HP Inc has released its fourth annual HP Work Relationship Index – a global study of more than 19 000 desk-based workers across 15 countries – and its findings offer a timely global benchmark for organisations in South Africa and Nigeria as they navigate workplace change, accelerate AI adoption, and strengthen the employee experience.
The study finds that workers with the healthiest relationship with work are becoming more confident in how they navigate uncertainty.
Workplace health is starting to recover, with 29% of knowledge workers now reporting a healthy relationship with work, up 8 points from 2025’s low point. However, pressure remains high, with 86% of knowledge workers experiencing organisational change in the past year, more than one in three still struggling to maintain a healthy relationship with work – categorised as being in the unhealthy/critical zone – and 67% saying it feels too risky to leave their job right now.
Rather than waiting for stability to return, HP’s 2026 Work Relationship Index finds that the happiest workers are using AI, transferable skills, and side ventures to regain control and build resilience in an unpredictable economy.
For employers across South Africa and Nigeria, the global findings underscore a shared imperative: help people feel equipped for change rather than overwhelmed by it, while ensuring that technology investment translates into a better day-to-day experience of work.
This matters for organisations in both markets because business growth and healthy work relationships go hand in hand.
Globally, workers who say their company has performed well are six times more likely to have a healthy relationship with work than those at companies performing poorly.
Workers are not waiting for certainty
For many workers, organisational change has become a constant. Nearly nine in 10 knowledge workers globally report change over the past year – from shifting performance expectations to new technologies and ways of working. This pressure will be familiar to employers and employees in South Africa and Nigeria where adaptability, digital capability, and workforce confidence are increasingly important to organisational resilience.
In response, workers are building optionality. More than half agree career paths are becoming less linear in the AI era, while 59% are prioritising transferable skills over climbing a traditional ladder. Income-generating side ventures are also becoming a form of career insurance, with 36% of workers reporting an income-generating venture, rising to 48% among Gen Z.
AI is becoming a source of workplace resilience
AI has shifted from a source of disruption to a source of resilience – 59% of knowledge workers now use work-provided AI tools daily or weekly, up from 46% in 2025, while the share not using AI has fallen by 13 points to 16%. Among all workers, 47% now use AI agents, showing that AI is moving into everyday workflows as workers increasingly use technology to build resilience, navigate uncertainty, and regain a sense of control in a fast-changing world of work.
As AI agents become more embedded in day-to-day work, workers are becoming more aware of the need to continuously evolve their own skills. Compared with those using generative AI alone, knowledge workers who use AI agents are more likely to believe their role will become harder to define (47% vs 39%) and more likely to worry about being replaced by AI or workers with AI expertise (44% vs 37%). The findings suggest that greater AI fluency is not reducing the perceived need for human skills, but increasing awareness of the importance of adaptability and continuous learning.
The 2026 study found AI’s benefits are strongest when workers feel confident using it. Workers in the Healthy WRI Zone are more likely to use AI agents than those in the Critical Zone (52% vs 38%), while AI agent users are more likely to trust their organisation to introduce AI in a way that protects their role and wellbeing. Yet nearly half of workers say their company still lacks a clear AI strategy.
Technology must make work better
Taken together, the findings show that AI adoption alone will not define the healthiest workplaces.
For organisations in South Africa and Nigeria, the opportunity is to use technology to improve how people experience work – from confidence and productivity to growth and retention. Globally, 70% of business leaders say employee technology experience is a differentiator, while nearly two in three believe a poor technology experience affects their ability to retain top talent.
Workers are also clear about what helps them do their best work. The top enablers include faster and more reliable devices, tools that build new skills, seamless technology across work tools, shared knowledge systems, and AI tools tailored to their role.
As AI reshapes workflows, CIOs and IT teams across South Africa and Nigeria have an increasingly important role in workforce fulfilment, resilience, and growth. The 2026 study makes clear that technology enablement is no longer a back-office issue; it is central to how organisations help people adapt, perform and build healthier relationships with work.
The new business imperative is to build adaptability
For business leaders, the healthiest organisations are not shying away from uncertainty. They are helping employees adapt within it. HP’s new analysis finds that leadership confidence is the strongest driver of a healthy relationship with work (32%), followed by technology enablement (20%), workforce development (19%), personal future readiness (16%), and AI confidence (12%).
The impact of those factors is clear. Nearly three-quarters of knowledge workers (73%) say they would be more likely to stay at a company that actively invests in their growth and development, while 70% of business leaders say employee technology experience is a differentiator. Nearly two in three also believe poor technology experience affects their ability to retain top talent.
For organisations in South Africa and Nigeria, the call to action is clear: equip people with trusted AI, reliable technology, and continuous skills development – and turn workforce adaptability into a shared competitive advantage.