2026 Trends: Money, Rights and the New Foundations of Wellbeing 

From day-one rights and employment reforms to rising financial stress, payroll transparency and reward redesign, this instalment examines why money, clarity and trust are becoming central to workforce stability. These forces are not abstract policy issues; they are shaping sickness absence, retention and everyday culture across UK workplaces. 

Sarah Stevens, founder and director of HR consultancy hoomph, sees this in the everyday reality of her clients.  “As we approach 2026, workplace health and wellbeing will be shaped by a more empowered workforce and a rapidly maturing regulatory landscape. Employees increasingly demand personalised support (from flexible benefits to transparent salary ranges) and want wellbeing, inclusion, and psychological safety embedded into everyday culture. Financial wellbeing needs are also rising as cost-of-living pressures persist.  For employers, the pressure points are clear. New employment reforms and day-one rights require tighter processes, stronger communication, and consistent management of absence and people policies.”   

That phrase – wellbeing as a “strategic imperative” – repeats across sectors and disciplines. Nowhere is it more visible than in debates about pay, money and financial resilience.  

If 2019 was the year mental health went mainstream, 2026 may be the year financial wellbeing follows.  

Financial resilience, reward and trust  

Ray Law, co-founder of moneyappi, says financial resilience is now one of the most pressing wellbeing risks employers face. 

“Financial resilience is rapidly becoming one of the greatest challenges facing employers and one they can no longer treat as optional,” Law says. “As we move into 2026, we expect financial wellbeing to follow the same trajectory as mental health support, with it shifting from ‘nice to have’ to a formal expectation, if not a mandated element of workplace policy.  

“The pressures behind this are clear. Cost-of-living strain isn’t easing, and financial stress is now one of the strongest predictors of sickness absence, disengagement and attrition. We’re seeing this directly in workforce behaviour, with more employees seeking emergency help mid-month and relying on flexible pay tools just to stay afloat.  

“Policy is moving too. The government’s new financial inclusion strategy places explicit responsibility on employers to support financial literacy and everyday money management, including helping employees understand tax, deductions and debt. And with the global financial wellbeing market forecast to grow nearly 10% annually, employers are already building structured financial education into their benefits.  

All of this points in one direction: financial wellbeing becoming a strategic necessity in 2026, not an optional benefit.”  

On the ground, these pressures are changing how reward packages are designed, communicated and judged. Matt Russell, CEO at Epassi UK and Zest, sees employees weighing benefits as heavily as headline pay.  

“Competitive reward packages are vital for both employees and employers,” Russell says. “Organisations that aren’t focused on enhancing their reward strategies during 2026 face a challenge to attract and retain talent and remain competitive. However, simply offering more benefits isn’t enough – less than half (48%) actually use all the perks available to them. Employers need to ensure that they are offering personalised benefits to employees and partnering with benefits technology providers to utilise insights on take-up and engagement, communicate effectively and regularly with employees and deliver the support their workforce requires to boost value for money for both employer and employees.”  

Behind the scenes, pay transparency and payroll technology are becoming just as important as the benefits packages themselves. For many organisations, this shift is as much about trust and psychological safety as it is about compliance.  

As payroll systems evolve, offering real-time visibility, flexible pay, clearer deductions and integrated benefits data, the function is moving closer to the employee experience agenda. It raises a wider question for 2026: is payroll still a finance function, or is it becoming part of reward and employee benefits?  

The lines are blurring. Payroll now influences how fairly people feel treated, how confident they are in their employer and how easily they can understand and access what they are entitled to. That places it squarely within the culture and wellbeing conversation.  

For HR and reward teams, this convergence could mark a shift towards more joined-up pay, benefits and financial wellbeing strategies, where accuracy, clarity and trust matter just as much as the numbers on the payslip.  

Saul Howerton, Vice President and Global Head of People Advisory at Vistra, underlines the scale of change.  “Transparency rules place significant operational pressure on payroll teams, with even small discrepancies creating compliance risk or undermining confidence,” Howerton explains. “It can also surface pay disparities that may require structural adjustments, while payroll systems may require investment and updating to ensure payroll data is reliable and consistent. For multinational firms, this will create an increasingly complex landscape.  

“Companies that take a measured, informed approach will be best positioned in 2026 to meet these new payroll regulations and maintain trust and stability across their workforce.”  

As AI moves into payroll, Allan Harness Payroll & HR Solution Director at Vistra, sees a shift from number-crunching to strategic insight.  

“Payroll technology in 2026 will continue to evolve,” he says. “New models have already strengthened processes like error detection, reducing the need for manual checks that historically have slowed payroll teams down and setting the stage for more efficient payroll operations. However, payroll professionals will need to evolve their skillsets, shifting from transactional tasks to data-driven advisory roles.  

“In the year ahead, payroll tech will focus on forecasting payroll costs and workforce trends, powering employee self-service tools, and harmonising processes across global jurisdictions. These advancements can ease administrative pressure and create a more consistent, transparent payroll experience for employees. Payroll will become a hub for workforce intelligence, where professionals interpret AI-driven insights to guide HR and finance strategy. As AI takes on routine tasks, payroll leaders will increasingly act as workforce strategists, interpreting predictive insights to advise on talent costs, retention, and productivity.”  

For employees, the headline may be straightforward – “I understand my pay, I trust the numbers, and if something is wrong, someone will spot it fast.” Underneath, that represents a major shift in wellbeing infrastructure.  

So, as we’ve explored, regulation is tightening, employee expectations are rising, and payroll is emerging as a crucial pillar of trust and psychological safety. 

Our final part – part 3 of our 2026 Trends Feature turns to culture, capability and whole-person health. We explore mental fitness, cross-generational collaboration, menopause and life-stage needs, inclusion, bias, learning, senior freelancers and the latest evidence shaping wellbeing strategy in 2026.