The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust at Work is here and finds that transformation is reshaping the employee experience and putting workplace trust under pressure. Employees are not opposed to change, but how they experience it matters.
When transformation brings heavier workloads, uncertainty or division, trust in managers and CEOs suffers. But when employees are empowered to adapt, have clarity about what comes next and opportunities to grow, change can strengthen trust, effort and loyalty.
Explore the findings below to see what builds trust through transformation and what puts it at risk.
77% of employees globally worry about losing their jobs due to factors such as automation, offshoring, insufficient training, or tariffs, up 4 points since August 2024.
Trust in employers remains high at 74% globally but has fallen 5 points since August 2024, the first decline since 2021.
Three in four employees have experienced at least one major workplace transformation in the past year, and more than 4 in 10 have experienced three or more.
Global Launch Event
Watch the recording of our virtual launch event featuring a panel of expert speakers, including Kevin Delaney, Editor-in-Chief of The San Francisco Standard and Charter; Rachel Janfaza, Founder of The Up and Up; Gina Laughlin, Vice President of Global Brand Communications at Delta Air Lines; and Elena Papayorgioglu, Group Vice President of Internal Communications at DP World.
They joined Edelman CEO Richard Edelman and Julia Christenson, U.S. Head of Workplace Advisory, to explore the 2026 findings and discuss the evolving employer-employee relationship and the critical role trust can play in helping businesses bring their people with them through transformation.