The digital workplace in 2026: The tools, behaviours and trends leaders need to act on

For a while, the conversation was framed around one core debate: Office or home? Mandates or flexibility? But by 2026, that debate already feels outdated. 

Yes, people are spending more time in the physical office again (roughly 64% of organisations report hybrid models as their norm), but even as office mandates grow, flexibility remains table stakes for talent and retention. 

But what’s become crystal clear is work hasn’t gone backwards, it’s just become more digital, interconnected, and more dependent on how well organisations design the systems and behaviours that support it. 

The digital workplace is no longer a “remote work solution.” It’s the environment where all work (planning, collaborating, learning, decision-making, and culture) happens – whether people are in the office, at home, or in between.

And in 2026, that environment is under real pressure. We  predict the real wins will be found in a small number of powerful shifts in technology, behaviour, and how leaders think about work itself.

Let’s get into it. 

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Platforms to experience: Why tools alone aren’t enough 

Most organisations have a solid tool stack, but research consistently shows a gap between having tools and having a usable digital workplace. This is being exacerbated by a sudden rise in transformative technologies impacting the digital workplace, more so than ever before, driven almost entirely by AI. 

Gartner reports more than a third of knowledge workers struggle to find information they need during their work day. Other digital workplace studies echo this, linking fragmented tools and poor information design to lost productivity and disengagement.

This is why many organisations are shifting their focus in 2026. They’re no longer adding more platforms, and are instead  looking at designing clearer digital experiences (or at least, they should be). 

In 2026, the digital workplace isn’t defined by which platforms you own.  It’s defined by whether employees can: 

• Find what they need quickly 
• Understand what matters now 
• Move from information to action with ease 

Perhaps it’s now time to rethink the role of the digital workplace “hub”, not as another system, but as a way to connect communication, knowledge, learning, and work into one coherent experience. 

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Behaviour is where real change happens

Across industries, behaviour now matters more than technology. 

Hybrid work has exposed this clearly. Without shared norms for communication, collaboration, and decision-making, digital work quickly becomes noisy and inefficient - regardless of the tools in place to manage it. 

Employee engagement research continues to show confidence in leadership communication and decision clarity, even in digitally mature organisations. This isn’t because leaders lack tools;  it’s because behaviours haven't been redesigned for modern work. 

In 2026, digital workplace transformation increasingly means: 

• Helping people understand how to work together digitally 
• Reinforcing good habits through everyday nudges and patterns 
• Supporting managers to lead well in hybrid, AI-augmented environments

This is where the digital workplace becomes a behavioural system, not just a technical one. 

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AI is everywhere, but value depends on maturity, not access

AI is now embedded across the digital workplace. It can summarise meetings, draft content, surface answers, and automate tasks. For  many employees, it’s already part of everyday work. 

Microsoft’s Work Trend Index points to a shift: AI doesn’t just speed up tasks, but begins to reshape how work is organised. Gartner even describes this as "the move into the everyday AI era,” where AI becomes ambient rather than exceptional. 

But there’s a catch that shows up across multiple studies: adoption is outpacing readiness. 

McKinsey research suggested nearly all organisations are investing in AI, yet only a tiny fraction consider themselves mature in how they use it. Gartner highlights similar gaps, identifying  weak governance, low confidence, and limited enablement as major blockers to real value. 

The 2026 implication is clear: AI amplifies whatever already exists. 

In well-designed digital workplaces, AI reduces friction and improves focus. In poorly-designed ones, it accelerates confusion. 

This is why leaders need to act not just on AI tools, but on clarity of information, confidence, and capability learning and governance that enables experimentation without risk. 

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Learning and capability move into the centre of the workplace 

Another clear trend across future-of-work research is the shift away from “learning as an event” and toward learning as part of work. 

As roles evolve faster and AI reshapes tasks, employees need support in the moment - not just formal courses. Studies all point to the same conclusion: organisations that embed learning, coaching, and peer support into daily workflows adapt faster and retain more talent. 

This matters for organisations of all sizes. Smaller teams often set the pace  out of necessity, because learning has to be practical, lightweight, and immediately useful. Larger organisations are now trying to replicate that agility at scale. 

In 2026, the digital workplace is increasingly where: 

• Managers get just-in-time support 
• People learn from each other 
• Mentoring and coaching are structured, visible and measurable 

Not as “extra programmes” but as part of how work gets done. 

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Measuring experience, not just usages, becomes the differentiator 

Finally, we’re seeing a shift in how success is measured. Tool adoption is no longer a meaningful proxy for effectiveness. Instead, organisations are paying closer attention to digital employee experience (DEX): how easy it is to find information, how smoothly work flows, and how confident people feel navigating change.

Organisations that measure and act on these signals, rather than just tracking logins and licences, will be better positioned to improve productivity and engagement in a sustainable way. 

By treating your digital workplaces as a living system, and measuring it in such a way, it ensures you’re listening, adjusting, and continuously improving. 

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Designing the digital workplace for 2026 and beyond 

The digital workplace in 2026 isn’t defined by a single trend, tool, or vendor. It’s defined by whether organisations are willing to design work intentionally, across technology, behaviour and experience –  in a world where AI is everywhere, and expectations are higher than ever. 

Whether you’re a small organisation making smart choices about knowledge workflows or a large enterprise weaving AI across thousands of users, the same forces are at play: expect clarity, relevance and friction-free work. Employees are more digitally savvy and less tolerant of patchwork experiences; nearly half of workers now use AI regularly, and many see it reshaping how, and where, work gets done. 

This goes well beyond Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace. Those ecosystems matter, but they’re only part of the picture. What really defines success in how communication, learning, knowledge, connection and capability come together for people doing real work in real conditions. 

At Thrive, we focus on purposeful workplace design. – looking at how learning, capabilities, communication and knowledge come together to help people do their best work, even outside of learning. But our perspective sits in a broader landscape where culture, tools, and human connection intersect. 

Organisations that thrive in 2026 design work that fits people, rather than expecting people to fit the tools. It’s not about chasing the next big platform, but turning the digital workplace into a place where people know what to do, how to do it, and why it matters. 

That’s the real work ahead. 

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