Discover more about future workplace shifts and what that could mean for your business.
The last several years have brought about fundamental and lasting changes to the workplace. As the world and technology keep evolving, how will the employee experience also evolve in 2025 and beyond?
Watch for the following trends in 2025.
AI and Human Productivity
AI will play a key role in employee productivity in 2025.
49% of workers are optimistic about AI at work, and 45% use AI daily or weekly. Employees see the potential of AI to improve the quality of work (47%), to enable them to do work in less time (42%), to engage in new tasks (38%), and to increase the amount of work produced (27%).
The majority of AI users say that it saves them 30 minutes or more a day.
80% of workers who use GenAI daily expect it to make their time at work more efficient in the next year.
However, businesses are still resistant to adopting AI—especially HR teams.
Only a third of HR leaders are exploring or implementing potential AI solutions, although 76% view AI as important for success.
If your business wants to improve efficiency, you—and your HR teams—will need to create a plan for adopting AI strategically to leverage its benefits.
A Return to the Office
After Amazon announced they would be requiring employees to come back to the office five days a week, many companies are also mandating more in-person days.
In a survey of 1000 corporate decision-makers, 90% said their workforce would return to the office by the end of 2024.
Around 83% of workers claim they prefer a hybrid work model, indicating strong demand for flexible working arrangements and making some form of hybrid a probable choice for many teams worldwide.
Turbulence in the Workplace
Two-thirds of employees say that they’ve experienced more significant change at work in the last year compared to the year prior, including changes to their team structures and daily job responsibilities.
One in three employees now feel under pressure to be more productive, and 38% say this is because of the pace of change at work.
Employers believe 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted by 2030 and that 6 in 10 workers will require additional training before 2027.
56% of new employees plan to leave in the next three years, versus 34% of tenured workers.
The Importance of Employee Health/Well-Being
According to the American Psychological Association, 81% of employees say that an employer's support for mental health is an important factor when searching for a job.
Mental health issues affect about 15% of working-age people worldwide. Gen Z and millennial workers are particularly vulnerable, with 40% and 35% respectively reporting frequent or constant stress and anxiety and nearly half experiencing burnout at work. This has resulted in $1 trillion in losses annually due to depression and anxiety.
Current Improvements
Companies with well-organized onboarding improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.
Companies with robust DEI practices reported a 19% hike in employee satisfaction and a 22% increase in retention rate.
The Continued Need for a Digital Workplace
72% of employees consider the digital workplace to be extremely important.
According to a Gartner survey, 74% of organizations plan on putting an Employee Experience Platform in place by 2025 to encourage employee involvement and improve productivity.
The Future of Work
To combat the challenges employees will face in the coming years, your business needs to evaluate how you can focus on the well-being of your employees. This includes starting employees on the right foot with proper onboarding, equipping employees with the resources they need both professionally and personally, and engaging employees in meaningful ways.
Do all of this with a modern intranet. Learn how to get started building an effective intranet that brings out the best in your employees here.