To continue reading this article in full click here: Goodbye, hustle culture and fake empathy: How HR pros want workplace culture to change in 2025
10th January 2025
Rethinking Workplace Culture: What HR Professionals Want to See in 2025
HR professionals are calling for meaningful changes in workplace culture for 2025, rejecting superficial empathy, hustle culture, and “productivity theater.” Instead, they advocate for authentic support, quality-focused work, flexibility, and tech-driven engagement strategies to create environments that prioritize employee well-being, innovation, and sustainable performance.
This article was written by Paige McGlauflin, featuring Céline Hervé, Nancy Hauge, Alex Seiler, Linda Ho, Nurdes Gomez, Ashley Goldsmith and published in the HR Brew.
But it’s not just workers who are sick of certain workplace norms: HR pros—despite being considered the poster child for cringy workplace culture—actually want change, too.
People pros shared with HR Brew the aspects of workplace culture that they’d like to wave goodbye to in the new year, and what changes they’d like to see instead. Much of what they had to say aligns with workers’ own frustrations, like empty gestures of empathy from companies, or the glorification of hustle culture.
Read more on what they had to say below.
What’s out: Fake empathy from employers. “It’s time to move beyond superficial empathy that lacks real support. Leaders should not only acknowledge stress but also take concrete actions, like conducting regular surveys on burnout and workload. By understanding employee challenges better, we can offer meaningful flexibility and create a culture where team members feel genuinely supported. Authenticity in support builds trust and resilience, fostering a more engaged workforce.”—Céline Hervé, people partner, Grammarly
What’s out: The rise and grind mindset. “I welcome a shift away from the emphasis on hustle culture. While it is encouraging to see individuals energized and enthusiastic about their work, the glorification of overworking often leads to burnout, increased stress, diminished critical thinking, and poor decision-making. Employees may feel compelled to demonstrate their willingness to work long hours, which can distract them from working smarter.”—Nancy Hauge, chief people experience officer, Automation Anywhere
What’s out: Fixating on productivity. “The obsession with ‘productivity theater’ needs to go…Real productivity isn’t about looking busy during ‘core hours’ or having your Slack status always on green. It’s about output, impact, and sustainable performance. If your employees are delivering results, does it matter if they’re working at 2pm or 2am? If you need software to track if people are working, you don’t have a productivity problem—you have a hiring, leadership, or trust problem. I want to see us measure results, not attendance.”—Alex Seiler, founder and CPO, Alex Seiler LLC
