According to a Skillsoft survey, over 8 in 10 employees feel unprepared to tackle workplace challenges in 2025. The findings show that burnout, exhaustion, and overwhelming workloads plagued employees throughout 2024, leaving them ill-equipped for the future.
The survey also found that less than half (48%) had been informed about their company’s strategic goals for 2025. Among those who had, only 40% felt “extremely clear” about their role in achieving those priorities.
This lack of clarity is compounded by widespread exhaustion (39%), declining engagement (35%), and overwhelming workloads (35%), which employees identified as their top challenges over the past year.
“Boosting operational efficiency, revenue, and customer satisfaction should undoubtedly be business priorities. However, it is nearly impossible to deliver on these goals without first breaking them down into measurable actions, clearly communicating these actions to their entire workforce early and often, and providing an environment where employees can develop new skills in service of this strategy,” said Ciara Harrington, Skillsoft’s chief people officer.
In addition, employers also face their own set of challenges as they prepare for 2025. Nearly three-quarters (73%) anticipate that the political climate, particularly Trump’s election, will impact their organizations, with 39% expecting negative effects on ESG initiatives, 35% on regulatory compliance, and 34% on employee morale and engagement.
Despite this, business priorities remain focused on improving operational efficiency (48%), increasing revenue (46%), and enhancing customer experiences (39%).
Surprisingly, less emphasis is placed on strengthening leadership (19%), closing skills gaps (19%), and improving data security (17%)—even as companies struggle with talent attraction, retention, and effective management.
Only 25% of employees reported satisfaction with their current roles, highlighting the need for stronger alignment between organizational priorities and workforce readiness. Companies increasingly use personalised, role-specific training to prepare employees for future challenges.