While companies focus on the risks, opportunities, and regulations emerging around AI, the next tech challenge is already on the horizon. Quantum computers are here – and so are the associated crime risks, plus some encryption protections. 

Compliance teams in all sectors should expect more clients to ask questions about their quantum resilience in 2026. Those in critical infrastructure organizations (or their supply chains) should also prepare to meet requirements connected to national quantum milestones.

Fear of retaliation keeps workers silent on safety hazards, according to a survey by Pie Insurance.

While employers prioritize compliance, policies and procedures, the data showed that the employee voice has largely been absent from these discussions. Meanwhile, the gap between what workers intend to do and what they actually do reveals how fear, confusion and resignation create invisible barriers to workplace safety.

Tumultuous periods are frequently followed by efforts to narrow down on self-preservation, and in 2026, we expect that workforce wellness trends will determine the list of the best employers on the market right now. Conversations around AI, skill development, and productivity goals often hijack discussions around employment, but employee well-being and the empowerment that can be found through health and wellness, are often relegated to an afterthought.

When the topic does make an appearance, they are often explored from the perspective of easy employee perks that don’t break the bank, but health and recovery are inarguable drivers of resilience and innovation that HR leaders must never ignore.

The SEC’s 2026 examination priorities emphasize existing regulatory expectations extended to technologies that didn’t exist when compliance frameworks were established. Jamie Hoyle of MirrorWeb explores how examiners will review AI-related marketing claims for accuracy, assess whether preservation systems capture communications in formats that maintain context and authenticity, and determine if compliance programs translate policies to actual practice through substantive implementation rather than relying on well-drafted documentation that provides no protection if it exists primarily on paper.

What will you be doing in the coming year? We asked experts in a range of sectors to gaze into their crystal balls and highlight one legal development or compliance topic that will be critical for compliance teams in 2026. This is an edited version of what they told us.

Evaluate heat exposure risks and implement hydration, shade, and acclimatization protocols on outdoor job sites

Assess silica-related tasks, ensuring engineering controls, respiratory protection, and hazard assessments are up to date

Update safety programs and training to reflect actual field conditions, ensuring consistent implementation across projects

Develop injury response and return-to-work procedures focused on emerging risks like heat illness to reduce claim severity and impact on EMRs

Despite lingering questions about how the efficiencies wrought by AI and automation could impact insurance recruitment and hiring, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a slight increase (3%) in financial-services services workers by 2034.

But this optimistic projection pales in comparison to longstanding anxiety regarding the insurance-industry talent gap, or the pending retirement of thousands of experienced professionals and the concurrent lack of talent to fill or redefine those roles. Results from the 2025 Independent Insurance Agent Survey conducted by Propertycasualty360 in partnership with the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents reflect this hiring anxiety, with the majority of respondents (81%) reporting they are somewhat or very concerned about insurance-workforce challenges.