AI definitely goes without saying at this point. As we have heard today, managers are looking to upskill in generative AI, and the financial services industry is increasingly hiring psychologists and behavioural scientists into their AI departments to help with the ethical side of AI and how it is managed within a human environment. Staying up to date with AI, and particularly the ethical dimension of it, is going to be really important, and that is where behavioural scientists are going to have a big impact.

Loneliness is another area that has been on our radar for a while. It has been called an epidemic, and this predates COVID, so it is not a post-pandemic issue. Loneliness is genuinely bad for us. It is linked to conditions like heart disease and dementia, and from a workplace perspective, it reduces productivity, impacts employee engagement, and leads to turnover. We had Connie Hadley on the show to discuss loneliness, so I would definitely recommend checking out that episode on Truth, Lies and Work podcast if you want to build your knowledge in that area. In terms of other key themes, leadership remains a pressing concern. SHRM conducted a survey that found ineffective leadership and management was the number one workplace concern for 2026, and it ranked highly in 2025 as well, so it is clear this is still an unsolved problem.

And of course, the ongoing debate around hybrid, remote, and on-site working continues, though it is worth recognising that at its core, this is a power struggle rather than a genuine discussion about what works best for the nature of the work itself. I would recommend following people like Nick Bloom from Stanford, who joined us on the podcast to talk about how to design hybrids working most effectively, and keeping a close eye on how that conversation continues to evolve.