January 2025
Workplace Trends for 2025
Savvy employers should keep abreast of the latest developments, technologies and best practices within their industries to stay one step ahead of the competition. As workplace trends constantly evolve, remaining agile and adapting working models to blossoming trends can help organisations improve company culture, retain employees and fuel growth.
Consider the following workplace trends for 2025:
• Reskilling and upskilling – The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how organisations work, making adaptability a critical skill for employers across industries. AI could make certain manual tasks obsolete in the future, but its evolution may also demand new, novel skills. To be competitive in the year ahead, organisations should remain agile and find ways to help their workforce keep up with AI developments through upskilling and reskilling initiatives.
• Human-centric leadership – As AI continues to automate tasks, leadership roles may shift from operational to people management. Rather than focusing on managing tasks, managers might focus on making emotional connections with employees, which is crucial to nurturing their teams through rapid change. Organisations may wish to develop emotional intelligence among leaders in 2025.
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) – Even though they are still emerging, AR and VR technologies may begin to transform how employees connect, collaborate and learn in 2025. These technologies may be particularly beneficial for employee training. Specifically, VR simulation training can provide immersive, hands-on training to allow workers to practise complex tasks without the risk of injury.
• Hybrid work – Although some business leaders have encouraged their workers to return to the office, remote work remains popular among employees striving for a solid work-life balance. Hybrid work may become the default working arrangement for employers looking to boost retention rates in 2025. In fact, just 27% of UK companies anticipate their workforces being fully in person over the next five years.
• Sustainability – Environmental responsibility has become essential to attract socially conscious employees, and this trend is set to continue throughout 2025. In fact, more than 70% of workers want to work for an organisation that values environmental sustainability, according to a recent survey by online recruitment company Total Jobs.
Conclusion
Organisations should be ready to adapt, embrace technology and prioritise sustainability in 2025. Keeping abreast of developments that could impact profitability throughout the year may help organisations increase resilience and achieve growth.
Contact us today for additional trends guidance.
Data Backup and Recovery Plans
Data loss from cyber-attacks, hardware failures, failed cloud synchronisations, natural disasters, human errors, and other events can lead to significant disruptions, financial losses and compliance issues. These events can also erode client trust and even precipitate business failure. Organisations of all sizes are vulnerable to these risks, but having data backup and recovery plans can mitigate their exposure.
A data backup plan consists of policies and procedures that detail how to create copies of data and store it in a secure, separate location. When devising a data backup plan, there are different options to consider:
• Local backup involves storing data on-site with physical devices, such as flash drives or external hard drives.
• Off-site backup entails storing data in locations separate from the original data by saving it on a cloud hosted by a third party or transporting the physical devices with the backup data to a secure off-site location.
Many businesses also combine on-site storage for quick access with cloud storage for disaster recovery. A data recovery plan, on the other hand, details the process of restoring lost or damaged data from backup files after a data loss incident. After recovery, a system or database should be returned to its original state. Having data backup and recovery plans can provide numerous benefits, including:
• Minimising downtime and disruption to help get operations back online faster
• Protecting against ransomware attacks because if the organisation has backed up its data, cyber-criminals lose their leverage to extort payment in exchange for its release
• Meeting compliance and legal requirements and avoiding fines and penalties
• Preserving customer trust and reputation by assisting businesses in restoring services quickly after a data loss event
Employers can implement the following practices to ensure effective data backup and recovery plans:
• Identify data to back up by analysing which data is critical to the organisation’s operations or needed to meet regulatory requirements. Employers should also determine how frequently backups should occur.
• Follow the 3-2-1-1-0 backup rule by storing three copies of the data (in addition to the original) on two different types of storage media (eg cloud and external hard drive), with one copy stored off-site. Additionally, one of the backups should be offline to protect against cyber-risks. Finally, the “0” refers to ensuring zero errors through regular verification of backup data integrity.
• Encrypt data and implement access controls to add layers of protection against data breaches.
• Conduct regular testing to ensure procedures are functional. Employers should also routinely validate the integrity and usability of backed-up data.
• Leverage technology to implement automated backup processes to reduce human error. These processes should be regularly monitored.
• Educate employees on the importance of data backup and recovery plans and effectively communicate changes and updates to policies and procedures.
Data backup and recovery plans are vital to businesses of all sizes to reduce cyber-risks. To maximise their benefits, business leaders should continually evaluate their current systems and explore consulting services to enhance their backup and recovery procedures.
Contact us today for more information.
