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2025 workplace trends highlight the push for flexibility and the rise of AI

NBC Universal, Inc.

Hybrid work, remote setups, and AI are all redefining the office. NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen tells us more.

As we step further into 2025, significant shifts are reshaping workplace norms. The office life might not feel the same 12 months from now.

Hybrid work models, remote setups, a push to return to the office, and the integration of artificial intelligence are just some of the spectrum of trends this year that are redefining how and where we work.

One major trend is the push for employees to return to the office. Industry giants like Amazon, AT&T, and Dell are initiating or expanding return-to-office policies.

Most notably, JPMorgan Chase announced in an internal memo last week to 300,000 employees that workers will be required to work full-time in the office starting in March. The announcement sparked backlash, with employees voicing their frustrations on the company’s internal messaging platform — so much so, that comments on the post were disabled over the weekend.

Workplace experts suggest that a full return to the office may not suit today’s workforce, especially after diving head-first into work-from-home during the pandemic and the improvements in technology since then. Instead, hybrid work models could provide a balanced solution.

"We are still an ‘employee workforce’ right now,” said Betsy Allen-Manning, CEO of Destination Workplace. “Kind of like a real estate market, you have a buyer's market and a seller's market and they both cannot coexist at the same time…So we're in the employee market right now. And taking that into consideration, companies need to look at offering the flexibility that some of these employees want and the freedom to not be micromanaged at work. The flexibility is no longer a perk for them. This is something that they actually expect moving forward."

Allen-Manning, a Dallas-based workplace expert specializing in leadership and culture training for businesses and groups, highlights the importance of hybrid work for employee productivity.

"Brain studies show when you're distracted, it pulls you away from your focus zone. It takes 23 minutes to get back into that focus zone again,” she explained. “So keeping people in that focus zone for their productivity spurts is going to be important for them.”

Hybrid work can help achieve this by allowing employees to work in environments where they’re most focused, while also fostering team collaboration in the office.

Allen-Manning points to the newly released 2025 National Workplace Trends Study, which reveals some game-changing insights into what employees want most in today’s workplace.

Employee turnover remains a critical challenge for organizations. Data shows nearly 60% of workers are already planning to look for new job opportunities in 2025. To counteract this, businesses are emphasizing retention strategies and cultivating a sense of belonging within teams.

“According to our study, 89% of American workers say that they need a sense of team, collaboration, and belonging to be satisfied with their job to stay there long term,” said Allen-Manning. “So we need to make sure we're at least providing a hybrid experience for them. If you're not just working from home, we are bringing you in and we're strategic about bringing you together to collaborate with others.”

At the same time, artificial intelligence is becoming a workplace game-changer. From scheduling meetings and analyzing data to drafting documents, AI tools like ChatGPT are automating repetitive processes and boosting efficiency.

However, the rise of AI comes with its own set of challenges and opportunities which is why my companies need to decide where they stand on the technology.

Allen-Manning predicts that AI training will soon become a standard component of workplace education. She added that AI should be used as a tool to help streamline tasks but should never replace the work itself.

“A lot of employees are scared. They think, is AI my friend or is it a foe? Is this going to replace my job moving forward?” she noted. "We want to help people be creative and use AI as a more efficient and productivity tool. We don't want it to completely replace our creativity because then, what promotes people to want to even engage anymore or bring ideas into the workforce when they just let AI do everything and think for them? We need critical thinking back in the workplace.”

Companies are also increasingly using AI as the standard for hiring processes like recruiting, assessments, and pre-screens.

As workplace trends evolve, flexibility, technological adaptability, and open communication will be key for businesses to navigate these changes successfully. Hybrid work models, strategic use of AI, and efforts to foster team cohesion can help organizations stay ahead in this transformative era.

2025 promises to be a pivotal year for redefining the workplace. For companies and employees alike, embracing these changes with a focus on collaboration and innovation will be essential.

“A lot of companies are saying, let's bring people in for these fluffy kind of team-building and culture-building activities, which are great. However, we also need to be strategic,” said Allen-Manning. “Bring them in for collaboration and innovation sessions. Ask them what are your biggest challenges right now in the workforce and then have them brainstorm together in order to overcome those challenges.”

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