Providing Hope! Leadership and
DEI Predications for 2025
As you may know, every January we, at bci, reflect on the challenges and opportunities ahead for leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These topics have dominated business headlines over the last few years, but as we look to 2025, it’s clear that the issues we face will be even more complex.
From mental health concerns and conflict about hybrid work to the attacks on DEI and political/geopolitical issues, leaders are feeling pressure. And rightfully so – there’s a lot to contend with. Given this, in this blog, we want to do two things:
- spotlight a few key areas that leaders will want to focus on this coming year, and
- uncover why Shift Leadership—a new and innovative paradigm for leading—will be essential to unlocking wellness across teams.
Contending With the Continued Attacks on DEI Programming
Over the past few years, we’ve seen growing resistance to DEI initiatives and changes to policies/approaches resulting from the legal attacks. In 2025, we undoubtedly will see continued attacks on DEI programming, particularly those focused on racial inclusion. This backlash threatens to undermine the progress we’ve made in creating more inclusive workplaces, where everyone can experience belonging. Given this, we, as leaders, must defend DEI efforts and programming.
Research consistently shows that diverse teams perform better, but it also shows that our talent pipelines are both more diverse than ever before and they value and expect DEI programming. In 2025, we’ll need to be even more vocal in our advocacy for DEI, especially in the face of opposition, while reworking language, framing, and positioning in doing our work. One insight we want to offer is that Shift Leadership directly intersects with creating workplaces that are rooted in inclusion and belonging—it offers a practical and tangible path to achieving DEI efforts, while growing leadership skills on a whole.
Mental Health & Burnout: Leaders Are Not Exempt
Mental health and wellbeing have been a growing focus for some organizations in recent years, but in 2025, they will become even more critical—especially for those in leadership roles. While much of the conversation has centered on supporting employees, we need to recognize that leaders are also struggling. Burnout is real, and it’s affecting people at every level of the organization.
In fact, a recent article by Forbes found that 36% of managers are reporting alarming levels of stress. Leaders are often expected to be resilient and push through, but the truth is that many of them are facing the same mental health challenges as their team members. We encourage leaders to prioritize their mental health and wellbeing in 2025—in order to be well for themselves, but also for others. It’s time that we all set the tone for healthier workplaces for all, which is a fundamental tenet of Shift Leadership.
The Ongoing Debate: Virtual vs. In-Person Work
One of the biggest tensions we see continuing into 2025 is the debate around remote vs. in-person work. According to a survey from USA Today, 58% of white-collar workers prefer to work remotely at least three days a week. Despite the clear benefits of virtual work—increased productivity, improved work-life balance, and access to broader talent pools—some organizations are pushing hard for a return to working in-person in the office full-week. And many leaders remain skeptical, equating physical presence with productivity—which is fascinating, given that the same leaders recognized high productivity during the pandemic with extended periods of remote work. This disconnect is creating friction, and if not addressed, could lead to lower morale, disengaged teams, and higher turnover.
Instead, leaders need to adopt a more flexible mindset (which relates back to Shift Leadership—empathy and adaptability are key leadership traits). Rather than insisting on a one-size-fits-all approach, leaders must support employees in ways that allow them to thrive while maintaining organizational goals, which includes honoring hybrid work models, virtual-first policies, and/or tailored schedules.
Faith-Based Inclusion in the Workplace
Given ongoing geopolitical tensions, and that our talent pipelines are increasingly diverse, we recommend an increased focus be put on exploring faith-based inclusion. It’s an area that is often overlooked—yet, as we’ve seen over the last year, it’s an identity area that many employees hold deeply.
A study by HR Brew found that 41% of US workers said that conflicts related to faith/religion have caused tension at their workplace, indicating there may be a gap between acceptance and understanding. This lack of acceptance and understanding gives rise to significant issues and, given all the intersectional impacts, we can no longer afford to ignore these issues. As you’ll have heard us repeatedly share in our belonging and Shift Leadership work, when employees feel they cannot bring their whole selves to work, it adversely affects their engagement, productivity, and sense of purpose at work.
Economic Downturn & Increased Fear of Layoffs
Economic uncertainty is something we grappled with in 2024. But based on our conversations with C-suite leaders across industries, we predict that in 2025 there will be heightened fear and tension in the workplace related to recession concerns. Many industries are already tightening their belts, and employees are feeling concerns about job insecurity/layoffs—which erodes trust and engagement. As expected, this creates a difficult challenge for leaders, as we’re juggling a mix of competing business needs.
This is where transparency and empathy become critical. Shift Leadership encourages leaders to handle difficult moments with compassion, ensuring that even in times of uncertainty, employees feel valued and respected. Leaders must communicate openly with their teams about the economic realities, while providing support and reassurance where possible. By focusing on clear communication and empathy, leaders can help mitigate the negative impact of layoffs and maintain a psychologically safe workplace culture.
These are just a few areas we wanted to highlight for 2025, recognizing that there are many additional considerations that leaders will want to focus on this year. Across all the competing forces that will impact work in 2025, leaders will want to navigate the complexities with grace, empathy, adaptability, and authenticity.
I hope this all resonates, and on that note, I’d love to hear from you! Please send me a message through our Contact Us page, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
Reach out to the bci team here to learn more about our range of cutting-edge programming on Shift Leadership and other talent management/leadership programming:
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