2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report

Agents, human agency, and the opportunity for every organization

Portrait of Harvard Business School professor Karim Lakhani, author of the column.

Editor’s Pick

Abstract digital design featuring overlapping gears, symbolizing AI-driven innovation and modern work patterns.

Roll Call

Stylized office scene with a computer displaying a spreadsheet, surrounded by trees and geometric shapes, representing AI agents working seamlessly in the background to transform how work gets done. 

Quick Read

A wooden box opens to reveal dynamic shapes, representing AI agents being unlocked within an organization.

Trending

Picture of WorkLab guest Rana el Kaliouby 

Podcast

A wooden box opens to reveal dynamic shapes, representing AI agents being unlocked within an organization.

Legacy on Demand

Portrait of Harvard Business School professor Karim Lakhani, author of the column.

Editor’s Pick

Abstract digital design featuring overlapping gears, symbolizing AI-driven innovation and modern work patterns.

Roll Call

2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report

Agents, human agency, and the opportunity for every organization

Stylized office scene with a computer displaying a spreadsheet, surrounded by trees and geometric shapes, representing AI agents working seamlessly in the background to transform how work gets done. 

Quick Read

A wooden box opens to reveal dynamic shapes, representing AI agents being unlocked within an organization.

Trending

Picture of WorkLab guest Rana el Kaliouby 

Podcast

A wooden box opens to reveal dynamic shapes, representing AI agents being unlocked within an organization.

Legacy on Demand

Generative AI

AI will revolutionize work. Learn how

Picture of Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s Chief Economic Opportunity Officer 

Podcast

Aneesh Raman: AI won’t decide the future of work—unless you let it 

Light refracting through a prism shaped like a Copilot sparkle

By the Numbers

AI is already changing work—Microsoft included

Picture of Raffaella Sadun, the Charles E. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Podcast

Harvard’s Raffaella Sadun on why it’s so hard to become a Frontier Firm

Leadership

Illustration of hands steering a wheel at a forked road, with one path leading toward a rising sun and the other into clouds, overlaid with abstract circuit patterns—symbolizing human choice in directing how AI shapes work. 
  1. AI@Work: Stop blaming AI and start deciding
  2. AI@Work: From “better answers” to real business outcomes
  3. AI@Work: The future of commerce? Expertise at your fingertips

Culture

Abstract layered paper cut art of a head with a circular opening, in shades of blue.
  1. Five years that shook the business world
  2. 3 proven ways to boost AI usage and make it stick
  3. The key to a thriving workforce? A smart approach to AI

Innovation

  1. How Levi Strauss & Co. is refashioning its timeless brand with AI
  2. Three things Frontier Firms understand about AI—and you should too
  3. Fine-tuning is the secret to scaling expert knowledge across your company

Collaboration

A colorful illustration of several different islands connected by bridges.
  1. When it comes to AI, don’t build “islands of intelligence”
  2. With Copilot, every meeting is a “digital artifact”
  3. The key ingredient in every Copilot conversation

Performance

Abstract illustration for AI@Work showing data dashboards, workflow diagrams, circuitry, and human‑designed systems, representing how human employees shape and guide AI at work. 
  1. AI@Work: What will human employees do now?
  2. AI@Work: Work is changing fast. Education needs to catch up.
  3. AI@Work: 3 new patterns of work define AI-first companies

Wellbeing

A graphic featuring a yellow dot breaking through a barrier to be among other different colored dots, indicating the inclusivity benefits of AI in the workplace.
  1. AI Data Drop: How AI breaks down barriers to inclusivity
  2. These 5 new habits will help you get the most out of AI
  3. How this ESPN leader works now: A paper planner, next-gen AI, and a “Snow White” garden
In the News
Thumbnail of Satya Nadella and Sam Altman

Microsoft Just Rewrote Work—Here’s The New Language

Jared Spataro on the future of work

5 ways AI is changing healthcare

‎

LinkedIn Learning

The Communicator’s Guide to AI: Tools and Mindsets for Modern PR and Media

Microsoft Source EMEA

A father’s quest for diagnosis inspired a disruptive AI solution

Microsoft Source LATAM

A Colombian judge leads judicial transformation with Copilot

Additional research on the future of work

Explore Microsoft Research