GWI Trends 2026

Which workplace wellbeing trends for 2026 matter for occupational health management in the German Mittelstand?

Note: this applies to German law. The Global Wellness Institute names 7 global trends for 2026. Most relevant for German mid-sized employers: AI-driven work intensification and techno-anxiety — they attach to the legally mandatory psychological risk assessment.

GWI trends 2026: relevance and legal status for the German Mittelstand

GWI trend	Relevance for the German Mittelstand	Legal status in Germany
AI anxiety and work intensification	High — techno-insecurity and techno-overload as new psychological risk factors	Indirectly mandatory: § 5 ArbSchG already requires a psychological risk assessment
Healthy longevity (ageing workforce)	High — aligns with the German skills-shortage debate	Voluntary
Lifestyle medicine	Medium — overlaps with existing prevention fields (exercise, nutrition, stress)	Partly eligible for funding under § 20b SGB V
Menopause at work	Underestimated, but increasingly relevant given ageing workforces	No statutory rule (unlike the UK)
Financial health	Low for the German Mittelstand — more of a supplementary benefit topic	Voluntary

What the GWI trend report 2026 shows — and why global figures need caution

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) is a non-profit that summarises trends in the global wellness industry every year — not a scientific research institute, but an industry body with its own trend report. For 2026 it names seven trends, drawing on studies from the McKinsey Health Institute, Gallup, the WEF, the Adecco Group, Mercer and the Harvard Business Review.

Important context: almost all cited figures come from global or US surveys, not from Germany. One global survey of around 37,000 workers finds that the share worried about their own job security because of AI rose from 28 % (2024) to 40 % (2026) — and that 62 % believe their leadership underestimates the emotional impact of AI on them (source: Adecco Group / Mercer, cited in the GWI trend report 2026). Such figures show a direction, but do not transfer one-to-one to German workplaces — for robust German data on psychological strain, the BAuA and DAK reports are the better source.

So not every GWI trend is equally relevant for a German mid-sized employer. The table above sorts the seven trends by how strongly they attach to duties that already exist in Germany — that is the practical filter for deciding where to invest first.

AI anxiety and work intensification: the link to the German risk assessment

The strongest lever in the report is what GWI calls the 'Age of Uncertainty' and 'AI-driven workforce anxiety': in practice AI often does not reduce workload but condenses it — expectations and pace rise faster than tasks actually disappear. A peer-reviewed study published in 2025 distinguishes two drivers: techno-insecurity (fear of being replaced by AI) and techno-overload (being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of AI-related demands). Both correlate with anxiety and depressive symptoms (cited in the GWI trend report 2026).

For German employers this is not a new legal field but an extension of an existing one: § 5 ArbSchG already obliges employers to carry out a psychological risk assessment — regardless of whether the strain arises from work intensity, leadership or the introduction of AI. Anyone rolling out AI tools without capturing the resulting psychological strain simply has an incomplete risk assessment.

In practice: AI-related strain belongs in the same survey as other psychological risk factors, using the same validated instruments (COPSOQ, psyGB), not as a separate special topic. Two concrete measures that can start immediately: a monthly AI office hour for employees, and transparent communication about which tasks new AI tools will actually change.

Ageing workforce and menopause: two underestimated German topics

The GWI trend 'healthy longevity' describes a shift from lifespan to 'healthspan' — years in good health — as a performance factor. According to Willis Towers Watson (2024), 46 % of global employers intend to make employee wellbeing a foundation of their people strategy by 2027. For Germany this maps directly onto the skills-shortage debate: employers who keep older employees healthy and capable for longer secure knowledge that is hard to replace on the labour market.

One trend that barely features in the German debate is menopause at work. According to the McKinsey Health Institute (2024), more than 1.2 billion women worldwide will be menopausal by 2030 — often during their peak earning and leadership years. The United Kingdom already has binding legislation on this; Germany does not. For mid-sized employers this is currently not a compliance topic but an opportunity: being among the first to develop a clear, matter-of-fact stance (flexible hours where needed, informed managers) creates an advantage with a group that increasingly matters in the competition for skilled staff and leaders.

Related measures & topics

Key takeaways

GWI trend report 2026: 7 global workplace wellbeing trends, drawing on McKinsey, Gallup, WEF, Adecco, Mercer and HBR
Worry about job security due to AI: globally 28 % (2024) → 40 % (2026); 62 % see leadership as blind to the emotional impact (Adecco/Mercer via GWI)
AI-related psychological strain belongs in the already mandatory risk assessment under § 5 ArbSchG — not a new special topic
Healthy longevity (McKinsey/WTW: 46 % of employers by 2027) aligns with the German skills-shortage debate
Menopause at work (McKinsey: 1.2 billion women worldwide by 2030) is barely addressed in Germany — unlike in the UK
Not every global figure transfers to Germany — BAuA and DAK provide the German comparison values

Frequently asked questions

What is the Global Wellness Institute?+

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) is a non-profit that researches the global wellness industry and publishes an annual trend report. It is neither a government body nor a purely scientific institute, but an industry association — the cited studies (McKinsey, Gallup, WEF and others) are the actual primary sources; GWI summarises and contextualises them.

Do the GWI figures transfer directly to Germany?+

No. Most figures cited in the report come from global or US surveys (Adecco, Mercer, WEF, Gallup). For robust statements about psychological strain in German workplaces, the BAuA study on psychological strain 2024 and the DAK Psychreport 2025 are the better sources — the GWI report mainly provides global direction and international comparison cases.

Must AI-related strain be included in the psychological risk assessment?+

§ 5 ArbSchG does not name AI explicitly, but obliges employers to assess all relevant psychological risk factors at work. Where the introduction of AI tools demonstrably leads to work intensification, insecurity or overload, it belongs in the existing risk assessment — as an extension of an already mandatory process, not as a new separate duty.

What do techno-insecurity and techno-overload mean in practice?+

Techno-insecurity describes the fear of being replaced in one's own role by new technology, especially AI. Techno-overload describes feeling overwhelmed by the volume of new AI-related demands and learning effort. A study published in 2025 shows that both factors correlate with anxiety and depressive symptoms — regardless of whether the concern is objectively justified.

Capture AI-related strain in the risk assessment

EasyBGM digitises the psychological risk assessment (COPSOQ and psyGB) — including measures against AI-driven stress in the modern working world.

Try EasyBGM for free Explore measures against AI stress

Sources

Last updated: 2026-07-29. Not legal or tax advice — have your specific case reviewed by a professional.

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