A new study from the HR Research Institute in partnership with Motivosity, released March 31, 2026, underscores the critical role of workplace culture in employee retention and engagement. The report, titled The State of Workplace Culture and Connection 2026, surveyed 5,538 employees, managers, and executives to assess the current state of workplace culture.
The findings reveal that organizations with strong cultures see significantly higher levels of recognition and trust. Employees in high-performing cultures are nearly 16 times more likely to receive meaningful recognition from managers on a weekly basis, over 9 times more likely to be recognized by peers, and more than 8 times as likely to have high trust in organizational leadership.
However, the study also highlights persistent gaps. More than a third of employees report they rarely receive meaningful recognition from peers (35%) or managers (37%). Additionally, many employees feel disconnected from broader leadership despite strong ties with immediate teams. The report notes that 59% of managers and executives do not know their Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS), a key metric for measuring engagement and loyalty, indicating a widespread lack of awareness about cultural health.
"Culture is built through everyday moments of connection; not giving your people more stuff or a fully-stocked breakroom," said Scott Johnson, CEO and Founder of Motivosity. "This report confirms what we’ve long believed at Motivosity: when employees feel seen, valued, and connected, trust grows, engagement improves, and performance follows."
The study suggests that organizations can address these gaps by using modern listening tools and analytics to move from guesswork to proactive cultural management. Debbie McGrath, CEO of HR.com, emphasized, "Strong workplace culture isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a key business driver." The full report is available for download at HR Research Institute.
The findings underscore that culture, when approached strategically, delivers tangible benefits for both employees and the business. By prioritizing recognition, trust, and connection, organizations can improve engagement and retention in an era where these factors are increasingly critical to success.
