HR trends: research worth reading,actions worth trying.

Understand what is changing at work without turning every headline into a new initiative. Eight research signals from primary sources, each with who was studied, where and when, what to examine, and one small step to try.

  • 8 research signals
  • Primary sources
  • No email gate
Find what fits your team

Make the research relevant

What is on your mind?

Topic

Your role
Your current stage

8 of 8 research signals · 0 actions saved

My actions (0)

Managers & ownership

Make room for managers to manage

22%Global managers classified as engaged, 2025

Observed study finding · Survey

Gallup reports global manager engagement fell from 27% in 2024 to 22% in 2025. Its 2026 report’s full 2025 sample includes 141,444 employed respondents; that is not the manager-subgroup sample size.

Geography
Global; not a small-business benchmark
Data period
January–December 2025; comparison with 2024
Population and sample
Global employed respondents; the quoted result is the manager subgroup. Full 2025 sample: 263,810 adults, including 141,444 employed respondents. Manager-specific n is not stated on the cited summary.
Source dating
Published 8 April 2026. This is separate from the data period above.

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

A manager can have a full task list and still lack the time or clarity to support a team. Gallup’s latest workplace findings make manager capacity a useful question to investigate, rather than a reason to add another survey. Start with a short conversation about decisions that stall, conflicting priorities and work without an owner. Choose one recurring request and agree who decides, what information they need and who covers absence. Revisit the change with the manager after a month. A clearer approval path can remove friction; it is not, by itself, evidence that engagement has improved.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Choose one recurring request. Write down its decision owner, required information and absence cover; review the arrangement with managers after four weeks.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Track median request decision time and the number returned for missing information. Ask managers whether the change helped; these are suggested local measures, not an engagement score.

Keep the limit in view. Engagement is Gallup’s defined survey construct. The survey does not show that buying HR software causes engagement to improve.

Sources and dates (3)

Related current workflow

Approvals and role ownership

The Approvals workspace shows pending requests in one place. That demonstrates a workflow, not a measured engagement outcome.

Wellbeing

Treat absence data as a prompt for support

9.4 daysAnnual absence estimate in the UK sample; not a target

Observed study finding · Survey

CIPD reports 9.4 absence days per employee annually in its 2025 UK survey. The estimate is a 5% trimmed mean from 305 respondents providing absence data, within a survey of 1,101 organisations.

Geography
United Kingdom
Data period
Fieldwork March–April 2025; annual absence reported by respondents
Population and sample
1,101 UK organisations represented by HR or management-level respondents; 305 supplied the absence estimate. Online YouGov survey, weighted by sector and business size.
Source dating
Published 9 September 2025. This is separate from the data period above.

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

Absence records are useful when they lead to a fair conversation, not when they become a league table of people. The CIPD’s UK findings show why a small team should understand its own patterns before selecting a wellbeing initiative. Start with clear reporting instructions, consistent leave categories and a manager who knows where to direct a request for help. Review aggregated trends alongside workload and staffing changes. Keep medical details out of general team reports. A change in recorded absence may reflect better reporting, seasonal illness or workforce mix, so discuss the context before deciding what to change.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Review how employees report sickness and who responds. Agree consistent categories, a supportive return conversation and an aggregate review with the appropriate manager.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Use your own consistent denominator to follow days lost over time; pair it with completion of supportive follow-up. Avoid individual absence rankings or health diagnoses.

Keep the limit in view. The 9.4-day estimate is not a universal healthy level. Sector, size, workforce mix and reporting practice differ; this is organisational research, not medical advice.

Sources and dates (2)

Related current workflow

Leave policies, requests and reports

Existing leave workflow can organise records. It does not diagnose illness or replace occupational-health support.

Skills & continuity

Plan skills around real work

39%Expected core-skill change by 2030; employer outlook

Observed study finding · Employer-expectations survey

In the World Economic Forum’s 2025 survey, employers expected 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030. The sample covered over 1,000 employers representing over 14 million workers, across 55 economies and 22 industry clusters.

Geography
55 economies; 22 industry clusters
Data period
Outlook for 2025–2030, published January 2025
Population and sample
Over 1,000 surveyed employers representing more than 14 million workers; employer expectations, not a direct survey of every represented worker.
Source dating
Published 7 January 2025. This is separate from the data period above.

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

A skills plan becomes useful when it names the work people need to do differently. The World Economic Forum’s employer outlook points to substantial change, but it cannot tell a particular small business which course to buy. Choose one role and list its essential tasks, the evidence of a good result and the tasks expected to change. Ask the person doing the job where practice or support would help. Give one learning activity an owner, time to complete it and a real task on which to use it. Review the outcome before expanding the plan across the company.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Pick one role, identify one changing task and agree a practical learning activity with its owner. Schedule a review using a real piece of work.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Record whether the person completed the practice task to an agreed standard and can repeat it with less support. Course attendance alone is not proof of competence.

Keep the limit in view. This is a forward-looking employer survey, not a realised outcome or a forecast for an individual company. Large-employer perspectives may not fit a small team.

Sources and dates (1)

Related current workflow

People records, company library and process templates

Use existing records and shared process material for ownership. No skills matrix, LMS or automated skill inference is claimed.

How work gets done

Replace repeated pings with a clear next step

Top 20%The high-ping group behind the 275-a-day figure

Observed study finding · Vendor product telemetry

Microsoft’s 2025 special report counted 275 daily pings for the top 20% of users by received ping volume. That figure covers 24 hours, not an eight-hour workday; the telemetry excludes EU and education tenants.

Geography
Microsoft 365 tenant population; EU and education tenants excluded
Data period
Telemetry ending 15 February 2025; rolling 28-day calculations
Population and sample
Aggregated, anonymised Microsoft 365 productivity signals; interruption statistic restricted to the top 20% of users by received ping volume. Meetings, email and chat are counted as pings.
Source dating
Published 17 June 2025. This is separate from the data period above.

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

Repeated requests for status can make a simple decision feel like a separate project. Microsoft’s telemetry offers a reason to inspect that friction, while its heavily interrupted group should not be treated as the average worker. Choose a request that regularly moves between chat, email and a spreadsheet. Give it a single place for the details, a named owner and a reasonable response expectation. Tell colleagues when something truly needs an urgent message. After two weeks, ask whether the arrangement reduced follow-up. Measure the process at team level, rather than using message counts to judge individual effort.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Choose one repeated request, put its required context in one place and publish its owner and response expectation. Agree when to use an urgent channel.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Count avoidable status follow-ups for that process and review decision turnaround. Use a small agreed sample; do not turn telemetry into employee productivity surveillance.

Keep the limit in view. A ping is not a measured cognitive interruption. This selected group cannot represent all employees, and the report does not prove that a particular tool removes the problem.

Sources and dates (1)

Related current workflow

Approvals, tasks and Inbox

HourSquare provides existing request and task views; it does not promise a measured reduction in interruptions.

AI & data

Give everyday AI use some ground rules

31%SMEs reporting generative AI use in the seven-country sample

Observed study finding · Survey

An OECD survey conducted in late 2024 found generative AI used in 31% of more than 5,000 SMEs across seven countries. Respondents were the people with the best overview of company technology, often owners or managers.

Geography
Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea and United Kingdom
Data period
Late 2024 survey; report published November 2025
Population and sample
More than 5,000 SMEs; the respondent or a colleague used generative AI. Representative cross-country survey; not a count of all SME employees.
Source dating
Published 5 November 2025. This is separate from the data period above.

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

An AI experiment needs an owner and a check on the result, even when the tool is inexpensive. The OECD’s small-business research is relevant because it studies SMEs directly, but adoption is not the same thing as value. Start with a low-risk task that does not require employee records or confidential customer information. Agree which tool is allowed, what information must stay out and who reviews the output. Keep the original task and a simple quality check so the team can compare results. Share what worked and what failed before widening access or making the task part of a routine.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Write a short allowed-use note and test one low-risk task. Identify excluded information, an accountable reviewer and the quality standard before the test.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Compare the same task with and without the tool: elapsed effort, correction work and errors found. Treat a small pilot as local learning, not guaranteed ROI.

Keep the limit in view. Adoption was self-reported in seven countries. It does not establish a causal productivity benefit or current uptake in other countries.

Sources and dates (1)

Related current workflow

Company library, announcements and access roles

These existing workflows can share guidance. This is not a claim that HourSquare AI analytics is live.

How work gets done

Make flexibility understandable for each role

91%UK employers offering some form of flexibility, 2025

Observed study finding · Survey

In CIPD’s 2025 UK employer survey, 91% offered some flexible working. However, 28% said only some employees could work flexibly and 12% said only a few could. The employer sample comprised 2,050 HR professionals.

Geography
United Kingdom
Data period
Employer fieldwork 14 April–5 May 2025
Population and sample
2,050 HR professionals surveyed online by YouGov; weighted to represent senior decision-makers. These figures are from the employer survey, not its separate employee sample.
Source dating
Published 15 July 2025. This is separate from the data period above.

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

A flexible-work policy is easier to use when employees can understand what applies to their role. The CIPD’s UK research shows that offering flexibility at company level does not mean everyone has equal access to it. Review time, location and scheduling separately instead of treating flexibility as a single remote-work decision. Explain which arrangements are possible, who decides a request and how the team maintains service or shift coverage. Give people a clear way to ask about an arrangement. Revisit the process with those whose roles require physical presence, so the policy does not only describe office-based work.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Describe the available time, place and scheduling options by role, with a named request owner and a coverage plan. Review the explanation with both desk-based and site-based employees.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Track request response time and whether employees can explain their available options. Compare access by role only where the groups are large enough to protect privacy.

Keep the limit in view. UK survey findings are not global legal rules or proof that any particular work arrangement improves output. Different roles and local laws require different decisions.

Sources and dates (2)

Related current workflow

Work schedules, workplaces and leave policies

The existing settings support working patterns; HourSquare does not provide a flexible-working legal request service.

Pay & policy

Be ready to explain how pay is decided

7 June 2026EU national-transposition deadline; not a universal reporting deadline

Enacted policy · Official policy

The EU Pay Transparency Directive set 7 June 2026 as the national-transposition deadline. It covers pay information before employment and clearer pay-setting criteria. Duties and implementation must be checked in the relevant member state.

Geography
European Union; do not apply automatically to non-EU jurisdictions
Data period
Directive adopted in 2023; national-transposition deadline 7 June 2026
Population and sample
EU public- and private-sector employment; this is legislation and official guidance, not survey data. Specific employer duties depend on national implementation and applicable thresholds.
Source dating
Source last reviewed 14 April 2026. This is separate from the data period above.
Jurisdiction
European Union (national law of each member state applies)
Status
Directive (EU) 2023/970, enacted. National-transposition deadline for member states: 7 June 2026. Employer duties depend on national implementation.
Primary authority
Council of the European Union and European Commission (official explainers); Directive (EU) 2023/970 (EUR-Lex).

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

Pay transparency is a practical records question as well as a policy question. For a team operating in the EU, the directive creates a reason to check the relevant national rules rather than assuming a single deadline made every duty identical everywhere. Start by writing down the responsibilities of each role and the objective reasons used to set its pay. Check that the recruitment message matches those criteria and decide who can answer pay-information requests. Keep sensitive information restricted. A tidy payroll record helps preparation, but an unexplained difference needs proper review; a software export does not establish equal-pay compliance.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Identify your employing jurisdiction, check its current official guidance, and document role responsibilities and objective pay criteria. Assign an owner for recruitment and employee pay-information questions.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Check which roles have documented criteria and which employee records need correction. This is a preparation checklist, not a legal compliance score.

Keep the limit in view. The EU deadline is for member-state transposition. National obligations and reporting thresholds vary; do not present the planner as legal advice or compliance certification.

Sources and dates (3)

Related current workflow

Positions, payroll records and access roles

Payroll in the product starts from a setup state. No statutory pay-transparency report, equal-pay audit or compliance guarantee is claimed.

Skills & continuity

Keep experience moving through the team

All career stagesA planning focus, not a numerical benchmark

Observed study finding · Policy analysis (qualitative, no numeric benchmark)

The OECD’s 2025 Employment Outlook calls for lifelong skills investment and age-inclusive employment. It identifies training access, mobility and age discrimination as important issues when retaining older workers’ knowledge and experience.

Geography
OECD economies; experiences differ by country, occupation and individual
Data period
2025 report, drawing on earlier labour-market and adult-skills data
Population and sample
OECD cross-country labour-market analysis, with discussion of mid-career and older workers. No percentage is asserted for an individual company.
Source dating
Published 9 July 2025. This is separate from the data period above.

What to examine · HourSquare analysis

A small team can lose important knowledge long before someone leaves: one person may simply be the only person who knows how a task works. The OECD’s ageing-workforce analysis supports a broader conversation about learning throughout a career. Map a few essential responsibilities, then ask where a second trained person or clearer instructions would help. Invite experienced colleagues to shape the material, and give them the same chance to learn new tools as anyone else. Keep participation and succession conversations individual and voluntary. Plan continuity around the work and a person’s stated plans, rather than making assumptions about their age.

A small step to try · HourSquare suggestion

Put it into practice

Identify one essential process with a single knowledgeable owner. Write a shared guide, arrange a second person’s practice and offer learning opportunities across career stages.

How to learn from it · HourSquare suggestion

Choose a local measure

Count essential processes with an agreed backup and a successfully tested handover. Ask participants whether the arrangement is useful; avoid age-based performance assumptions.

Keep the limit in view. This is a policy synthesis, not evidence that a person of a particular age needs training or plans to retire. The 2025 report is used for its ageing focus, not labelled the latest OECD edition.

Sources and dates (1)

Related current workflow

People structure, process templates and company library

Existing records and process material help organise handovers. No automated succession or retirement prediction is claimed.

How this explorer was put together

Evidence first. Interpretation made clear.

Only evidence published or officially available by 25 October 2026 is included. Each card names its geography, population and data period, and the publication date is shown separately from the period the data covers.

Actions and measures are original editorial suggestions, not findings attributed to the cited authors. Trends are discussion prompts, not predictions or universal benchmarks.

Workflow links describe current HourSquare features. They do not claim that HourSquare causes the research outcome, activates modules, or implements roadmap AI.

Publication date and observation period remain separate. A known last-review date is labelled as such; undated living pages are explicit. The 2025 OECD Employment Outlook is used for its ageing focus and is not claimed to be the latest edition.

Saved actions stay in memory for this preview. No names, employee records or email address are required. In this page, saved actions are held in memory for this page session only.

HourSquare wrote this page and sells HR software, so read the product links as descriptions of what HourSquare does today, not as evidence that software changes the outcome in any study.

How to read the evidence labels

Observed study finding
A result a study, survey or dataset reports, with its sample and period.
Enacted policy
A rule or official position that has been adopted, with its jurisdiction and status.
Announced product change
A change a vendor says it has made to its own product. It describes that vendor, not what works.
Editorial interpretation
An interpretation by the author rather than a finding of the cited source.

Every action and measure is a HourSquare suggestion, not a finding of the cited authors, and none of the cited organisations endorses HourSquare. Quoted figures keep their original denominators and are not combined across sources.

Turn a good question into a clear next step

Make a plan your team can use.

Bring the decisions, owners and preparation tasks together before you change systems or invite your team.

Build an HR setup plan Still choosing a system? Compare the options →

Related reading

Try HourSquare when you are ready

Free forever for teams of up to 10 people. Larger teams are free for now; if that changes, we'll tell you first.

Review pricing and start

Reading, filtering and downloading here create no account and send nothing to HourSquare.
HOURSQUARE · EST 2026 HR you run yourself.