4 workplace culture trends to watch in 2025

December 6, 2024 5:30 AM

A man sips his coffee while typing on his laptop with one hand; his breakfast sits untouched on the table.

This year has been filled with return-to-office mandates, resulting in demands for work-life balance, as seen through trends like quiet quitting and growing anxiety around what the future has in store for workers. And it looks like in 2025, employers will see their employees follow up on these issues.

Demands for flexibility, higher quality of management, work-life boundaries and mental health support will continue to shape workplace culture in the new year, further driving home that corporate America cannot return to its pre-2020 norms and practices, says Frank Weishaupt, the CEO of video conferencing tech company Owl Labs. However, it's not clear how much employers will concede to employees in the next year, especially in a labor market that now favors employers over talent.

In a survey of 2,000 full-time employees, Owl Labs found that 62% of respondents work full-time in an office, a 4% drop from 2023. At the same time, 46% of workers said their company added or increased employee activity surveillance software in the last year. Overall, 27% of workers are actively looking for new jobs, marking a 4% increase from the previous year.

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Weishaupt warns employers not to take their current retention rates for granted and be aware of what employees need to succeed.

"We started in 2020 with everyone scattering for home, and we've been trying to find our way to what the future of work looks like ever since," he says. "And we're not even close to a clear picture. But when the employment market loosens up, you'll be surprised to see policies change back to being a lot more flexible."

While the path forward remains uncertain, Weishaupt believes that corporate America will move forward — they may just drag their feet a bit. Here are four workplace culture trends employers and employees alike should watch for in 2025.

Flexibility is king

Weishaupt predicts that hybrid work will eventually become the norm, with workers going into the office two to three times a week. According to Owl Labs, workers rank flexible work hours nearly as high as healthcare benefits when evaluating a possible new employer — but this goes further than being able to work from home. Workers also want to escape the expectation that they must be working nine to five in order to be considered productive.

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"The death of the traditional work hours is very real," says Weishaupt. "How stupid is it that we think there's a certain time you start and stop work to get things done? To go in at the same time everyone else does and go home at the same time everybody else does is just such a waste of time."

There will also be increasing pressure placed on managers and senior leaders who are in the office to allow teams to build a schedule that fits their needs, predicts Weishaupt. Rather than being concerned about whether employees are being productive, he advises leaders to be cautious of employees who are online too much. Just because the nine-to-five is dead, it doesn't mean an even more encompassing schedule should take its place, he warns.

A good boss is the best perk

Owl Labs found that employees value their bosses as much as they value compensation, with 94% of employees prioritizing pay and 92% prioritizing supportive management. While most workers agree that their boss could make or break their workplace experience, Weishaupt notes that younger workers are especially aware of just how much their well-being depends on having a good leader.

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"You're no longer just happy to get a job — you want to get the right boss, too," he says. "If you had early work experience in 2020, you saw how important the boss was. You're fresh out of college, and you get a laptop shipped to your house, but you don't know anything. The boss plays such a big role in today's hybrid world. [Young workers] know that, and I applaud it."

Gen Z will continue to set boundaries

It should come as no surprise that Gen Z is at the front of the movement for a healthier workplace culture, says Weishaupt. He adds that this generation is not only expecting more, but they're vocalizing just how much their employers fall short. According to Owl Labs, 48% of Gen Z workers have posted negatively about their jobs or employers on social media. Twenty-two percent of all workers have confessed to establishing greater boundaries by taking on work that falls beyond their job descriptions.

"I graduated college in 1994, and the expectation was that you gave your whole self to that job," says Weishaupt. "It worked out well for me, but there weren't a lot of boundaries, and it definitely ate into my personal life significantly. Younger generations are just saying, 'I'm available from here to here, and I'll do my best in those periods to perform my role.'"

The mental health crisis will deepen

Mental health has been a major topic of conversation for employers over the last five years, but employees aren't necessarily better off. In fact, 89% of workers report seeing no improvement in work-related anxiety, while in-office workers report 47% higher stress levels than remote workers, according to Owl Labs. Weishaupt emphasizes the importance of consistent communication with employees, including check-ins and taking opportunities to share available resources.

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"Mental health, generally, is an underserved issue in the United States and at work," he says. "Communicate with workers, understand the kind of support you can give and try your best to give them the best work experience possible so you're getting the best out of them."