Trends in 2026: Why employee wellbeing will succeed or fail with manager capability
Employee wellbeing in 2026 has firmly moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ to an essential ingredient in the workplace.
As we start the new year, many HR professionals see wellbeing as a top priority for their organisations. But as employees may be increasing their expectations when it comes to wellbeing, benefits and flexibility, so too does the challenges businesses face in answering and meeting that demand.
Our latest report, HR Trends in 2026, According to HR, shows that improving manager capability is the number one priority for many HR leaders this year. That’s because line managers are tasked with many different responsibilities, not least of which is developing, nurturing and supporting their team members.
What does employee wellbeing look like in 2026?
Wellbeing today is holistic. It goes beyond benefits and initiatives and instead encompasses mental health, workload, stress, work-life balance, absence, and flexibility.
HR teams are increasingly expected to support all of this, while also empowering line managers to take a more active role. Despite that, many HR professionals tell us their managers are only somewhat equipped to support employee wellbeing effectively, and the goal must be to change that in 2026.
What are the gaps in managers’ capabilities?
Common gaps in management capability include confidence in having difficult conversations, understanding varied mental health challenges, and balancing people management with the day-to-day admin tasks.
It’s an understandable challenge as the role of manager has changed and grown considerably over recent decades, moving from a supervisor role to more of a facilitator in many ways.
However, many managers still report a lack of training and education when moving to a management role, as well as missing certain tools and data needed to fully support their teams.
This presents HR with a challenge and an opportunity. Supporting managers through clearer processes, better visibility of team absence, time and wellbeing trends, and simpler systems can make a measurable difference to the health and wellbeing of employees. In turn, this positive impact on wellbeing can also increase retention, engagement and productivity.
2026 offers an opportunity to rethink how wellbeing is delivered across organisations, and managers should be firmly at the centre of that.
Download the full HR Trends in 2026, According to HR report to explore that data behind these insights and discover how HR teams are planning to strengthen manager capability in the year ahead.
