Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Americas
The Americas have traditionally excelled at acknowledging the need to support a healthy workplace culture. This relates to strong leader support, strong innovation scores, and a general openness to change across countries in the Americas. However, the need to rethink work in the age of AI has put many workers in the Americas at risk of rising stress and wellbeing issues. At the same time, generational diversity is both a source of friction and a strategic advantage. With four generations working side by side, differences in communication preferences, career expectations, and attitudes toward technology require more intentional leadership. Going forward, organizations should continue to strategically and intentionally invest in culture to keep wellbeing and performance high.
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Mindi Cox
Chief Marketing & People Officer
Salt Lake City, United States
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Europe
Historically, the European region has excelled when it comes to supporting employee work-life balance and flexibility. However, socio-economic uncertainties have left many workers in Europe struggling with engagement and burnout at work. The rise of AI has leaders increasingly advocating for upskilling and transformation, yet these often come at the expense of recognition programs. As a result, employees across the region are finding it difficult to establish the kind of trust that provides clarity in times of ambiguity and support when career paths feel unstable. Organizations should adopt strategies aimed at cultivating a culture of growth to support increased trust, innovation, and engagement.
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Robert Ordever
Managing Director, Europe
London, England
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IMEA
Organizations in the IMEA region prioritize learning and growth for their employees, and it shows up in strong growth scores as well as a magnified sense of belonging. However, some of the struggles that this region faces include high attrition rates as well as a simmering tension between reaching ambitious goals and burnout. In order to avoid these issues, organizations in IMEA should be sure to provide leaders with the tools they need to succeed and support their employees.
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Zubin Zack
Managing Director, India, Middle East, and Africa
Mumbai, India
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APAC
Across the APAC region, human-centric performance goals and increased support for employee recognition programs are helping more and more employees thrive. However, this region still faces its share of challenges, particularly at a time where economic uncertainty and cost management are front of mind. For instance, organizations are grappling with talent and skills gaps in the age of AI while simultaneously adopting new ways of working. In addition, many employees find themselves searching for more meaningful work and connection, even as they worry about job security. Though there is mounting support for more frequent, meaningful recognition, increasing the prevalence of recognition programs even further would have a positive impact on employee wellbeing and support healthy performance cultures.
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Alan Heyward
Managing Director, Asia Pacific
Melbourne, Australia
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Methodology
The O.C. Tanner Institute uses multiple research methods to support the Global Culture Report, including interviews, focus groups, cross-sectional surveys, and a longitudinal survey.
Qualitative findings came from 24 focus groups among employees, leaders, and HR practitioners of larger organizations. The focus groups and additional interviews were held throughout 2025 and 2026, each representing various types of employers and industries, and included both private and public entities.
Quantitative findings came from online survey interviews administered to employees across Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The total sample size was 25,832 workers at companies with 500+ employees. The O.C. Tanner Institute collected and analyzed all survey data. This sample is sufficient to generate meaningful conclusions about the cultures of organizations in the included countries. However, because the study does not include population data, results are subject to statistical errors customarily associated with sample-based information.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from the O.C. Tanner Institute.
While purpose and success scores remain strong in The Americas, innovation, trust, and growth were particularly low across both the region and generations. To elevate these scores and help employees thrive, organizations must recommit to practices and programs that foster a healthy performance culture, one that balances expectations and employee support needs.
Compared to last year, many of Europe’s scores are either the same or modestly improved. However, compassion, growth, trust, and innovation scores are low compared to other regions. Organizations should focus on further improving culture and the Talent Magnets in order to show improvement in these areas.
While most scores are similar (or improved) compared to last year’s results, leaders in IMEA should also be particularly careful about including both younger and older employees in their inclusion and culture-building efforts. For instance, as the table below indicates, “Gen Z” workers often score lower in positive outcomes compared to their older peers (and have increased burnout).
Most culture measures have stayed relatively consistent compared to last year. However, APAC has lower compassion, growth, trust, and innovation scores compared to some other regions. Organizations and leaders should lean further into recognition best practices in order to improve scores in these areas.
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