HR News Roundup - January 2025

Welcome to our first HR News Roundup of 2025! As we look forward to another eventful year in the world of HR, the first few articles we’ve selected focus on planning ahead and predicting the people trends we’re likely to see this year. There’s a strong focus on embracing artificial intelligence and how technology can help HR departments to become more efficient and effective.

We’ve also got some interesting pieces in the areas of health and wellbeing, learning and development and diversity and inclusion, as well as some new people-focused buzzwords for you and your colleagues to look out for. Enjoy the content and please get in touch if any of the articles raise questions for your organisation.

2025 trends and predictions

From the Mouths of HR Leaders: Three Priorities for 2025

HR Director asked 10 HR leaders in large organisations in the UK and Ireland about their priorities for the year ahead. In summary, the three common themes were:

1. Striking the right blend of skills and using skills to differentiate your organisation

2. Equity of opportunity - the value of DEI in driving strategic growth

3. Responsible AI adoption - for an in-depth look at this subject, download our free Ethical AI ebook.

On a similar theme, Gartner, Inc has revealed nine predictions that HR leaders need to take action on in 2025. Their in-depth article, heavily weighted towards uses of AI, highlights tackling rising levels of retirement, harnessing technology in performance management, and loneliness as a wellbeing risk.

Where C-Suite Leaders should focus in 2025

HR Director highlights the key actions and skills that leaders should focus on in 2025, with seven growth opportunities. Growing skills and talent through life-long learning, boosting morale through optimistic leadership, and relentlessly focusing on customer needs are three areas explored in the piece.  

Does your organisation have a People Plan in place for 2025? Book a call with one of our HR experts and find out how we can support your team to grow this year.

Recruitment

How to manage the January recruitment boom

Data from Ciphr suggested more than a quarter of UK employees were actively seeking a new role this time last year, with 2025 numbers predicted to be higher. As seasonal roles come to an end and people refocus and realign their ambitions at the start of a new year, January is one of the most popular months to apply for a new role.

Top tips from recruitment professionals include:

1. Take time to refine job descriptions and adverts

2. Include salary information in adverts

3. Have a clear candidate evaluation and interview process

4. Use AI tools to help with screening and filtering

Health and Wellbeing

Are you ready for the return of the cost of living crisis?

HR magazine highlights the return of the cost of living crisis and its possible impacts on employee wellbeing. Some of the issues faced in 2022, such as increasing energy and food prices, have not gone away, while mortgage rates have not fallen to the levels experts predicted. As employers struggle with rising NI contributions and the likelihood of US trade tariffs being imposed, the question of how these combined factors will impact employee pay packets is still unclear. What is your organisation doing to prepare for the challenges ahead?

CIPD supports statutory paid miscarriage leave

The CIPD has joined the Women and Equalities Committtee in its call for changes to the Employment Rights Bill. They support the Bill being amended to offer time off to employees who experience pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. Around 20% of women are likely to experience miscarriage during their reproductive lifetime. The report on which the recommendation is based stated that the emotional and physical impacts of pregnancy loss are found to be comparable to other forms of bereavement, affecting both women and their partners.

Currently, women who experience a miscarriage rely on sick leave, which is deemed to be inadequate to fully recover from the physical trauma and emotional loss. Low rates of statutory sick pay can make it difficult for women and their partners to take the necessary time off work, often returning before they are ready. Read the full article on HR Review.  

We’re here to help. Ensure your sickness and absence policies are up to date and focused on employee wellbeing. Call 0161 941 2426 to request a review.

Diversity and Inclusion

What every employer should know about supporting neurodivergent talent

With the Financial Times recently reporting that UK employers are “waking up to the competitive advantage of hiring people with ADHD and autism”, Jack Dyrhauge, CEO and founder of Neuropool, shares the key adjustments companies are making that others should adopt too. Link

Learning & Development

Revolutionising coaching through AI

Did you know the average sales manager has seven direct reports, but spends only 9% of their time on coaching? This article explores how generative AI is being used to support employees in sales teams by bolstering the coaching process.

Technology used for call listening and to analyse transcripts provides valuable and detailed feedback to employees, even down to words they should avoid using and how they manage customer interruptions. The technology is also being used to analyse scorecards and improve consistency of this analysis. While there will always be a need for human intervention, using technology in this way can free up line managers to coach their teams more efficiently, especially as team headcount grows.

Middle management is the crucial communication link

HR Magazine suggests middle managers represent a weak link in organisational communication. The author explores where organisations that want to overcome this challenge must invest to improve their communication strategy and enhance middle managers’ capabilities as a conduit for important information. Alongside skills development, tips include seeking continuous feedback and ensuring managers are not overburdened.

Are important messages getting lost in your organisation? Call 0161 941 2426 to discover how we can help develop your leadership team’s communication skills to support employee engagement.

And finally...

Buzzwords for 2025

Reverse mentoring, burnout blocking and anti-perks... have you come across these latest business buzzwords entering HR in 2025? More importantly, do you understand what they mean? To maintain relevance and keep up with the conversation across the generations, check out this article from People Management explaining what these new terms mean for your people and organisation.

How can we help?

To discuss the issues or challenges arising from this HR News Roundup, get in touch with us today on 0161 941 2426 or email us. We’re here to help.