Qualtrics has released one of the world’s largest annual studies into employee experience and the state of work – the 2025 Employee Experience Trends report – revealing critical insights empowering businesses and people leaders to improve employee experience, boost productivity, and drive well-being in 2025.
Drawing on 35,000 responses across 23 countries – including 1,039 from Singapore – the study, which is now in its fifth year, reveals employees are being held back by chaotic workplaces, dispels common workplace stereotypes of younger workers, a concerning level of employee trust in leaders, the importance of first and last impressions to employee success and brand image, and how firms in Singapore are leading the way with AI enablement
The 2025 Employee Experience Trends:
- 2025’s best employers will make work less chaotic
- Young employees ARE optimistic
- Employee experiences are being ruined by entry and exit
- Prioritizing short-term gains costs long-term trust
- Singapore firms ahead of the global curve on AI enablement and training
2025’s best employers will make work less chaotic
As many companies have continued to change working models, systems, and processes for the modern workplace in the years since the pandemic, a disparity has emerged between business focuses and employee needs. Workers in Singapore are most engaged when their employer’s culture and processes empower them to adapt to customer needs, and when there is a focus on having a positive impact in the world. However, organisations have gone backward in meeting their employees’ expectations in these areas with these attributes some of the lowest scoring areas.
Growing pressure to increase productivity could also be having the opposite effect. Employees who feel under the pump are often less engaged, have lower levels of well-being, and more likely to leave.
“Over the past few years employees in Singapore and across the globe have been dealing with relentless change. It’s no surprise many have reached their breaking point,” said Dr. Cecelia Herbert, Workplace Behavioural Scientist, Qualtrics.
“Work has somehow become even more chaotic since the pandemic as leaders pursue short-term wins and do their best to adjust to modern realities. Yet, for a number of years now, the best employee experiences are those that support people through change and enable them to do great work – and these two aspects are the most impactful pathway to sustainable productivity”
Young employees are the most optimistic and driven
Contrary to popular belief, young employees are often a businesses’ most engaged, motivated, and driven. In fact, the only employee experience indicator where younger generations lag, unsurprisingly, is their intent to stay. And this is even the case when they are highly engaged: half (47%) of young people who have their expectations exceeded plan to stay with the company long-term, compared to 76% of those 25+.
“It’s time to end the scapegoating of young employees for workplace woes. These mindsets are crushing the optimism and fresh thinking younger workers bring to the workplace, creating a scenario that benefits no-one,” adds Dr. Herbert.
“Younger workers live in and will inherit a very different world than generations of the past. Rather than bemoan their low intent to stay, leaders should focus on ways to nurture their growth and creativity, develop their skills, and ultimately capture the enthusiasm to set the workforce up for success for generations to come.”
Substandard first and last impressions hinder success
The candidate and entry experiences are the lowest rated employee journeys, creating engagement, well-being, and intent-to-stay issues further down the line. For instance, just 27% of employees with less than one-year tenure with their current employer plan to stay for 3+ years, compared to 45% of workers with 1-5 years and 65% of those with 5+ years. Employees often report a similar poor employee experience at the exit stage, meaning they are leaving with a negative perception of their tenure.
“Every organisation’s brand and reputation is heavily influenced by the stories people tell about applying for a job and what it was like working there. Getting these first and final impressions right are key strategic levers, but right now they are being overlooked meaning employees are negatively impacted before they have even worked their first day,” said Dr. Herbert.
Short-term productivity pressure costs businesses long-term gains
Employees in Singapore rate their trust in senior leaders 6 percentage points lower than the global average. Only half of employees (50%) believe their bosses will choose employee well-being over short-term business gains. This finding suggests an alarming lack of trust in leaders by their employees, which needs critical attention if organisations are to positively influence employee experience indicators in 2025.
“The relationship between employees and their leaders is getting more and more tense, fuelled by decisions to roll-back investments in DEI or sustainability, poorly managed workplace change, and more,” said Dr. Herbert.
“While trust is hard to earn and maintain during times of disruption and uncertainty, our study shows its impact is huge on both business and individual outcomes, which is why leaders need to know how to cultivate it in 2025.”
Singapore leads the way on AI enablement
Workers in Singapore are receiving more AI enablement, training, and guidelines from their employer than most others across the world: two-thirds (64%) of employees say their organisation is providing AI enablement and training compared to 52% globally, and 53% say their company has AI guidelines, ethics or principles. Nearly half (41%) of employees in Singapore say they are using AI tools they’ve found themselves, and 46% said they use them at least weekly.
“Singapore is ahead of the global curve when it comes to AI adoption and enablement, giving the country a significant advantage as it works to cement its position as a world leader in AI. To strengthen this position in 2025, employers must continue to prioritise the development of AI ethics and guidelines, and partner with employees to co-create the future of work,” adds Dr. Herbert.