Korn Ferry Reported Rise in Multirole Employment
A September 2026 report found that 61 percent of professionals now handle the responsibilities of multiple job roles.
Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Remote Work
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The Korn Ferry Workforce 2026 report, released in September 2026, revealed that 61 percent of professionals globally are performing the work of multiple roles. This shift follows widespread corporate efforts to flatten organizations and reduce management layers.
Why it matters
Organizations are increasingly cutting management roles and staff to boost efficiency, often forcing remaining employees to absorb extra work. This trend, compounded by the assumption that workers can easily integrate AI experimentation into their daily tasks, has contributed to a decline in overall employee motivation.
Korn Ferry surveyed more than 16,000 professionals across 11 global markets. Results showed 62 percent of respondents reporting increased workloads, while 42 percent of organizations cut management roles over the past year.
The players
Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm that provides research and insights on workplace trends and human capital.
Uber
Uber is a multinational transportation and technology company that recently announced plans to reduce its workforce and management layers.
MIT Sloan
MIT Sloan is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which conducts significant research on management and AI.
Meta
Meta is a technology conglomerate that has been the subject of reports regarding its strategies toward organizational management.
The details
Companies are actively flattening organizational structures to slash costs and head counts, frequently offloading the duties of departed staff onto remaining personnel. Simultaneously, leaders expect employees to manage additional responsibilities stemming from AI adoption, even as 55 percent of remaining managers report experiencing exhaustion.
Timeline
Employee motivation levels were 71 percent in 2024.
Academic working paper on AI integration was released in July 2026.
Korn Ferry Workforce 2026 report was released in September 2026.
MIT Sloan issued a press release on AI research on September 9, 2026.
Fortune reported Meta's reversal on management cuts on September 12, 2026.
Market Landscape
The push to flatten organizational structures marks a significant departure from the management-heavy corporate models of the past decade. This shift capitalizes on a broader trend of cost-cutting and AI integration, though it is currently creating friction as employees struggle to absorb the resulting increase in professional responsibilities.
Employees may face higher pressure to maintain performance levels while covering the duties of eliminated colleagues or managers. This environment often requires workers to navigate increased workload demands alongside the expectation of adopting new AI technologies without additional support.
The takeaway
The transition toward leaner organizations requires a careful balance between achieving efficiency and maintaining employee well-being. Professionals should prepare for evolving role expectations and consider how to integrate new tools without sacrificing their long-term capacity for results.
Further reading
For additional context on the evolution of professional environments, explore the Remote Work section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fortune.
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