More than 8 out of 10 employees feel unprepared for work challenges in 2025, according to a global survey by Skillsoft.
The learning platform identified burnout, exhaustion, and overwhelming workloads as issues that had blighted workers during 2024.
Just under half (48%) of the 2,100 full-time employees polled by Skillsoft said they had been informed of their employer’s strategic priorities for next year. And of those who had been informed, only 40% said they felt “extremely clear” about their role in achieving those goals.
The top work-related challenges during 2024 were exhaustion (39%), decreased motivation or engagement (35%), and overwhelming workload and responsibilities (35%).
Learning & development
Why mentoring in the hybrid era is key to employee engagement
On the employer side, Skillsoft found that many businesses felt the US elections would have a “slight to extreme impact”on their organisation in the coming year.
Almost three-quarters (73%) said this was the case, and 39% said Trump’s election into office would have a negative impact on ESG programmes, 35% on regulatory compliance requirements, and 34% on employee morale and engagement.
Employers said their priorities for 2025 included improving operational efficiency (48%), increasing revenue and profitability (46%) and enhancing the customer experience (39%).
Their lowest priorities were strengthening data privacy and security practices (17%); closing skills gaps (19%) and improving leadership and management (19%). This is despite their core challenges being talent attraction and retention and effective leadership and management.
“Boosting operational efficiency, revenue, and customer satisfaction should undoubtedly be business priorities.
“However, it is nearly impossible to deliver on these goals without first breaking them down into measurable actions, clearly communicating these actions to their entire workforce early and often, and providing an environment where employees can develop new skills in service of this strategy,” said Ciara Harrington, Skillsoft’s chief people officer.
“By creating a strong foundation of talent through training and a consistent strategy communications plan, employees will be better prepared to adapt, innovate, and contribute to their organisation’s long-term success.”
The company said businesses would need to communicate more clearly on goals and priorities in order to address potential higher rates of attrition. Only 25% of employees were satisfied with their current roles, according to Skillsoft.
Companies were increasingly looking to more personalised and role-specific learning options to prepare employees for the challenges ahead, it found.
“Access to training and new technologies nurtures continuous learning and adaptability, empowering employees to tackle future challenges,” Harrington added.
“An investment in talent is an investment in the future of your company and its competitive edge.”
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
