

(n=1,139)

Proportionthatfeelsupportedtoachievetheircareeraspirations

54%

High

43%

Medium

38%

Low

EducationLevel*

*Respondents'highestlevelofeducationalattainment,mappedtobroadlyequivalentprimary,secondaryandtertiaryeducationlevels.

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

13

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION02

Seniorleadersfeelmostsupportedintheircareers

Whatthedatasays

Perceivedcareersupportincreasesnotablywithseniority,independentofage.

Thelargestsinglestepisfrom

individualcontributortofirst-line

manager(+15pts),morethanallthe

stepsaboveitcombined(+12pts).

Managersareincreasinglyexpectedtoprovidecareercoachingfortheir

teams.Giventheworkloadand

pressurestheyreport,itis

unsurprisingthisfallsawayforthosetheymanage.

Whythismatters

Astargeteddevelopmentisoften

reservedforseniorleadershipandhighpotentialtalent,theriskisthat

organisationsinvestmostinthosewhohavealreadysucceededandleastin

thosewhowilldeliverfuturesuccess.

Thisalsoshapeshowleadersreadtheorganisation.Ifseniorleaders'ownexperienceismarkedlybetter,theymayunderestimatewhatmost

employeesexperience.

Towhatextentdoyoufeelsupportedwithinyourcurrentorganisation/placeofworktofulfilyourcareeraspirations?

(n=9,100)

67%

60%

55%

27pts

40%

Individualcontributor (n=5244)

Managesateamorindividual

(n=2413)

Managespeople

wholeadteams

(n=692)

Senior

leader

(n=751)

14

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

03

THEROLE0FMANAGEMENT

APPEALSTO

AMINORITY

⑥lpsosITheWorkplaceReality2026

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION03

Onlyaquarterfind

managementappealing

Whatthedatasays

Onlyaminorityofemployeessay

becomingapeoplemanagerlooks

attractivebasedonwhattheyseein

theirorganisation,while12ppmoresayitlooksunattractive.AppealislowestinNorthAmericaandEurope,with

somestarkcontrastsbymarket:

Japan(8%attractivevs55%

unattractive),Sweden(12%vs63%),

Canada(15%vs51%)andGermany(16%vs47%).

Employeesunder35findmanagementmostappealing,challengingthe

stereotypeofalesscommitted

youngergeneration.Thepipelineisn'tbrokenatentry.Thechallengeiswhatpeopleseehappeningtothemanagersabovethemanddecidingthecost

outweighsthereward.

Whythismatters

Appealis2.6xhigheramongthosewhofeelsupportedintheircareers(41%vs16%).Pipelineproblemsmaybeless

aboutmanagementitselfandmore

aboutwhetherpeoplecanseeafutureforthemselvesinit.

Aswellasfocusingonsupportinganddevelopingthecurrentleadership

population,organisationsmustalsoconsiderhowtheymakeleadershiprolesmoresustainableandappealing,whilstclearlydefiningalternative

pathwaysforthosenotinterestedorequippedforpeopleleadership.

Basedonwhatyouseeoftheexperienceofmanagersinyourorganisation/placeofworktoday,howattractivedoesbecomingapeoplemanagerlook?(n=5,244*)

UnattractiveorveryunattractiveNeitherattractivenornotattractiveAttractive/veryattractive

38%28%26%

Highestin:APAC(34%)LATAM(33%)

Attractivenessofmanagementis2.6xhigherwhenemployeesfeelsupportedbytheiremployertoachievetheircareeraspirations

Attractivenessofmanagement(%Attractive)

16%41%

NotsupportedtoachievecareeraspirationsSupportedtoachievecareeraspirations

Highestin:

NorthAmerica(48%)Europe(46%)

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

*Askedonlytothosenotcurrentlyinapeoplemanagerrole16

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION03

Theburdenofmanagementisholdingpeopleback

Whatthedatasays

Whenaskedwhatstopsemployeesviewingapeoplemanagementroleasappealing,thetopreasongivenis

merelycontentmentwithemployees’currentposition,anothersignthat

peopleareprioritisingstability.

Equally,alackofambitionisnotthereasonformanagementbeinglessdesirable.Manyaresimplynot

convinceditisanattractiveroutetoprogression.

Amongthosenotdrawnto

management,manymentionthe

perceiveddemandsoftherole.Extraresponsibility,protectingwork-life

balanceandextraworkloaddominate,andshowlittledifferencesbyage.

Whythismatters

Trainingpeopleintoanunappealingrolerisksproducingcapablebut

reluctantmanagers.

Organisationsmayneedtoredesignthemanagerrole(spans,workload,admin,whatisgenuinelyexpectedofmanagers)alongsidedevelopingthepeopleinit.

Reviewingleadershipstructuresto

providespecialistandexpert

pathwaysenablestalenttokeep

growingwithoutforcingitintopeopleleadership.

Whatisitabouttheroleofapeoplemanagerthatdoesnotappealtoyou?(n=3,466)*

14%

Iamcontentwithmycurrentposition

40%

Idon’twanttheextraresponsibility

29%

Iwanttoprotectmy27%

work-lifebalance

I’mnotinterestedinmanagingpeople

26%

Idon’twanttheextraworkload

26%

Ihavedifferentcareeraspirations

Idon’tfeelIhavetherightexperienceorskills

13%

Idon'tthinkI'dgetenough

supportfrommyorganisation/placeofwork

12%

Idon’tknow

6%

Other2%

*Askedtothosewhoresponded‘neither’or‘unattractive’onmanagerattractiveness.Multipleoptionscouldbeselected,soresponsesdonottotal100%.

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality202617

04

EMPLOYERSDELIVERONCONTRACTUALPROMISESBETTERTHAN

EXPERIENTIALONES

⑥lpsosITheWorkplaceReality2026

18

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION04

Thinkingaboutwhatwassaidorimpliedduringtherecruitmentprocessforyourcurrentrole,

howcloselyhaseachofthefollowingaspectsofyouractualexperienceatthisemployermatchedit?(n=9,100)

Differenceinintent

toleavewhenworse

thandescribed

+11

Betterthandescribed(%)

13%

Worsethandescribed(%)

-28%

Workload

Whatthedatasays

Mostsaytheirjobbroadly

matcheswhattheyexpected,butmoresayitisworsethandescribedthanbetter,acrosseveryfactor.

Tangible,contractualelementsaremorelikelytomatch

expectations,while

experientialelementsare

whererealitymostoftenfallsshort.

Unmetexpectationsincreaseintenttoleaveacrossall

factors,thoughroleseniorityandresponsibilities,

management,career

prospectsandcultureappeartohavestrongerbearing.

Comparatively,workload,themostbrokenpromise,hastheleastimpactonsentiment,

whichmayimplythatpeoplehavecometoexpect,and

accept,beingoverstretched.

Whythismatters

Foremployers,thisunderlinestheimportanceof

establishinganauthentic

employerbrandthatdoesnotoverstatethereality,and

investinginmanagement

qualityacrosstheboard,notjustamonghigh-potentials.

Thepromisesthatmattermostarealsomostunmet

-26%

Qualityofmanagement

13%

+18

-25%

Careerprogressionprospects

12%

+18

-24%

Companyculture

13%

+18

-22%

Benefitsorperks

15%

+17

-22%

Salary

13%

+16

-21%

Flexibilityaroundmylife

18%

+17

-17%

Day-to-dayresponsibilities

12%

+18

-16%

Seniorityoftherole

12%

+19

-16%Locationortravelrequirements13%+12

19

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION04

ThepromisegapiswidestinEuropeandNorthAmerica

Workloadfallingshortof

expectationsisuniversal,butgapsaroundmanagement,

careerandcultureare

concentratedinEuropeandNorthAmerica.Europeis

weakestonalmosteverymeasure.

LatinAmericahasadistinctiveprofile:thejobitselfoften

beatsexpectations,but

managementandpayfallshort.APACemployeesaremostlikelytosayreality

broadlymatchedwhattheyweretold.

Thesevariancescouldbe

explainedbydiffering

expectations,organisationsoversellingcertainaspects,orculturaldifferencesinhow

peoplerespondtosurveys.

Acrossmarkets,organisationsshouldconsiderassessing

theiremployervalue

propositionagainstwhat

employeesactuallyexperiencetoestablishwherethereare

unmetexpectationsorstrengthsthatare

understated.

Thinkingaboutwhatwassaidorimpliedduringtherecruitmentprocessforyourcurrentrole,howcloselyhaseachofthefollowingaspectsofyouractualexperienceatthisemployermatchedit?

Chartdisplaysnetdifferencebetweenthosewhosaideachitemwasbetterthanexpectedvs.worsethanexpected.Alargernegativenumbermeansalargerproportionsayworse,relativetothosesayingbetter.

North

America

LATAM

Europe

APAC

-18

-4

-24

-10

-15

-9

-23

-7

-16

-7

-22

-8

-16

-6

-19

-4

-8

-1

-18

-2

-10

-8

-14

-5

-2

2

-9

0

-13

4

-13

-2

-5

3

-9

-3

-3

-4

-7

1

Workload

Qualityofmanagement

Careerprogressionprospects

Companyculture

Benefitsorperks

Salary

Flexibilityaroundmylife

Day-to-dayresponsibilities

Seniorityoftherole

Locationortravelrequirements

20

©Ipsos|TheWorkplaceReality2026

05

LISTENINGWITHOUTVISIBLEACTIONIS

WORSETHANNOTLISTENINGATALL

⑥lpsosITheWorkplaceReality2026

THEWORKPLACEREALITYSECTION05

Whatthedatasays

Amongthepeoplewhowereinvitedtotakepartinan

employeesurveyinthelast

year,42%haveseenevidencetheiremployeractedontheresults.

Visibilityofactionfallsth