Workplace Realities in 2025: What Employees Are Saying

The workplace is evolving, and as we look ahead to 2025, understanding what employees hope for, fear, and expect is critical for organizations aiming to attract, retain, and engage top talent. In a recent webinar, Dr. Patrick Hyland walked us through fresh research that offers insights into employee sentiments for the year ahead.

So, what’s on employees’ minds as they navigate 2025? Let’s break it down. But first, a little background on the study.

About the Study

To develop a better understanding of employee expectations about the upcoming year, we conducted a field study using the Remesh platform in January 2025. Using Remesh Flex + On-Platform Recruit, we surveyed 259 employees from various organizations and industries. Results provide insights about employee hopes, fears, and aspirations for 2025.

The Big Picture: Hope, Fear, and Uncertainty

One of the most revealing findings from the Remesh Flex study is that 69% of employees feel somewhat or very confident about their organization’s success in 2025. That’s good news! But there’s a catch—24% say they simply don’t know what to expect, and another 8% are doubtful about the year ahead.

As Dr. Hyland noted, “That ambiguity that many of us have been living with going back all the way to the pandemic continues to be very much a part of what we're seeing across organizations.” This uncertainty isn’t just an abstract concern—it directly affects engagement, productivity, and retention.

What Employees Want: Growth and Stability

When asked about their biggest career aspirations for 2025, employees overwhelmingly pointed to two key areas:

• Financial growth (stability and increased earnings)
• Career advancement (promotions, skill development, and new opportunities)

In other words, employees want to grow—but they also want security. The challenge for HR leaders? Balancing opportunities for upward mobility with job stability, especially in an era of economic uncertainty.

The Biggest Workplace Concerns

While hope is in the air, so is anxiety. Employees shared their top fears, which fell into three main categories:

• Job security: Worries about layoffs and restructuring
• Workload and burnout: Concern over increasing demands without enough support
• Well-being: Anxiety about mental and physical health in the workplace

One respondent put it bluntly: “I don’t want to get sick because I need to make sure I have the energy, the time, the resources, and the money to take care of myself.”

What Organizations Should Prioritize

When asked what they think their leaders should focus on in 2025, employees ranked these priorities at the top:

1. Employee well-being: Preventing burnout and promoting a healthy work-life balance
2. Managing economic volatility: Ensuring financial stability in uncertain times
3. Attracting and retaining talent: Keeping top performers engaged and motivated

Interestingly, while AI was a hot topic in 2024, employees ranked incorporating AI into work as a relatively low priority. This suggests that while AI is undoubtedly shaping the future of work, employees are far more concerned with fundamental issues like job security and well-being.

The Power of Listening

A key takeaway from the discussion? Employees want to be heard.

Dr. Hyland emphasized the importance of regular employee listening, sharing data from a 2023 study where employees overwhelmingly preferred monthly listening events over annual or quarterly check-ins. “We need to be in frequent dialogue with our workforce,” he explained. “Listening to employees not only increases engagement, but it also taps into their collective wisdom to help organizations make the right choices and pivot as we navigate all this volatility.”

HR leaders, take note: Employee listening isn’t just a “nice to have”—it’s a strategic advantage.

Read: Designing an Effective Employee Listening Program: Five Questions to Consider

Final Thoughts: Creating a Resilient Workplace

To succeed in 2025, organizations must balance ambition with empathy. Employees want growth, but they also want security. They’re excited about the future, but they’re also navigating real fears about economic uncertainty and workplace stress.

The companies that thrive will be those that prioritize well-being, foster open dialogue, and take meaningful action based on what employees are saying.

Want to dive deeper into the full discussion? Sign up to hear the full recording here. 

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