Employees and managers unprepared for change will face a rising toll of anxiety and burnout in 2025. Companies must cultivate workforces to be change ready, so that both human potential and business outcomes can flourish.
meQuilibrium has identified four trends that will shape the workforce in 2025:
Organizations Will Prioritize Workforce Change Readiness
“Looking ahead to 2025, we predict a significant rise in anxiety as a result of accelerating pace of business transformation. Without the right support and skills, this anxiety will erode productivity, dampen employee morale, and weaken overall organizational performance. The stakes are too high to ignore. In 2025, look for organizations to prioritize the development of change readiness across their workforce—to help employees become comfortable with new technologies like GenAI, transition into new roles, navigate difficult decisions with confidence, rebound from setbacks, and manage the turbulence of rapid change.
To stay competitive and resilient in the face of uncertainty, leaders will need to shift from simply managing change to proactively preparing their teams for it. This means investing in comprehensive, specialized programs that equip employees with the tools to not only survive change but to thrive in it. By empowering employees with the resilience skills to handle stress and uncertainty, organizations can ensure their teams are better prepared for tomorrow. The future of work will belong to those who are not just change-tolerant, but change-ready.”
– Jan Bruce, CEO and co-founder, meQuilibrium
A Manager Crash is Looming
“In 2025, based on current data trends, we predict that we’ll see a manager crash. Like a market crash, but for people at the critical heart of the organization, we’ll see a significant downturn in manager well-being, performance, and the ability to continue taking the lead as the change champions of their organizations. Based on current data trends, no one is minding the managers. Managers are at higher risk of burnout and turnover than the people they manage. Managers are less likely than their teams to feel their manager supports them. At the same time, mentally healthy managers are the crucial force multiplier for organizational success.
Employees who don’t feel supported by their manager don’t fare well in times of transformation. They are more than four times more likely to leave their jobs and upwards of two times more likely to have poor well-being. Supporting managers is not just about business skills. It requires a holistic approach, addressing mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Organizations will need to take decisive action, such as prioritizing manager self-care through explicit policies. But when successfully implemented, the benefits will cascade throughout the organization, improving productivity, innovation, and overall workforce health.”
– Alanna Fincke, SVP Content and Head of Learning, meQuilibrium
Remote Work Well-being Advantages Will Erode
“Based on current data trends, we predict that 2025 will mark the near-complete erosion of remote work’s historical well-being advantages, leading to what we term a ‘Convergence of Strain’ across all work locations. This shift is already visible in the data, with traditional gaps in well-being metrics between remote and on-site workers narrowing significantly through 2024. By 2025, we expect to see equivalent levels of burnout, stress, and psychosocial risk regardless of work setting, driven by universal pressures like economic uncertainty, increased workloads, and accelerated organizational change.
The deterioration of remote work well-being advantages will likely stem from increasing digital presenteeism, boundary erosion between work and home life, and mounting virtual communication fatigue. Meanwhile, on-site workers will continue developing adaptive coping strategies and benefiting from more flexible workplace policies, further closing the gap. This convergence doesn’t represent an improvement in overall conditions, but rather suggests that work location will cease to be a meaningful predictor of employee well-being outcomes. Organizations will need to shift their focus from location-specific interventions to addressing these universal challenges that affect all workers, regardless of where they perform their duties.”
– Brad Smith, PhD, Chief Science Officer, meQuilibrium
The Gen Z Paradox: Zoomers See Change as Normal, Yet They Aren’t Good at It
“Gen Z makes up 18% of the current workforce and that number is predicted to be 30% by 2030. Gen Z, or Zoomers as they’ve come to be known, are the first generation born into a digital world and a world of deep, rapid, and constant transformational change. While older generations have had to adapt to change, for Zoomers change is their natural environment. And they are more adept at detecting silver linings in change and opportunity in transformation. But Zoomers have one thing in common with all other generations; they’ve inherited brains that are averse to change.
Therein lies the paradox; while Zoomers may see change as normal, that doesn’t make them good at it. Since life skills are something we develop across the lifespan, and they are still in the workplace on-ramp (while Boomers are offramping), they still, understandably, have a lot to learn. Research by the Oliver Wyman Forum shows that almost two-thirds of Zoomers are experiencing significant mental health issues while older generations average half that rate. Fortunately, Zoomers seem to know what’s good for them in ways we do not. They will choose employers who offer mental health days and wellness programs. They will vote with their feet if a company does not provide work-life balance, reasonable work hours, and show social responsibility. We need Zoomers to help us ‘normalize’ change and they need us to accommodate their workplace wants and needs. We ignore the paradox at our peril.”
– Andrew Shatte’, PhD, Chief Knowledge Officer, meQuilibrium
About meQ
meQ, the world’s leading workforce resilience expert, identifies, addresses, and measures the root cause of risks to workforce performance, engagement, and well-being. Our data analytics-based approach uses AI to predict workforce risk and to personalize solutions for each employee and team at global scale. meQ’s mission is to make any workforce a workforce for growth. The meQ solution is available in 14 languages and serves global enterprises in 130 countries. Learn more at https://www.meQuilibrium.com.
