Naomi Lariviere, chief product owner, VP of Product Management, ADP

2024 weeded out DEI-washing companies

As we step into 2025, DEI-washing will be left in the past. Many companies that rushed to adopt DEI initiatives to be on trend a few years back are the same ones to deprioritize or completely abandon these efforts. However, in 2025, job seekers will have a clearer ability to pluck out the organizations that truly value DEI.

Companies that have integrated these principles into their employer branding and workplace culture will stand out as they compete for talent, while those that do not genuinely prioritize them will be easily identified. This type of transparency will empower candidates to make more informed choices about where they want to work.

Neil Costa, CEO, HireClix 

Remote work wellbeing advantages will erode

Based on current data trends, we predict that 2025 will mark the near-complete erosion of remote work's historical wellbeing advantages, leading to what we term a ‘Convergence of Strain’ across all work locations. This shift is already visible in the data, with traditional gaps in wellbeing metrics between remote and on-site workers narrowing significantly through 2024.

By 2025, we expect to see equivalent levels of burnout, stress, and psychosocial risk regardless of work setting, driven by universal pressures like economic uncertainty, increased workloads, and accelerated organizational change.

The deterioration of remote work wellbeing advantages will likely stem from increasing digital presenteeism, boundary erosion between work and home life, and mounting virtual communication fatigue. Meanwhile, on-site workers will continue developing adaptive coping strategies and benefiting from more flexible workplace policies, further closing the gap.

This convergence does not represent an improvement in overall conditions, but rather suggests that work location will cease to be a meaningful predictor of employee wellbeing outcomes. Organizations will need to shift their focus from location-specific interventions to addressing these universal challenges that affect all workers, regardless of where they perform their duties.”

Brad Smith, PhD, chief science officer, meQuilibrium

Organizations will prioritize workforce change readiness

Looking ahead to 2025, we predict a significant rise in anxiety as a result of accelerating pace of business transformation. Without the right support and skills, this anxiety will erode productivity, dampen employee morale, and weaken overall organizational performance.

The stakes are too high to ignore. In 2025, look for organizations to prioritize the development of change readiness across their workforce—to help employees become comfortable with new technologies like GenAI, transition into new roles, navigate difficult decisions with confidence, rebound from setbacks, and manage the turbulence of rapid change.

Jan Bruce, CEO & co-founder, meQuilibrium

The next “quiet quitting” is “reluctant retention”

When employees feel like they can’t leave a role they’re unhappy with, everyone suffers. Because the job market for certain fields is so tight at the moment, many employees are stuck balancing both disliking their job and knowing that they need to hang onto it.

The result is a workforce “reluctantly retained,” causing strife for managers trying to get them to rise to the occasion. In 2025 we’ll see more employees just engaged enough to hang on until their prospects open up to leave.

Terrence Cummings, chief opportunity officer, Guild

Multigenerational workforce: Personalizing the employee journey

In today’s diverse workplace, multiple generations—baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z—work side by side and bring unique perspectives and needs to the table. HR can play a pivotal role in personalizing the employee journey to cater to each generation’s preferences and expectations.

For baby boomers, who value stability and face-to-face communication, HR can offer mentorship programs and opportunities for knowledge sharing.

Gen X employees, known for their independence and work-life balance priorities, may benefit from flexible work arrangements and personalized professional development opportunities.

Millennials, who seek purpose and continuous feedback, can be engaged through meaningful work, regular conversations with their manager, and clear career advancement paths.

Gen Z, known for their passionate support of social causes and desire for prompt feedback, thrives in organizations with strong Employee Resource Groups (ERG) and individualized attention.

HR can leverage AI to provide personalized learning paths, real-time feedback, and digital communication platforms. By understanding and addressing the distinct needs of each generation, HR can create a more inclusive, engaging, and productive work environment for all employees.

Rebekah Roberts, learning and development program manager, University of Phoenix

Economic uncertainty: Financial wellbeing matters more than ever

Economic instability and global events can shake even the most resilient individuals. Rising costs, market fluctuations, and geopolitical crises create stress that seeps into daily life. Addressing financial wellbeing is a proactive way to mitigate the impact of these external forces on mental and physical health.

For individuals, it means being prepared with tools and strategies to weather tough times. For employers, it means recognizing that holistic support—including financial stability—enables employees to bring their best selves to work, even in challenging circumstances.

Maryalice Giroux Viljoen, VP of administration and talent, QED Investors

The “employee first” approach

Employee experience is increasingly central to HR, focusing on holistic approaches to improve engagement and wellbeing. Organizations are moving towards implementing more personalized experiences, such as tailored leadership development programs, personalized coaching, benefits and wellbeing programs that address mental, physical and financial wellbeing.

Shruthi Kumar, senior director of HR technology and employee services; Annie Varghese, director HRIS and HR analytics, University of Phoenix

Address the burnout crisis

Burnout remains a critical challenge across organizations, impacting employees and executive leaders alike. In fact, employee burnout rates have surged by 44% from February 2020 according to Glassdoor, underscoring that this burnout crisis is fundamentally a mental health crisis in the workplace.

Addressing this burnout crisis in 2025 requires organizations to shift their focus from prioritizing only the bottom line to truly investing in employee wellbeing. This means rehumanizing the workforce by placing people at the center of organizational strategy and cultivating a culture of empathy, trust, support and high performance. It’s been proven that companies don’t have to sacrifice the wellbeing of employees to reach business goals, and offering employees flexibility can even increase business performance.

Adding intentional recovery and flexibility tactics, like microbreaks, intentional scheduling and “You Do You Days” within the workweek pays dividends in reducing employee burnout, increasing retention, and building sustainable capacity. Companies that adopt this approach can expect to alleviate burnout and unlock higher levels of both human and business performance.

Dr. Sarah Sarkis, senior director of performance psychology, Exos

Incentive compensation isn’t just for sales anymore

With so many teams now responsible for driving revenue and customer impact, 2025 will see more companies further extending pay-for-performance into departments including customer success, marketing, and even product. Hybrid work introduced new challenges for companies to continue engaging with their staff, as well as reminding them of the common goal everyone is working toward.

One way to improve this is by offering incentives across teams to keep everyone aligned with company goals, improve engagement, and help everyone feel directly invested in the bottom line. Expanding incentives is a simple, cost-effective, high-impact way to boost morale, engagement, and performance across the organization.

Mark Schopmeyer, co-founder and co-CEO, CaptivateIQ