5 Predictions for 2025 from a World-of-Work Expert

In the past year, we’ve seen tremendous change take hold in the workplace, from the embrace of hybrid offices to the explosion of generative AI to spiraling burnout. As we look ahead to 2025, the workplace is poised for another transformative year that will reshape the experiences of employees, HR teams, executives, and more. 

With this in mind, I’m sharing five key trends to help equip business leaders with the information they need to take big strides in the year to come. 

In 2025, workplace leaders will be expected to embrace sweeping changes while ensuring their employees are well-supported and able to adapt to tomorrow’s shifting economic and political landscape. The choices they make in the year ahead are likely to shape the workplace for years to come. 

1. “Unretirement” will keep more Baby Boomers in the workforce — at the expense of younger workers

Recent trends suggest that older workers aren’t embracing retirement as they once did. In 2023, around one in five (19%) Americans aged 65 and older were employed — nearly double the share from 35 years ago. What’s more, 9% of those age 75 and older are still working. So, it’s not just the youngest Boomers who are sticking around — it’s some of the oldest as well. 

The reality is that people are living longer than they used to, allowing them to extend their careers but also requiring that they stay in the workforce to make ends meet. And not only are many retiring later than their predecessors, but some are actually “unretiring” and rejoining their younger colleagues at work. 

In 2023, 13% of retired workers exited retirement — a five-year high. The need for income is certainly a driving factor for these workers, but many are also returning to work in search of camaraderie, mental stimulation, and a sense of purpose. Unfortunately, as more and more older workers put off or return from retirement, their younger colleagues will be impacted, edged out of jobs and promotions that could help them ascend the career ladder. 

2. More companies will experiment with a four-day workweek and right-to-disconnect policies

With the rise of remote work and tech transformation, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for employees to “turn off” at the end of the workday. According to Workplace Intelligence’s study with VSP, 69% of employees worked longer hours last year, including nights and weekends. This is especially true for hybrid and remote employees, who were more likely than their onsite counterparts to say they work during their off-time. 

These longer hours are contributing to burnout for many workers, who are three times more likely than their peers to report that they are actively looking for another job. Finding ways to curb employee burnout is a growing business imperative for HR leaders, who are exploring new ways of doing business that better support the mental health, fulfillment, and well-being of their teams. 

Next year, we are likely to see more businesses consider shortening the workweek, something nearly one-third of U.S. companies (30%) are already exploring. The four-day workweek has emerged as an alternative to the status quo, with companies starting to see indications that shorter workweeks benefit company culture and bolster employee well-being and efficiency, including 66% who report a reduction in burnout. 

In addition to the four-day workweek, we will also likely see more nations — and potentially U.S. states like California — adopt “right to disconnect” laws, which require companies to encourage workers to fully sign off outside regular business hours. And regardless of whether legislation is formally passed, many companies are considering adopting such policies even without the regulatory pressure to do so — a sign of the mounting importance of work-life boundaries to employers and employees alike.

3. Freelancers will help alleviate the burnout of full-time employees

In today’s precarious economic landscape, freelance talent is becoming integral to core business operations for many companies. This is driven by both workers, who are increasingly taking on side gigs to augment their income, and corporate leaders, who want to bring their workforces up-to-speed without bloating headcount. 

As of 2024, 72.7 million Americans — or 45% of the labor force — consider themselves to be part-time, full-time, or occasional independent workers, an 89% increase from 2020. 

In the coming year, we will likely see these numbers continue to grow. With many full-time employees dealing with burnout, along with increasing demands on their productivity, companies are turning to the freelance workforce to relieve the burden. In a recent study from Upwork, launched in partnership with Workplace Intelligence, 80% of C-suite leaders who are leveraging freelancers say they are essential to their business. 

Executives also report that using freelance talent has at least doubled key outcomes for their business, including organizational agility (45%), quality of work (40%), innovation (39%), and their bottom line (36%). In other words, leveraging alternative talent pools is not just good for the well-being of full-time workers, it’s good for business overall. 

4. More companies will embrace hiring neurodiverse talent

Over the last decade, understanding and awareness of neurodiversity has been on the rise, including in the workplace. Companies are increasingly prioritizing inclusive practices that meaningfully support individuals with neurological and developmental differences like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

Estimates indicate that 30% to 40% of neurodivergent adults are unemployed, including 85% of college-educated adults with autism. So, with many HR teams today struggling to attract and retain talent and close key skills gaps, the need to prioritize neurodiverse hiring has never been greater. 

That said, embracing workplace neurodiversity isn’t just a recruitment issue. It’s about evolving a company’s culture and operations to be truly inclusive, as well as offering resources to ensure that neurodiverse employees have the support channels they need. It’s also critical that their colleagues and managers are equipped with training to help them reduce bias, understand different cognitive styles, and ensure they have the skills to connect and collaborate effectively with neurodiverse teammates. 

As more companies prioritize neurodiversity at work, research is emerging to suggest that more neurodiverse teams are not only better at problem-solving but more likely to exceed financial targets. In other words, neuroacceptance is not just good for people — it’s good for business. 

5. AI will become core to the way HR teams do business

Come on now. You didn’t think we were going to pass on AI?

In the past few years, we’ve seen rapidly growing interest in how artificial intelligence can bolster innovation, efficiency, and revenue for organizations. According to a study from early 2024, about one in four companies were using AI to support HR-related activities, including talent acquisition, learning and development, and performance management. But most striking is that the majority say they had only started using AI in this way within the previous 12 months, showing just how quickly AI is becoming core to the way HR teams do business. 

In 2025, we expect to see AI use continue to accelerate for HR teams, especially as evidence mounts for the business case. A recent McKinsey survey found that, when considering how generative AI affects spending across a variety of core business functions from IT to marketing, organizations saw the most meaningful cost reductions in HR. 

Still, a degree of caution is crucial as HR teams integrate AI into their processes. In our study with Upwork, 77% of employees report that AI tools actually add to their workload and nearly half (47%) say they don’t know how to achieve the productivity gains their companies expect with AI. While these tools hold tremendous promise, HR leaders must carefully consider where they can most meaningfully create value not just for their business, but for their employees. 

This post was taken from the 2025 Workplace Intelligence Forecast, which includes 10 predictions for the coming year. 

Dan Schawbel is a New York Times best-selling author and managing partner of Workplace Intelligence. Dan has spent his career researching and advising on workplace and career success. He's the author of three career books: Back to Human, Promote Yourself, and Me 2.0. Dan has conducted dozens of research studies and worked with major brands including Oracle, WeWork, American Express, Amazon, Facebook, and Coca-Cola. In addition, Dan has written for publications such as TIME, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, The Economist, and the World Economic Forum. He currently publishes the LinkedIn Workplace Intelligence Newsletter and hosts the 5 Questions podcast with guests that have included Richard Branson, Natalie Portman, Stacey Abrams, and Marcus Lemonis.