According to Forbes, Glassdoor’s 2026 Worklife Trends Report reveals a workplace in serious turmoil. Mentions of “misalignment” in employee reviews about senior leadership skyrocketed 149% from 2024 to 2025, while “disconnect” rose 24% and “distrust” climbed 26%. Small layoffs affecting fewer than 50 workers now make up 51% of all cuts, up from 38% in 2015. Job applicants were 12% less likely to reject offers in 2025 than in 2023, and career opportunity ratings for remote workers dropped from 4.1 to 3.5 since 2020. The data points to 2026 becoming a reset year defined by broken trust and evolving power dynamics.
The trust collapse is real
Here’s the thing: workers are completely fed up with leadership. Glassdoor’s chief economist Daniel Zhao says employees are feeling “whiplash from the emotional rollercoaster of the last six years.” Remember when leaders were transparent and vulnerable during the pandemic? Yeah, that’s gone. Now we’re back to corporate-speak and workers don’t believe leaders have their backs anymore. And honestly, can you blame them? Between the quiet layoffs, forced return-to-office mandates, and vague AI plans, trust has basically evaporated. This isn’t just complaining – it’s a fundamental breakdown that’s going to define workplace dynamics through 2026 and beyond.
Welcome to the era of forever layoffs
This one’s particularly insidious. Companies have figured out that small, continuous layoffs don’t make headlines like big mass terminations do. So we’re seeing this shift toward what Glassdoor calls the “forever layoff” – steady drips of job cuts that create constant background anxiety. Mentions of layoffs and job insecurity in late 2025 were already higher than early 2020 levels. Companies might think they’re being subtle about managing payroll, but the cultural cost is massive. It fuels burnout, disengagement, and exactly that distrust we just talked about. Basically, we’ve traded occasional big shocks for continuous low-grade stress.
The remote work reality check
Now here’s where it gets really interesting for the work-from-home crowd. Career opportunity ratings for remote and hybrid workers have taken a serious hit, dropping from 4.1 to 3.5 since 2020. Despite all the high-profile return-to-office mandates in 2025, remote workdays barely changed. But something subtler is happening: employers are prioritizing in-office employees for promotions and growth opportunities. So workers face a brutal choice in 2026 – flexibility or career advancement? You can’t have both anymore. It’s the ultimate hybrid work trade-off that nobody really wants to talk about.
The job market gets cautious
Remember when employees had all the power during the Great Resignation? Yeah, that’s over too. Job applicants are 12% less likely to reject offers now, and roughly three out of four offers get accepted. Decline rates are at their lowest since 2020. What does this mean? People are taking jobs they’d normally turn down because they’re worried. Hiring rates are at a 10-year low, creating this growing sense of stagnation. Workers who feel stuck in roles that aren’t a good fit? They’re going to struggle to stay engaged, and that’s going to slow both career and income growth throughout 2026.
There are some bright spots
It’s not all doom and gloom. Pay for new graduates is finally catching up after inflation eroded purchasing power from 2020 to 2022. Wages for early-career workers are projected to surpass 2020 levels in 2026 as wage growth (4.3%) outpaces inflation (3.0%). And there’s a geographic shift happening – smaller cities are emerging as opportunity hubs while traditional high-salary markets like San Francisco lag behind. AI anxiety remains high but actual disruption has been modest so far, with employee satisfaction in high-exposure jobs declining only slightly since 2022.
The bottom line? 2026 is shaping up to be a reset year where professionals need to get strategic. Building new skills, developing AI literacy, and proactively managing career growth will be essential. As Zhao warns, leaders need to pay attention to this widening gap with workers before it becomes a full-blown crisis of disengagement. You can dive deeper into all the data at Glassdoor’s full report to see what it means for your career.
