The future of the digital workplace – ClearBox predictions for 2025
As we look ahead to 2025, the digital workplace continues to evolve in response to shifting employee expectations, technological advancements, and organisational priorities. Drawing on insights from our consultants, we present ClearBox’s predictions for the digital workplace in 2025. From the re-emergence of intranets to the ongoing clash between leadership and employee flexibility, the trends ahead highlight both challenges and opportunities for forward-thinking organisations.
Return to the office vs. hybrid flexibility
The dominant theme in 2025 is likely to be continued “return to the office” edicts from employers, and ongoing resistance from employees who generally like and value hybrid working.
Much of the rhetoric around a need to be physically present in the workplace stems from leadership that is stuck in old patterns of how to manage and support knowledge workers. Savvy companies will therefore see this as an opportunity to attract talent by embracing flexibility and giving their people the choices they want. To do this, they’ll need to continue to invest in their digital workplaces – not just the technology, but also really thinking about the processes that go around them and the employee experience that it creates.
Adjacent to this, we’re likely to see HR driving many of these initiatives, and HR Services vendors such as Workday pushing further into the digital workplace / employee experience platform space. Some intranet vendors will also grow their offering in response, be we see others allying themselves more clearly to the needs of Internal Communication departments instead.
The intranet’s resurgence as a digital hub, the Meta fallout will continue, and wellbeing will be top of mind
I think in 2025 we’ll start to see intranets re-establishing themselves as “doorways” or “one-stop-shops” into the broader digital workplace again. As the range of DW tools ever-increases, intranets will prove themselves as the most flexible among them because of capabilities such as federated search, strong integration approaches, and supported with AI features like digital assistants.
I also think the ripples from the sunsetting of Workplace by Meta will continue to be felt, as platform vendors continue to expand and promote their community capabilities. This impacts all of these vendors’ customers, not just those looking to replace Workplace, and will lead to more social media inspired features being added to tools.
Finally, we continue to live in interesting times, so wellbeing and community will be top of mind for many organisations. For the digital workplace this means more wellbeing spaces being created and articles published, while vendors will likely turn their attentions to introducing a greater range of wellbeing features to aid employee engagement and experiences.
Success will hinge on implementation and governance
Digital workplace / intranet capabilities are becoming increasingly commoditised. There are differences between how each platform approaches services such as news, community, collaboration, search etc. and how good the experience is, but most offer these capabilities. So the difference between success and failure for clients comes down to how they are implemented and run. Organisations that devote appropriate skills and resources to the important areas of adoption (business change management), governance, measurement and optimisation of services so they support employees will be best placed to realise the benefits they hope for.
The fragmented reality of digital work
The digital workplace will continue to be an unintelligible amorphous concept to most people. But the small parts that they use, like chat, email, cloud storage for Excel files, will continue to add additional features that nobody asked for while obfuscating where anything actually is. “Storage location doesn’t matter, only access matters” is the mobile tech strategy, but when applied to desktop it means that our digital assets become even more intangible. But, people will continue to work despite all of this, relying on their relationships and their favourite five tools.
Balancing innovation and employee needs in 2025
The digital workplace of 2025 reflects the tension between continuity and change. As businesses grapple with balancing return-to-office mandates and employee preferences, the platforms and tools that underpin the workplace must adapt. Intranets are poised for a resurgence, while governance and thoughtful implementation will distinguish thriving organisations from those that falter. Ultimately, the digital workplace will remain a collection of evolving tools, driven as much by human behaviour and culture as by technology itself. Forward-looking organisations will seize this moment to foster greater flexibility, wellbeing, and engagement, shaping a more resilient and connected workforce.
Is there anything we can help with in 2025? Whether you’re navigating the complexities of intranet selection or seeking to improve your employee experience, we’re here to help. Contact us to discuss your needs and get tailored advice from our experts.
