HR TECH REPORT: What to expect in 2025

2025 is here and with that comes the opportunity to take a closer look at tech trends that we expect to remain the same or make a new appearance in the working world. These HR tech trends are important to keep an eye on as they will undoubtedly shape the workplace, allowing you to gain some competitive edge when it comes to planning for the upcoming year. Firstly, we expect 2025 to be a year of fast-pace, but also one that reflects leading and engaging with employees intentionally. This intentional but also fast-paced approach will assist organizations in connecting with their employees, whilst maintaining a good level of productivity and efficiency in the workplace.

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In 2025, the top trends we expect to see are the support for remote and hybrid work models, more personalized employee experiences, an increase in AI adoption across organizations, advanced people analytics, data-driven decision making, employee self-service platforms and the integration of AI agents in recruitment. Staying ahead of these trends is crucial for achieving organizational success in the year of 2025.
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Support for Hybrid and Remote Work Models

Remote and hybrid work is nothing new in the workplace, however more companies are now adopting a remote or hybrid work policy due to global expansion demanding more flexibility among employees. In addition to this, another reason why we believe that remote and hybrid work is here to stay is because of the vast amount of collaboration tools that are now available to make remote work a seamless experience.

Many organizations have made the change from mandating employees to come in to the office to a more flexible approach, allowing employees to either work from home or come into the office a few times a week. Some companies on the other hand, like Zapier, embrace a fully-remote work culture.
This approach to work provides employees with more flexibility and benefits when it comes to doing their jobs, but employees have also said that having the flexibility increases their productivity, proving to be a win-win situation for both employees and organizations.

Of course, like all good things, there are also challenges to be mindful of when it comes to remote or hybrid work. One of them being maintaining team collaboration and culture in global and diverse teams. Organizations should prioritize regular team check ins and make use of cutting-edge mobile-friendly apps, like Qualee, to continue building a culture of connection.
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Personalizing the Employee Experience

Another trend we are likely to see come to the forefront of the workplace this year is placing more importance on creating personalized employee experiences.
It has become increasingly evident that employees want to be engaged on an individual level and not be seen as just another number. Moreover, the employee experience should be tailored to the employee’s needs across the journey of their lifecycle, moving more towards a cycle of continuous improvement.

We already see some organizations adopting this approach by making use of tools, like Qualee, with advanced analytics to accurately understand the needs and preferences of their employees. By personalizing the employee experience, organizations will reap the benefits of having increased employee retention, engagement and overall productivity.

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A Future with AI and Technology

AI made its first appearance just a few years ago, but it has since grown exponentially, with more and more organizations realizing that AI is part of the future and needs to be adopted if they want to keep up within the competitive landscape. Not only has AI dramatically increased productivity through HR automation, but it has also proven useful when it comes to onboarding new employees, engaging current employees and providing training to new and existing employees.

In addition to this, there is potential for job creation as a result of AI, with new opportunities arising within HR. With that being said, as powerful and game-changing as AI is, it is important to consider how you implement AI within your organization. There should be a well-defined balance between AI technology and human touch, especially within human resources. AI should also be used in an ethical and unbiased manner when it comes to recruiting and hiring new employees.

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Advanced People Analytics

People analytics has become increasingly important in ensuring business success, by making use of data and converting that data into actionable insights that enhance processes, policies and procedures within an organizational setting.

This year, we expect people analytics to advance to a point that includes predictive analytics; where organizations will be able to consume forecasted data to understand and be prepared for upcoming trends. As a result of this, we expect organizations in 2025 to make use of advanced people and predictive analytics for successful workforce planning, creating strategies to retain employees and for identifying gaps in learning and skill development.
By making use of advanced people analytics and approaching HR matters in a proactive way, organizations will be more inclined to succeed in retaining and engaging their workforce.
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Data-Driven Decision Making

In the past, the HR function has typically depended on intuition when it comes to decision-making. Now, in 2025, with data being so accessible, HR needs to shift the focus from intuition-based to data-driven decision making. Using data to aid the decision-making process not only ensures fair and objective outcomes, but it also reduces the risk of potential human error, resulting in accurate results.

Whilst it is important to incorporate data in the decision-making process, it is crucial to strike a balance between data and human input. Those working in HR roles have subjective experiences and inputs that can also be valuable when it comes to making a final decision.
In summary, we’ll likely see more organizations using data to provide insight into various areas of their HR operations, such as hiring quality, workforce productivity and employee experience.

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Employee Self-Service Platforms

Employees are increasingly seeking autonomy over certain HR-related tasks. Whether it be accessing their monthly payslips or completing learning courses at their own pace, there is an increased demand for implementing employee self-service platforms in 2025.
Employee self-service platforms allow employees to manage their benefits, access important information, request time off and more. These platforms ultimately provide employees with the freedom to manage some of their own HR matters, whilst reducing the amount of time HR would typically spend on a task, ultimately benefitting all parties involved.

Qualee, a leading employee self-service platform provides this through a mobile-first app that seamlessly integrates with 140+ other HR systems, such as performance management or payroll software, enabling employees to use only one app to access all HR-related systems and tasks.

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Integration of AI Agents in Recruitment

Although AI might have been around for some time, it is only getting bigger and better. With the increased adoption of AI around the world and continued innovation in the AI space, we predict that 2025 will be the year where we see AI-powered agents streamlining the recruitment process.
This may include screening potential candidates through a process of matching candidate skills to those of the required job description. And it could potentially go as far as engaging with candidates to coordinate interviews.

Whilst this will benefit many organizations in respect to saving time and reducing unconscious human bias, it is still important for HR to demonstrate the human aspect in the recruitment process, as employees appreciate engaging with other people, especially during interviewing and onboarding periods. ‍If organizations rely solely on AI for their recruitment processes, it may damage their employer brand and reputation, resulting in the opposite effect of recruiting highly-skilled people.

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Trends We’re Saying Goodbye to in 2025

As we bring in new trends, it’s also time to say goodbye to trends that previously dominated the workplace. For one, the ‘Great Resignation’ is no longer, as we see a major shift from a predominantly employee-favoured hiring market to now, an employer-favoured hiring market. As a result, we’ll see fewer employees leaving their jobs without securing new opportunities beforehand.

Furthermore, mental-wellbeing initiatives were heavily prioritized in previous years, however organizations have now closed that gap and new generation employees are more comfortable with discussing mental health challenges, resulting in less importance placed on wellbeing at work.
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Conclusion

In conclusion, we expect to see three key trends emerge in 2025; the rise of remote and hybrid work, personalizing the employee experience and looking forward to a future with AI and technology. These three trends will undoubtedly have an impact on the way people work and have an overall effect on organizational performance and success. On the contrary, we’ll be waving goodbye to two trends that have previously dominated the workforce; ‘The Great Resignation’ and mental wellbeing initiatives. With the shift to an employer-favored hiring market and with mental wellbeing initiatives being well-established, these are two trends that we will likely see a lot less of in the year of 2025. Be sure to keep an eye out for these trends throughout the year to stay ahead of the curve and create a team powered for success!

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