​1. Gen Z managers will be hitting the ground running.

Next year, the senior class of Gen Z will be 28, having spent at least a decade in the workforce. Glassdoor has found that, as Gen Z ages, they’re quickly entering the ranks of management. Based on current trends, one in ten managers in 2025 will be a member of Gen Z. And while we don’t want to define professionals by a generation—especially Black women who are not a monolith—there are a few interesting points from the report to note that terms like “wellbeing” and “empathy” were commonly mentioned in reviews when discussing leadership and management.

Also, mentions of boundaries (+99%) and burnout (+126%) have reportedly “surged as workers feel overwhelmed.”

Being smart by networking sideways, respecting innovation and different ways of approaching things, and empathizing (if you’re a millennial or older) are all great ways to prep for thriving in the new year at work. Also, if you’re in a position to hire, mentor, or manage a future Gen Z leader, keep in mind how you might need to level up or pivot.

For fellow Gen Zers, this is your time to develop your soft skills to match the tech acumen, partner up with peers who are already leaders in your industry, and build a foundation that leads to sustainability and reputation building versus the quick solo win at work.

​2. Fed-Up Professionals Revenge Quitting

According to experts, employees’ “pent-up resentment will boil over,” resulting in workers quitting to find fulfillment or at least a different opportunity to work elsewhere. Glassdoor found via a poll that almost 65% of professionals said they feel “stuck” in their current roles, with 73% of respondents working in tech, 69% in consulting, and 64% of them in financing. Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed were women.

"The longer the job market remains soft, the more workers are forced to stay even if it’s time for them to move on," the report indicates. "Once the job market heats up again, that will open a relief valve to release the bottled-up pressure, by giving workers the option to quit in favor of better options on the market. For the time being, employers may be benefiting from unusually low turnover rates, but they shouldn’t be complacent—a wave of revenge quitting is on the horizon."

When it comes to quitting a job, it's important to have an exit plan, beef up your savings, and keep your connections and reputation in tact when applicable (because hey, some bridges are just meant to be unapologetically burned and two weeks' notice is just not an option.)

​3. Long-Term Effects Of Demotions And Pay Cuts

Professionals who have lost their jobs or who had to make a change due to certain circumstances face a “sluggish job market,” next year, with fewer options and “less negotiating power.” This has led to some settling for lower pay or a demotion.

Based on Glassdoor pay data, 17% of workers who changed employers indicated that their pay took a hit in 2024, and specifically, those in tech have seen the largest increase in pay drops, going from 11% in 2019 to 18% in 2024. Those who were in management roles were impacted the most when it came to taking pay cuts after going to a new employer.

And we all know that when smart, ambitious women take jobs that put them in the underemployment category, it can mean a missed opportunity to continue sharpening skills, making bigger moves up the ladder, and leading projects that spark a path to the VP or C-suite.

The job market has already been hit and is expected to face even more challenges next year, so this so-called “ladder drop” can have even deeper implications for mid-level and aspiring senior-level professionals.

(However, like anything in life, all doesn’t have to be lost, and we definitely aren’t Team Gloom and Doom over here. The next trend might be the remedy for this. Keep reading.)

​4. Side Hustle Is The Norm

Glassdoor data also indicated that 39% of employees have a side hustle to supplement their income, rising to a make up of 57% of those professionals being part of Gen Z and 48% being millennials. And what’s behind the surge: A renewed version of American hustle culture sparked by the pandemic and the ever-growing popularity of social media influencing. “Indeed, the tired myth that ‘nobody wants to work anymore’ could not be further from the truth as the working age labor force participation rate reached 84% in July 2024, the highest level in over two decades,” the Glassdoor report indicates.

When you feel underemployed, burned out, want to earn more money, need to soft launch a new business, or simply want to transition into your over-40 soft-flex era (heeey, elder millennials!), starting a side hustle is clutch.

Whether it’s coaching, tutoring, digital market, writing, art, web design, or social media—the options are practically endless. Find ways to monetize your skills, fill a void in the market, or offer your unique spin to something already out there, and get a head start on side hustle success for next year.

​5. Holistic Wellbeing Is The Investment

Glassdoor has found that employers are responding to the needs of employees when it comes to mental health and parental leave. Employees have indicated an 18 percentage point (pp) increase in access to mental health care benefits from 2019 to 2024, the second largest increase of any benefit, even when tightening other budgets. They’re also broadening benefits like parental leave (+12pp), family medical leave (+9pp), and bereavement leave (+9pp) in the top 10 benefits with the largest increase in access.

Knowing this, it’s important to negotiate and speak up about the benefits you’re offered both when you start with a company and as you grow with the company. it’s also good to know this in reference to possible side hustles or competitive knowledge when going for employment opportunities. Companies could tap you (or your side hustle/business) for skills and training in therapy, wellness, fitness, human resources, and insurance.

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