Dive Brief:
- The “people-first” HR approach, which has gained popularity over the past several years, may be on the decline, according to research from AI company Leapsome, in partnership with firm Opinium. About 3 in 4 leaders surveyed said their companies are restructuring roles to integrate AI, with 85% of HR leads saying they expect “major changes” at their company in 2025.
- Almost all HR leaders surveyed (92%) said they are facing internal resistance to their championing of people-centric workplace policies, including “DEI, flexibility, and well-being.”
- The data suggested an ideological war between employees and employers, with HR caught in the middle.
Dive Insight:
Even before the year started, experts suggested that the buzziest HR trends of 2025 would be AI at work and the future of DEI.
Now, firmly into the year, every day is seemingly a battle for workers’ time, attention and outlook on topics like automation and machine learning — or the future of their employee resource groups and cultural celebration in this current political climate.
Beyond workplace culture and morale, a company’s approach to DEI and AI can make or break the talent life cycle. Tech adoption, when done poorly, can erode worker trust; thumbing one’s nose at DEI can drive diverse, qualified talent away.
While the stakes are increasingly high, HR is often left out of these conversations, despite being expected to enforce whatever policies emerge.
The effects of HR being bulldozed when it comes to people-first policies were visible in the Leaspome report: Researchers called return-to-office conversations “especially contentious,” with 56% of HR pros feeling pressured to enforce mandates and 81% of HR pros believing that other work models were “more effective for collaboration.”
McLean & Co. in 2024 said HR and the C-Suite should work together on AI strategy.
“Introducing AI technologies can create tension within an organization, considering there are often differing views, competing priorities, and large volumes of change,” said Lisa Highfield, McLean’s principal director of HR Technology and Artificial Intelligence, in a statement. A collaborative approach “significantly aids in the implementation and management of AI technology,” she said.
And of course, DEI remains in flux. Since the start of the year, this subset of HR has been marked by Fortune 500 companies mostly stepping back from DEI and the compliance aspect growing more complicated, due largely to a change in tone at the federal level.
As the workplace grapples with major changes, experts say HR should have a seat at the table — to help shape the policies that will guide their workforce through it.
