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.
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,” says Brad Smith, PhD, chief science officer at meQ. “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.
Organizations Will Prioritize Change Readiness
“Looking ahead to 2025, we predict a significant rise in anxiety as a result of accelerating pace of business transformation,” says Jan Bruce, CEO and co-founder of meQ. “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.”
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,” says Alanna Finckle, senior vice president of content and head of learning at meQ. “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.”
Gen Z Employees See Change as Normal, but Lack Needed Skills
“While Zoomers may see change as normal, that doesn’t make them good at it,” says Andrew Shatte, PhD, chief knowledge officer at meQ. “Since life skills are something we develop across the lifespan, and they are still in the workplace on-ramp, they still 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.”
