Between emerging technology, economic uncertainty and growing rates of burnout, HR is facing mounting pressure to help employees adjust to rapid change. By harnessing these four global trends, HR can help ensure their workforces are ready for anything. 

From the rise of AI and robotics to economic uncertainty, workplaces are going through rapid and dramatic change. 

For HR practitioners, keeping up can be dizzying. How will AI change jobs? What will flexible work look like in five – or ten – years? How can we reassure our talent during unpredictable times? 

Kate Bravery, Global Leader, Talent Advisory at Mercer, helps businesses prepare workforces for the future, with strategies informed by the latest data and research. She’s also the co-author of Work Different: 10 Truths for Winning in the People Age. 

At the AHRI National Convention and Exhibition in August, she’ll present on the global forces reshaping the talent landscape – and what they mean for talent management. Here, she shares a glimpse of what she’ll discuss. 

Backdrop to change

The world of work is going through a chaotic period, says Bravery.

“On one hand, we have all these exciting glimpses of what the world of tomorrow’s going to look like – AI, robotics, skills-powered practices. So, everyone feels we’re on the cusp of a fantastic transformation that’s going to make the world of work so much easier, and leave HR practitioners free to focus on strategic conversations.”

On the other hand, employees are exhausted. 

“Our research shows employees are at risk of burnout at unprecedented levels. 

“Employees are still really scarred [from the pandemic]. Gen Z in particular is coming in a lot less secure, a lot less socially adept and a lot more worried about the future.”

And it doesn’t seem like these concerns are going anywhere. 

“The global uncertainty index is higher than it’s ever been. The global risk report is at the darkest it’s been since its inception 18 years ago.

“That was all before the current climate, which isn’t heralding predictability.”

The resulting contradictions are particularly challenging for HR practitioners.

“HR may find themselves trapped between the high expectations of executives, who are expecting to unlock productivity gains with scaled use of AI, and employees, who are fatigued, concerned about tomorrow and fatigued by change,” says Bravery.

All that said, she’s optimistic. 

Bravery’s research has revealed four global trends reshaping global talent which, if harnessed, can put HR in a strong position to manage talent into the future. 

Hear more from Kate Bravery and other HR thought leaders at AHRI’s upcoming National Convention and Exhibition on 19 – 21 August 2025. Registrations are now open.

1. Building human-centric productivity 

AI brings risks to the workplace – from those associated with ChatGPT to those arising from under-regulation. 

However, when people are at the heart of how AI is used, the technology can enhance employees’ wellbeing, help improve HR processes and boost productivity. 

“The question is no longer how many hours you put in, and how many people you put on a project to drive output – it’s how your people will work with technology to work smarter,” says Bravery. 

It’s time for HR to reconsider vertical talent hierarchies, and to get to work on re-thinking jobs for the future. 

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redesign work for human advantage. We need to reconfigure jobs so we can do more with less, and make our humans more productive.” 

The first step is job redesign.

“Disaggregate each job into tasks, work out which tasks work better with machine learning, then put the job back together,” she says.

“When you reconfigure the tasks, do so for various scenarios. For example, you might make the job more interesting, or create more capacity for time off or learning.”

The result should be a series of jobs that enable employees to be more agile, more multi-skilled and more empowered.

“If you get it right, you can excite people, because they get to build their skills more quickly and work on more interesting projects.” 

This focus on increasing agility can also help HR build credibility with the C-suite.

“This year, when we asked executives about their biggest concern going into 2025, it was concern about ‘not having enough agility in their workforce to pivot if business fundamentals change’ followed by ‘not being able to upskill and reskill people quickly enough’. 

“If we suddenly need to open more offices in Australia or move business into Asia, can we do it?”

2. Creating digital-first cultures 

To build an agile and effective workforce, it’s essential to understand your employees. 

One of the quickest and easiest ways to do that is making the most of AI to build a digital-first culture. This can help HR collect better data, while delivering a more satisfying experience. 

“The once-a-year HR process has a limited life span because the world is no longer changing once a year,” says Bravery. 

Rather than being limited by annual surveys and performance reviews, HR can use AI to interact with employees continually, and in a more engaging way. 

“With AI agents, we can ask more interesting questions of people when they join, then a week later, then 10 days later, then when their role expands.”

This gives HR the opportunity to uncover problems early, so they can respond immediately.

At the same time, AI can be used to gain data and insights more affordably and efficiently. 

“For example, you could brief your AI agents on your new competency model or strategic imperative, then have employees discuss this with them. This will give you insights into how an employee thinks, learns and is motivated, and where they have gaps. 

“When you have enough insights, you can build up a digital twin, then use this to ask [big] questions. How would this person fare in a different job? If we restructure our business and 100 people are going to lose their jobs, who will be the best fit for the roles we have, and who can get into those roles quickest?”  

“Suddenly, we move away from a world where we’re overhiring and having to make reductions in force, to one driven by talent insight and science, where we work hard to keep our people employable.”

“Whether you’re a small, medium or large organisation, our research shows companies faring better during this period are those talking with their people.” – Kate Bravery, Global Leader, Talent Advisory, Mercer

3. Anchoring to trust and equity 

The rise of the robots is only increasing the need to inspire trust in employees. 

“Trust is this big, intangible asset. When you have it, people stay and engage, and they’re inspired and productive,” says Bravery. 

“When you don’t have it, people will leave in good times. But, in bad times like now, they’ll stay, even though they’re not inspired or productive, and that’s a lag on the business.”

During the pandemic, employees’ trust in their employers increased dramatically, she says. Most felt their managers had their back, and trusted them to do their job (or a new job), and their employers were doing the right thing by their employees and society. 

“But, over the past two years, it’s dropped 10 per cent – because we flip-flopped on flexible working and people don’t feel like they’re being paid equitably,” says Bravery. 

It’s more important than ever that HR ensures businesses are speaking honestly with employees. 

“Whether you’re a small, medium or large organisation, our research shows companies faring better during this period are those talking with their people.

“They’re having regular conversations about whether they’ll bring AI into operations, and about how changes to tariffs and trade will impact the business.

“Do you remember during the pandemic, when executives would get onto Zoom calls and say, ‘I don’t know what I don’t know, but here’s what I do know’? I think that strategy would go well now.”

4. Bolstering the corporate immune system

Not only is uncertainty impacting employees’ trust in their employers, it’s also impacting their health.

“People are tired and at risk of burnout, and they’re also sick,” says Bravery. 

“We have the highest incidence of non-communicable diseases we’ve ever seen among Gen Ys.”

In addition, the “longevity equation” is having an impact.

“People have to work longer to build their pension pots. 

“At the same time, they’re being run ragged, working while looking after kids at home and often older people too, but without the support they need.”

Short-term productivity is a goal for most businesses, but looking after people in the long-term is just as important.

“We need managers to be more risk-aware, and we need mechanisms that give early warning signals.

“Most organisations sit on enough data to predict whether people will be healthy or not healthy, and can improve outcomes by looking at which health and benefit interventions have an impact, but they often don’t.

“This is a new imperative for businesses.”

Stewards of humanity

Ultimately, whether an organisation is figuring out how to integrate AI into its practices, or navigating its way through economic uncertainty, it’s HR’s job to balance the business’s goals with its people’s needs.

“HR is human resources, so you’ve got to care about people first and foremost, and business performance second,” says Bravery.  

“If you can marry the two, it’s a win, but don’t forget the human side of the equation.

“If you aren’t listening to your people, then you’re going to find yourself out of step. If there’s one thing HR should be, it’s the advocate of employees, because, if we’re not stewards of humanity, who is?”

At AHRI’s National Convention & Exhibition in August, connect with senior HR professionals and learn practical strategies from international and Australian thought leaders you can implement in your own workplace.