As we step into 2025, the world of work is on the brink of a revolutionary transformation. The latest Microsoft Viva People Science Predictions for 2025 offer a fascinating glimpse into the future, highlighting key trends that we think will shape the way HR leaders drive organizational success. These predictions, grounded in the extensive experience of our People Science team, provide invaluable insights for HR professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve. While these insights are based on our collective expertise, it's important to note that they may not be wholly based on empirical research or facts. Explore these groundbreaking predictions with us and discover how they can help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of human resources. Comment below and add your thoughts of what is ahead in 2025!
Prediction 1: Data-driven decision making will take the lead
Why it matters: Leveraging a breadth of data allows organizations to make better and more informed decisions that can improve employee experience and business outcomes. In a world where information is power, data-driven decision making is not just a trend, but a necessity for staying competitive and relevant. Imagine being able to predict employee turnover before it happens or identifying the exact training programs that boost productivity the most. These capabilities are within reach, but only if HR leaders embrace data analytics wholeheartedly.
What it means for HR leaders: HR leaders should invest in tools and technologies that enable data collection and analysis. They will need to develop the internal skills to interpret data and use it to effectively drive strategic decisions and continuously improve employee experience. Furthermore, they should encourage a culture where data is valued and used in decision-making across the organization.
Nicola Josephs, Principal People Scientist
Prediction 2: Formal organizational change management will increase in importance
Why it matters: Change is a constant, as we’ve seen over the last few years. Whether an organization is going through an M&A, workforce reduction, strategic shift or implementing new technologies like AI, the success of these initiatives heavily depends on how well the people-side of change is managed. Effective organizational change management ensures that employees are supported throughout the transition, which enhances their experience and increases the likelihood of successful adoption of new processes and systems. By prioritizing change management, organizations can mitigate resistance, reduce disruption, and foster a culture of adaptability and resilience.
What it means for HR leaders: HR leaders will need to refresh their knowledge on the elements of organizational change management and coach all leaders on the importance of each step. This includes understanding the psychological and emotional impacts of change on employees, communicating effectively, and providing the necessary training and support to help employees navigate through the change. By doing so, HR leaders can ensure that organizational changes are implemented smoothly and that employees remain engaged and productive throughout the process.
Christina Rasieleski, Senior People Scientist
Prediction 3: Civility and respect will become a more prominent topic in the workplace
Why it matters: In today's dynamic work environment, the importance of civility and respect is becoming increasingly significant. With the rise of remote work, diverse teams, and heightened awareness of political and social issues, fostering a respectful workplace is critical. According to Forbes, research conducted in 2023 found that civility in the workplace comes with major benefits including improved physical and mental wellbeing, lower burnout, and reduced absenteeism. Additionally, as employees become more vocal about their expectations for a positive work culture, companies can no longer afford to ignore issues related to respect and civility. Failure to address these concerns can lead to a decline in employee engagement and productivity, negative publicity, and even legal ramifications.
What it means for HR leaders: HR leaders play a pivotal role in championing civility and respect within organizations. HR professionals are uniquely positioned to support managers and teams and implement policies that allow all employees to feel safe. By taking a proactive stance, HR can not only mitigate conflicts and risk but also build a culture of trust and collaboration and be the hero for the organization. HR’s actions can enhance the organization's reputation and demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace.
Melissa Barry, Head of Viva Customer Empowerment, Principal People Scientist Manager
Prediction 4: Return to Office mandates will lead to an increased diversification of skills and talent in organizations
Why it matters: As we approach five years since the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted where, how, and when we work, we are still seeing a fundamental difference in how leaders and employees view the workplace. The 2024 KPMG CEO Outlook survey
found that 83% of over 1,300 CEOs predict companies will require full Return to Office (RTO) in the next three years and we’ve already seen some large organizations announce a mandated full time RTO. This re-opens the door for this conversation at the C-Suite in other organizations and industries. But for employees, flexibility and work life balance remain key factors when choosing an employer. This continued tension will impact the talent and skills available to organizations.
What it means for HR leaders: In organizations that mandate full time or even part-time RTO, a rethink of the talent strategy will be important as the ‘status quo’ candidate may no longer be applying for particular roles in the organization. Employees may also broaden their thinking when it comes to choosing a role and employer to give them the flexibility they desire. For example, they may increasingly focus on where they can apply or transfer their existing skills in order to work for an organization of their choice. In either scenario, HR will need to think creatively about how they draw the right skills to the organization and how they pivot to an approach that is focused more on transferable skills, adopting a growth mindset, and leveraging AI for faster learning and development.
Avneeta Solanki, Principal People Scientist
Prediction 5: AI will only be as good as its integrated data
Why it matters: As we continue to leverage AI at work, we will need clean, integrated data to power it. Even in this new world, the adage persists – quality in, quality out – and as we think about poor data quality leveraged in our AI, we run the risk of poor decision making, misinterpretations, and ultimately a loss of trust in our AI systems. Further, there will be an expectation for integration from multiple data sources — such as workplace pattern metrics, employee sentiment, resource documents — to provide a holistic view that can reveal insights often missed when data is siloed. This comprehensive set of (clean) data, plus AI, is what will enable organizations to adapt quickly to changes and maintain a competitive edge.
What it means for HR leaders: For HR leaders, this means prioritizing data integration strategies and ensuring high-quality data through robust governance practices. By focusing on clean, integrated data, HR can leverage AI tools to enhance manager empowerment and employee development, ultimately fostering trust in AI-driven insights. Transparent communication about data usage and ethical considerations will further strengthen this trust, allowing organizations to harness the full potential of AI in the workplace.
Carolyn Kalafut, Principal People Scientist
Prediction 6: Research on the human-technology interface at work will be accelerated
Why it matters: With the rise of new, AI-infused workplace technologies, organizations will increasingly spend time and resources on research, training, and enablement in support of employees as they adopt these new technologies and new investments. An important part of this journey will involve organizations gaining deeper understandings of how effectively users leverage these tools, and if the tools inspire not only usage (an important, traditional technology metric) but drive true user and employee value (which is the future of the human-technology relationship).
What it means for HR leaders: The success of new enterprise-wide technology deployment depends largely on HR leaders supporting managers as they advocate, promote, and model use for their teams and reports. HR will have to be proactively involved in conversations about deployment to (1) understand training and enablement needs of the workforce, (2) consult with IT on a success measurement strategy for the technology, and (3) continue to represent a people-centric perspective as technology adoption unfolds within the organization.
Eric Knudsen, Head of People Science Analytics, Principal People Scientist Manager
Prediction 7: AI will become more useful for managers
Why it matters: As AI continues to find its footing into the everyday workflow for employees and managers alike, today some employees experience AI as something “more” to learn, implement, and manage. Although many see the value of AI as a game changing technology, we might also run the risk of it getting benched or underutilized due to undefined use cases and poor change management approaches. In 2025 we will see organizations better utilize and streamline their implementation of AI in the workplace to solve unique and well-defined challenges. The result will be AI solutions that are quickly adopted by managers and employees allowing them to prioritize the “fewer” but most important dynamics of their role.
What it means for HR leaders: For HR leaders, this means they will need to develop deep collaborative relationships with their IT counterparts. HR will provide critical guidance of how this new technology can and should roll out within the organization. They will do this by helping IT colleagues define the best use cases, create experiential designs to test effectiveness, leverage listening strategies to adjust, and ultimately inform how this game changing technology works best for the people in the organization.
Jeff Jokerst, Head of People Science Consulting, Principal People Scientist Manager
Prediction 8: AI/Copilot Agents will begin taking a prominent role in interpreting employee survey results and action taking
Why it matters: Many organizations and teams struggle with interpreting employee survey results and less than half of managers are taking action on their team’s results. AI and Copilot Agents will develop the capability to interpret a leader or manager’s survey results in a consistent manner across the organization while also factoring in other relevant data and context. Beyond that, agents will also develop the capability to reference internal resources and approved external resources to draft and then ‘project manage’ a highly relevant follow-up plan for each leader or manager and their team. This shift will remove a significant barrier to driving improvements, improve the quality and effectiveness of action taking, better leverage existing internal resources while reducing the burden on leaders and managers.
What it means for HR leaders: Using their own agents, HR leaders will develop greater visibility into the action taking process and progress made in their organizations. HR leaders will be able to focus more on strategy and advisory support for their organizations and spend less time on administrative tasks.
Tom Nolan, Principal People Scientist
We hope you enjoyed reading our predictions for 2025! We invite you to share your own predictions in the comments below and join the conversation on how these trends may shape our future workplace.
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