This year, the workplace landscape is set to undergo significant transformations. With a focus on technological advancements, evolving legal frameworks, employee upskilling, and more, HR professionals must stay ahead of the curve to effectively manage and support their workforce.
Here are six HR trends for 2025 that will undoubtedly shape the future of work.
1. Focusing on Employee Safety and Well-being
A healthy and safe workforce is fundamental to sustained employee productivity and well-being and organizational success.
Over the past several years, organizations’ focus on employee safety and well-being has taken many forms, from disease prevention during the pandemic, to supporting employee mental health as news reports indicated a mental health crisis was unfolding. Many organizations are now ramping up their focus in a third area: physical safety from workplace violence and other environmental hazards. This focus is linked in part to increased regulatory activity in this area by several U.S. states, such as new workplace violence prevention laws in California and New York, as well as new heat-related injury and illness prevention laws in Nevada, California, and Maryland, all of which require employee training and robust safety plans.
Take action: Review your organization’s policies, programs, and training to ensure they support employee safety and well-being, and work with legal counsel to ensure they align with the requirements of applicable laws. Deploy workplace safety training on topics like workplace violence and injury and illness prevention that not only meets compliance requirements, but that also teaches employees what positive steps to take to keep themselves and their colleagues safe and well. Confirm that training and programs not only support physical safety but also promote psychological safety (e.g., respectful treatment and non-retaliation) and a culture where all employees feel valued.
2. Re-examining DEI
Last year we saw many organizations recalibrating their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, with many continuing to embrace it (while shifting to a more holistic focus on inclusion) and others deprioritizing it. Particularly in light of recent government pronouncements, many organizations will once again be re-evaluating their inclusion efforts in 2025. This re-evaluation may involve, but not be limited to: (a) confirming that company policies and practices are aligned with applicable anti-discrimination laws; (b) assessing internal and external stakeholder perspectives around DEI work (such as those of employees, applicants, customers, Board members, shareholders, and more); (c) looking at terminology; (d) aligning a course of action with organizational brand, culture, mission, and values; and (e) monitoring local and national activity by lawmakers in this area. This re-examination process may lead some organizations to double down on current efforts while other organizations may decide to modify their language or approach.
Take action: Consider convening key stakeholders across the organization to evaluate organizational efforts in this area and identify a path forward that promotes a positive work environment for all that meets the organization’s and workforce’s needs, goals, and values.
3. Leaning into Data and People Analytics to Enable Future Success
This year, we anticipate that organizations will increasingly rely on people analytics to gain insights into employee behavior, performance, and engagement. This data-driven approach will enable HR teams to make informed decisions that enhance workforce planning, talent acquisition, and employee development.
Advanced analytics tools, many of which may leverage the power of artificial intelligence to glean trends and insights (see trend #5), will help identify skill gaps, forecast workforce needs, and measure the effectiveness of HR initiatives. By leveraging data, organizations can tailor their strategies to meet the evolving needs of both their employees and their organizations, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and success.
Take action: Embrace analytics tools to bring data to life and provide powerful, actionable insights, taking care to review and confirm outputs for accuracy and validity (especially when employment-related decisions such as promotions or performance ratings may be based upon their outputs). Analyze employee training data to assess whether there is skill development, if there are gaps that may require repeated delivery of training, and the impact of training on employee attitudes and behaviors.
4. The Importance of Continual Upskilling and Reskilling
As technological advancements reshape industries and how all work is performed, the need for continual upskilling and reskilling will remain paramount. Moving forward, it’s expected that HR professionals will focus on creating robust learning and development programs that empower employees to adopt new roles and technologies—as well as develop key competencies that enable them to effectively navigate change and collaborate with others.
Emphasis will be placed on developing soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and adaptability—especially for managers who are tasked with leading their teams through times of change alongside technical competencies. This proactive approach to employee development can not only enhance individual capabilities but also drive organizational resilience and innovation.
Take action: Organizations will need to invest in online learning platforms and programs, workshops, and mentorship programs to ensure their workforce remains competitive. Identify key competencies needed by managers to effectively lead their teams during times of rapid change (such as navigating conflict among their employees, keeping employees engaged, and more) and deploy just-in-time leadership training to support specific needs. Don’t forget to schedule key compliance training too, to meet applicable deadlines and mitigate organizational risk.
5. Navigating AI at Work
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will continue to revolutionize the workplace, offering new opportunities and challenges for HR professionals. From recruitment and onboarding to performance management and employee engagement, AI will integrate itself into various functions and needs.
AI-powered tools will streamline administrative tasks, allowing HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Other benefits, as highlighted in our AI at Work Guide, include improved productivity and well-being. Additionally, AI-driven analytics can provide real-time insights into employee sentiment, enabling proactive interventions to enhance engagement and retention. Despite the benefits, navigating the ethical implications of AI will be crucial. HR leaders must ensure that AI technologies are used responsibly and transparently, maintaining a balance between automation and the human touch.
EVERFI is also leaning into AI tools to enhance our workplace training solutions; in fact, in 2025 we’re releasing new course translations through a combination of AI translation capabilities and expert translation professionals to deliver more languages to our customers. In addition, given the prevalence of AI tools in workplaces today and the need to educate employees on how to use AI safely, last year we added a Data Privacy and Security in the Age of AI module to our Data Security and Data Privacy in the Workplace course.
Take action: Work with your legal counsel to keep an eye on legal rules related to ethical usage of AI in the workplace, both at the federal and state level. Provide the necessary resources and training for employees to effectively and properly implement AI in their day-to-day work. Finally, consider convening representatives from different departments to monitor the success of these tools and any questions or challenges that have arisen from their usage.
6. Preparing for New Legal Requirements
As the regulatory landscape evolves, HR professionals must continue to stay abreast of legal developments that impact the workplace. This year, we can expect to see governments re-examining their anti-discrimination laws and the protected classes they cover, adopting new regulations about AI in the workplace, and more.
Some topics that are likely to be a focus of lawmakers in 2025 include:
- Characteristics protected from discrimination and harassment
- Protecting workers from safety hazards like heat and violence
- Pay transparency legislation as a means to combat pay discrimination
- Employer communications or meetings about religious or political matters
- AI regulation in the workplace
Take action: Take care with navigating these changes by reviewing and updating organizational policies, adopting and conducting relevant compliance training, and ensuring that organizational practices align with legal requirements. Keep abreast of regulatory and legislative developments through proactive engagement with legal counsel and HR news sources. Confirm you and your HR colleagues are receiving EVERFI’s monthly legislative and regulatory update newsletter by registering here.
Conclusion
By focusing on these key trends, HR professionals can create a supportive, thriving, and future-ready workplace. Workplace training is a key tool to help organizations remain compliant, support employee safety and well-being, and foster a positive and productive workplace culture. Learn how EVERFI can help you navigate these trends and support your organization through comprehensive workplace training by clicking here.