We are standing at a peculiar crossroads in the history of work. For the last decade, the narrative of 'HR Tech' has been dominated by a single, ruthless metric: efficiency. We have spent billions automating payroll, streamlining applicant tracking, and optimising scheduling. We have successfully engineered the friction out of the machine. But in doing so, we risk engineering the humanity out of it, too.
A recent analysis by Forbes on the workplace predictions for 2026 offers a stark corrective to this trend. The data suggests that the winning organisations of the next decade will not be the ones that automate the fastest. They will be the ones that care the deepest. The prediction is clear: Flexibility, AI, and Empathy will decide who wins.
At Solas Technologies, we believe this shift represents something profound. We are moving from the era of the 'Efficiency Engine' to the era of the 'Empathy Engine'. And contrary to popular belief, AI is not the enemy of this shift. Used correctly, it is the only way to scale it.
The Trust Deficit: Why Leaders Are Flying Blind
Trust is the currency of the modern workplace, and right now, we are in a recession. The Forbes report cites the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, which reveals a devastating statistic: 68% of people believe business leaders purposely mislead people.
This collapse in trust is not accidental. It is the result of a widening gap between what leaders say ('We care about your wellbeing') and what they do (monitor keystrokes, enforce rigid mandates, and ignore burnout). In a distributed or hybrid world, this gap is harder to bridge because leaders can no longer 'read the room' by walking the floor.
This is the primary function of SolasOS. We built it to be the sensory system that modern organisations lack. By analysing communication data—not for surveillance, but for sentiment—we help leaders understand the emotional reality of their workforce. It replaces the 'gut feel' of the past with objective data on organisational health.
The RTO Trap and the Invisible Network
One of the most contentious battlegrounds of 2025 has been the Return-to-Office (RTO) mandate. The Forbes article notes that research from Baylor University found companies announcing RTO mandates experienced an average of 13% turnover. For financial services firms and large enterprises, losing 13% of your talent—often your most mobile, high-performing talent—is a catastrophic loss of intellectual property.
Why do leaders enforce these mandates? Fear. They fear that if they cannot see their people, collaboration isn't happening. They are trying to solve an 'Invisible Network' problem with a physical real estate solution.
There is a better way. SolasOS maps these invisible networks. It visualises how information flows between teams, identifies the super-connectors who bridge silos, and highlights the isolated pockets that are at risk of disengagement. When you can *see* that your remote engineering team is collaborating perfectly with product design, you stop worrying about where they are sitting. You start focusing on what they are building.
Predictive Empathy: Catching Burnout Before the Crash
The most vital application of this 'Empathy Engine' is in preventing burnout. The Forbes analysis emphasizes that in 2026, winning companies will be those that protect employee wellbeing rather than just extracting output.
Burnout does not happen overnight. It is a slow accumulation of friction, ambiguity, and exhaustion. Traditional HR methods—the annual survey or the exit interview—are autopsies. They tell you why the patient died. They do not save the patient.
SolasOS is designed to be a diagnostic tool. By measuring patterns of 'Tone Tax' (friction in communication) and network overload, we provide early warnings for talent risks. We can tell a People Leader, 'Team Alpha is showing signs of communication fatigue', three months before Team Alpha hands in their resignation letters. That is the difference between reactive administration and proactive leadership.
The Bias-Free Future of Performance
Finally, we must address the issue of fairness. The Forbes article rightly points out that GenAI excels at pattern recognition. In the context of performance management, this is a game-changer.
For too long, performance reviews have been a theatre of bias. The 'loudest' employees, or those who physically sit nearest the boss, often get the praise. SolasPerform is built to dismantle this bias. By using objective data on network impact and delivery, we help organisations identify their true top performers—the quiet architects of success who might otherwise go unnoticed.
Conclusion: The Human Advantage
As we look towards 2026, the technology landscape will continue to accelerate. But the companies that thrive will not be those that simply deploy more tech. They will be the ones that use technology to become more human.
Whether it is SolasOS for the enterprise, SolasPerform for the growing SMB, or SolasLite for the individual professional, our mission remains the same: to provide the deep, objective insight needed to foster a culture of performance, fairness, and empathy.
Read the original Forbes analysis here: 5 Workplace Predictions In 2026