New Year predictions offer a chance to test our forecasting instincts. So at the start of 2025, we invited the authors behind HRZone’s most-read articles of 2024 to peer into their crystal balls and share what they saw coming for the world of work.

With the end of the year now within reach, we’ve asked these 10 people and culture experts to reflect on how their 2025 HR predictions have played out.

Here’s how our HR future-gazers rated their own crystal-ball credentials…

Prediction one: The four-day workweek will continue to build substantial support in 2025

Gethin Nadin, Chief Innovation Officer of Benefex

My prediction for 2025 was that the four-day workweek would gain substantial support, and that’s exactly what unfolded. Over 230 UK companies adopted the model with no loss in pay, spanning sectors from healthcare to marketing. The 4 Day Week Foundation’s pilot, involving 17 companies and nearly 1,000 employees, saw a 100% success rate, with every organisation continuing the policy. Employees reported lower burnout, better mental health, and stronger work-life balance.

As AI and automation reshape work, the four-day week is proving to be a viable path to both wellbeing and productivity, validating the need for structural change.

Prediction two: The social model of disability will become a mainstream framework for EDI initiatives

Atif Choudhury, CEO of Diversity and Ability

Looking back, elements of my 2025 prediction did begin to take shape. More organisations started reflecting the social model of disability through practical, barrier-removing approaches. Universal design thinking became more visible from flexible interviews to clearer job descriptions and accessible onboarding. Organisations such as Microsoft, EY, SAP, Channel 4 and several NHS trusts showed what this looks like in action, redesigning processes to reduce friction rather than expecting individuals to adapt.

These are encouraging signs, but they are only early steps. With continued focus and courage, we can build workplaces where every kind of talent has the space to thrive. And as we look ahead to 2026, the normalisation of AI means the human qualities we once overlooked – creativity, empathy, pattern-breaking thinking and lived experience – will matter more than ever.

Prediction three: Young people will crave more office working, but on their own terms

Deborah Hartung, Culture consultant, Thinkers360 Top 35 Global Thought Leader in HR & Culture

I’m proud to say I was mostly right. Reflecting on developments in the world of work this past year, I’m happy to report that – despite tightened RTO mandates – we aren’t going back to 2019 anytime soon and hybrid working is here to stay. 

Gen Z didn’t want 5 days in the office and have shown a desire to use their time for mentorship and connection. 

The UK Government did pivot from a university target to a broader skills mission, which is evidenced in programmes to boost apprenticeships and higher-level skills. Despite pressure from the US on global employers, diversity, equity and inclusion is moving forward. Menopause support is being advanced in official guidance and neuroinclusion at work is gaining traction. 

Prediction four: A boundary-breaking HR function will tackle the challenges of change and channel skills to bolster impact

Perry Timms and Kirsten Buck of PTHR

We have seen HR capacity pressures persist, and the move toward skills-based structures accelerate. Managerial roles are in flux, with Deloitte reporting that 73% of firms see reinventing management as crucial, though only 7% are making strong progress. 

We had hopes that self-management would solve turbulence in our organisations. However, this decentralised way of operating is not yet widespread. Rather, the role of the manager is being redefined. A beacon of inspiration, though, is Bayer, which in 2024-25 introduced its “Dynamic Shared Ownership” model: operating as “mission teams in 90-day project-based cycles. Adaptive, dynamic and focused, these teams bering greater autonomy, agile skills and reduced management layers. 

Overall, our prediction intimated the right direction of change. But more action is needed – and fast.

Prediction five: Using AI to drive efficiency will harm relationships. But trust will come to the rescue

Quentin Millington, Consultant and Coach at Marble Brook

Last year, I predicted that capable managers would shift from ‘connecting’ teams via artificial intelligence (AI) to bolstering trust through real conversation.

Whilst the tech frenzy continues, AI has not brought the efficiency gains that Silicon Valley promised: MIT says 95% of firms see zero measurable return on their investments. AI ‘workslop’ may even cause productivity losses of up to US$1,000 per employee.

More worrisome is how AI may harm cognition and lower intrinsic motivation.

Ironically, the legacy of AI may be more honest dialogue about everyone’s natural capacity for good work.

Prediction six: In 2025, the probationary period will be the up-and-coming star of the employment contract

Kate Palmer, HR Advice and Consultancy Director of Peninsula

A lot has changed in the last year. Whilst the Employment Rights Bill hasn’t progressed as quickly as predicted, we do now have a roadmap for when key reforms are expected. Arguably, changes to unfair dismissal rights and the introduction of statutory probation periods will be the most significant, and employers need to start preparing. The change isn’t expected until 2027 at the earliest.

On the other hand, in April 2026, it’s expected that major reforms to Statutory Sick Pay will take effect, entitling all workers to receive SSP from the first day of absence, regardless of usual earnings. This means a significant cost increase for businesses – over £1bn per year according to Government estimates. Employers should use the next few months to tighten their absence management processes.

Prediction seven: Continued instability will increase anti-social behaviour

Thom Dennis, CEO of culture change and leadership development specialists, Serenity in Leadership

The evidence is mixed. Official UK figures show that the proportion of people witnessing or experiencing anti-social behaviour (ASB) in their local area held steady at 37% in the year ending June 2025.

However, the workplace context tells a more nuanced story. For example, UK retail data reports that over 1.5 million retail workers may quit due in part to increased aggression and abuse at work, leaving British businesses at risk of losing £7.8bn. And recent news highlights rising concern about coercive, passive and indirect behaviours in sectors such as financial services.  

What I called a “shadow language” of aggression has evolved into quiet withdrawal of trust and energy, with reports this year of rising incivility, disengagement, and emotional fatigue across sectors.

Prediction eight: ‘Change brilliance’ will become a core capability

Ella Overshott, Director of Pecan Partnership

Change and uncertainty have persisted as predicted. The world is even more unpredictable and volatile, creating a general climate of unease and insecurity. 

Organisations are starting to re-invest in their managers (not just senior leaders), recognising that they cannot implement and embed change without their help. 

Gen Z will not tolerate ‘being done to’. They increasingly bridge a generational gap between organisational layers and between decision-makers and customers. 

“Accountability” has been the word of 2025 in my experience. Learning how to maintain an inclusive, hybrid workplace while also dialling up levels of challenge and directness has been top of the development list. Progress is being made but there’s more to do.

Prediction nine: Regardless of generation, employees will fight back

Blaire Palmer, CEO of That People Thing

We have not seen an increase in industrial action in 2025, but where employer-employee tension seems most evident is around hybrid working. Nearly half  (48%) of companies want their employees back in the office full-time. And companies also admit that employees have quit due to onsite working expectations. This ‘return to the office’ mandate suggests that companies are trying to impose more control, with predictions around staff retention indicating that people are not willing to comply.

Certainly, the picture is not as dramatic as I anticipated, but it is trending in the direction I foresaw. We wait and see! 

Prediction ten: Teams will invest in more quality time together

Andrew Loveless, Director of Pecan Partnership

Are teams investing more quality time together? A recent study finds almost 70% of employees would be happier if they had deeper connections with colleagues. 

The dial has not moved much on the amount of quality time we spend with our team, but we are finding that leaders recognise quality time drives increased efficiency and innovation. The next challenge is to diarise it!