2025 is here. Which means it’s time to start thinking about the best ways to support employees over the coming year. And, more importantly, the best talent engagement strategies to implement.
Even companies with highly engaged employees need to actively work on keeping those employees engaged.
Otherwise, as trends move on, employees can become disconnected from their roles and the company mission. And end up quiet quitting or leaving completely.
So let’s dive in to some talent engagement strategies to maximize your results in 2025:
Development opportunities
Providing learning and development opportunities is going to top the list of talent engagement strategies for the foreseeable future.
LinkedIn data suggests that 57% of Gen Z employees want learning and development opportunities at work. So if you’re not providing them, you’re likely missing out on a massive pool of talent.
Not to mention that by not offering training opportunities, you risk falling behind your competitors from a knowledge and skills standpoint. Which means that both your business and your profits could suffer.
Career progression
Tying into the professional development topic, employees are far more likely to want to learn if they have a path laid out for them.
It gives them something to work toward—a purpose—and a goal to achieve.
Knowing that if they put the work in there’s a promotion waiting for them is a good way to retain your top talent, too. Building career ladders and lattices is a key element of successful talent engagement strategies.
Purpose
More and more, employees want to feel like they’re contributing to something bigger. They want to feel empowered and do something that speaks to them on a deeper level, rather than just something that pays the bills.
Having a deeper company mission is one way to connect with your employees. It’s also one of the most important talent engagement strategies.
But purpose can also be simpler than this. It’s can be about clear communication. What do you actually need your employees to do? What is their purpose within your business?
The more connected employees feel to your purpose—and the reason why they’re there—the more you’ll get out of them. And the happier they’ll be to work for you.
AI
AI is here to stay, but using it in the right way is key to making sure it supports your business. Employees need to be taught how to use it effectively and how it can help, not hinder, their roles.
Otherwise, they either won’t use it, or they’ll fear it’s going to steal their job.
For example, they need to learn things like how to fact check any stats AI provides to confirm they’re accurate (it usually doesn’t link to an original source even when you ask it to); how to write prompts effectively to get the end result they want; and how to use it for idea generation.
They also need to keep in mind that while it’s good for bouncing ideas around, it’s essentially a regurgitation tool. So if they want something truly original or creative, they have to use it as a virtual assistant and still do the legwork themselves.
That said, ensuring they have the tools and skills they need when it comes to new technologies ranks high on the list of talent engagement strategies.
Recognition and gratitude
Employee recognition never goes out of style. And it never falls off the list of top talent engagement strategies.
People want to feel seen and like the hard work they put in is recognized. A little thank you or virtual high five goes a long way.
When you thank employees for their hard work, they feel appreciated and like they belong in the workplace.
It doesn’t have to be about a shiny bonus or even a celebratory meal. Sometimes it’s just about getting a shoutout in a meeting or on your employee experience platform. Simple things that make employees feel more connected to your business and the people in it. And that show someone has noticed and appreciated their hard work.
Office returns
The sad fact is that the mass return to office that’s been happening over the last couple of years is unlikely to end.
While there are lots of reasons behind these office returns—and they make businesses less inclusive—there’s too much of a cultural desire to return to the world pre-Covid and act like it never happened.
There are upsides to seeing people face-to-face. It can change how employees engage with each other and enhance professional relationships.
But balance is key. Hybrid work is among the talent engagement strategies that allow you to attract and retain people who can’t (or don’t want to) come into the office every day, but who can still contribute to your business.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
It worries me that more and more, DEI is experiencing a backlash.
Big companies cutting their DEI budgets or roles; people complaining that everyone is too sensitive these days and how we can’t accommodate everyone; DEI businesses closing their doors because they’re not attracting enough business anymore.
I truly hope this doesn’t continue. But unless we’re actively working to create a more inclusive world, things can and will go backward.
Including one person doesn’t mean excluding anyone else. In fact, more diverse businesses have more engaged employees. And make more money as a result.
Championing diversity doesn’t mean making huge changes, either. It’s about having an open mind and finding ways to support everyone.
For instance, I’m lactose intolerant. Organizing an office lunch somewhere I can eat doesn’t mean anyone else misses out: we can all eat there.
It simply means I don’t get left out because everyone else can eat there but I can’t.
There’s no downside to including more people, so long as we remember not to exclude anyone—accidentally or otherwise.
Diversity benefits everyone, and definitely belongs on your list of talent engagement strategies.
Conclusion
These are just some of the talent engagement strategies to focus on in 2025. Several, such as recognition, are classics that never go out of style. Working on them and prioritizing them for your employee initiatives ensures team members always feel like a valued part of your business.
Newer additions like AI and purpose tap into current trends in the wider world. They’re things that are unlikely to go away any time soon, so the more your business can do to demonstrate attention to these areas, the more engaged your employees will be.
Discover what talent engagement strategies work best for your team
Want to find out what your employees want from you, and what could make them more engaged? Workrowd’s all-in-one suite of tools can help.
With a central hub for your employee experience including automated engagement surveys and real-time analytics, you’ll always have the data you need to maximize your impact. Get in touch today to book your free demo and find out more.
