Business leaders are operating in one of the most complex risk environments in recent memory. Cyberattacks are growing more sophisticated, extreme weather events are disrupting operations with greater frequency, and persistent workforce shortages continue to strain productivity. At the same time, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are reshaping how companies do business. That introduces both new opportunities and new exposures.

To help leaders understand and respond to this shifting landscape, The Hartford developed its 2026 Risk Monitor Report, which surveys midsize and large business decision-makers about the issues keeping them up at night. The findings paint a picture of an environment where traditional risks are intensifying while novel ones are emerging at a rapid pace.

Business leaders today are juggling more risks at once than ever before, The Hartford’s experts advise, and the companies that fare best are the ones taking a proactive approach, identifying exposures early and putting strategies in place before a loss happens.

The Risks Weighing Most Heavily on Business Leaders

According to the Risk Monitor survey results, cyber threats remain at the top of the list of concerns. Business leaders cited ransomware, data breaches, social engineering, and third-party vendor vulnerabilities as primary worries. The increasing use of AI by threat actors has only amplified the urgency, as phishing emails and impersonation attempts grow harder to detect.

Workforce challenges represent another significant concern. Survey respondents pointed to difficulty attracting and retaining talent, rising medical costs in workers’ compensation claims, and the impact of mental health and aging workforce trends on employee safety and productivity. These workforce risks ripple across nearly every other area of operations.

Extreme weather and climate-related disruptions also weighed heavily on business leaders. From severe convective storms to wildfires and flooding, property and business interruption losses have become more frequent and more severe. Many leaders surveyed expressed uncertainty about whether their current preparedness measures are sufficient for the conditions they may face in coming years.

Other top concerns highlighted in the report include:

• Economic volatility, inflation, and rising costs
• Supply chain disruption and vendor reliability
• Litigation trends and the impact of “social inflation” on liability claims
• Adoption of emerging technology, particularly artificial intelligence
• Regulatory complexity across multiple jurisdictions

What the data points to is how interconnected these risks have become. In just a couple of examples cited by The Hartford’s experts, a cyber event can trigger a business interruption loss and a workforce shortage can create safety exposures. Leaders and risk managers are recognizing that risks don’t sit in neat silos anymore.

Coverage and Risk Mitigation Strategies That Help Businesses Get a Grip on Risk

While the risk environment is challenging, The Hartford’s Risk Monitor Report emphasizes that businesses have more tools than ever to manage exposure. The carrier brings together a combination of insurance coverages and proactive risk engineering services designed to address the specific concerns surfaced in the survey results.

On the cyber front, The Hartford offers dedicated cyber insurance that responds to ransomware, business email compromise, data breach response, and related expenses. Beyond coverage, the company provides pre-breach risk assessments, employee training resources, and incident response planning to help businesses reduce the likelihood and severity of an attack.

For workforce-related risks, The Hartford’s workers’ compensation program pairs coverage with loss control consulting, ergonomic assessments, and return-to-work programs designed to reduce claim severity and help injured employees recover. Group benefits offerings, including disability and absence management, help employers support their workforce while controlling cost.

To address property and business interruption exposures tied to extreme weather, The Hartford provides property coverage backed by risk engineering services. These include site assessments, business continuity planning support, and guidance on hardening facilities against severe weather. Catastrophe modeling helps clients understand their exposure before an event occurs, not after.

General liability, commercial auto, and umbrella coverages round out the protection businesses need against today’s litigation environment. The Hartford’s claims professionals work to manage exposure to nuclear verdicts and social inflation by combining experienced defense strategies with early intervention on emerging claims.

As we know, insurance is a critical piece of the puzzle, but it’s not the whole answer. The most resilient businesses pair the right coverage with active risk management. That’s where The Hartford’s consultative approach really makes a difference for clients.

The Hartford’s risk engineering team works directly with midsize and large businesses to develop tailored mitigation strategies. That can include safety program development, fleet telematics for commercial auto risk, cyber tabletop exercises, and supply chain risk reviews. The goal is to help businesses identify vulnerabilities before they become losses.

Building Resilience for What’s Next

Looking ahead, business leaders surveyed for the Risk Monitor expect risks to continue expand, particularly as artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in operations and the regulatory environment grows more complex. The companies best positioned to thrive will be those that view risk management as an ongoing strategic discipline, not a once-a-year insurance renewal exercise.

The pace of change isn’t slowing down but businesses that lean into risk management, ask the hard questions and put the right protections in place can iron our volatility and uncertainty and gain a competitive advantage.

For business leaders looking to better understand the risks ahead and the strategies available to manage them, The Hartford’s Risk Monitor Report offers a detailed look at what peers are saying and what solutions are working.

To view the full report, click here. &