TJ Newsflash January 14: AI, leadership learning and stress will shape 2026 – & more related news here

The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ editor Jo Cook. This week: New data highlights drivers of employee experience, growing trust gaps, Gen Z flight risks, loneliness-related absences, and updated Workplace Learning Week 2026 dates, offering timely insights for anyone shaping people, culture, and capabilities.

Learning Hack opens new season with bold agenda for 2026

A new season of the Learning Hack podcast launches on Monday, January 12, with an episode starring Josh Bersin. Ranked among the top 5% of most listened to podcasts globally (Listen Notes), this popular and influential podcast has been published since 2019 and has followers in over 150 countries around the world.

In the opening episode, The Changing Shape of Work, Josh Bersin sets the agenda for workplace learning in 2026.

Read more in Learning News.

What will a learning leader look like in 2026?

The portrait of the training and development professional will be ripe to evolve in 2026, thanks to artificial intelligence. In a survey conducted by Go1, the majority of L&D professionals seemed optimistic about AI’s role in upskilling: 69% of respondents agreed that “this is where AI can deliver the most value.”

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Transforming workplace learning in the world of AI, with Capita

AI is the big industrial shift of our time, and as a workforce development professional, it’s hard to know where to start. From identifying the skills your organization needs to reinventing the creation and delivery of learning content, there are many avenues you can explore.

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The silent epidemic of stress

The results of the 2025 Silent Workplace Stress Survey are food for thought: 43.6% of employees talk about their anxieties with their partner and 12.8% open up about stress with their friends.

When it comes to how employees deal with stress in the work environment, the results are revealing:

• 20.3% trust a teammate on the same team
• Only 4.7% talk to their superior
• Only 1.3% are involved with leadership

Read more.

Sogolytics Releases 2026 Employee Experience (EX) Index, Revealing Important Trends That Will Shape the Future of Work

Sogolytics announced The Sogolytics Experience Index: Employee Edition (EX) 2026, a comprehensive enterprise-level analytical report based on one of the most statistically robust employee experience studies of the year. Drawing on insights from 1,027 full-time U.S. employees across 12 industries, the report reveals the evolving expectations, pressures and priorities that are redefining the modern workplace.

Validated key knowledge includes:

• 71% of U.S. employees say they are satisfied at work, though nearly one in five remain neutral, highlighting opportunities to deepen engagement.
• Salary (43%), work-life balance (38%) and feeling valued (34%) are the most powerful predictors of satisfaction.
• Only 1 in 10 employees say their feedback always leads to change, revealing a critical trust gap

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The new fault lines in the workplace

What the 2025 TriNet data reveals about AI, the benefits, upskilling, and why Gen Z is on the move: Perhaps the most urgent warning in the 2025 data is generational. One-third of Gen Z employees plan to change jobs within six months, up from 25% a year ago. Meanwhile, their confidence in being able to succeed at work plummeted 20 points year over year, falling to just 39%.

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Lone workers say they miss more work

35% of lone workers say they miss at least one day of work a month, according to a report from The Cigna Group.

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Workplace Learning Week 2026 Dates

Workplace Learning Week 2026 will take place from Monday 18th to Sunday 24th May. These dates have been updated as the original dates coincided with a holiday week.

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