From ‘job hugging’ to ‘conscious unbossing’: Top 5 trends that defined workplaces in 2025

Job hugging

The latest trend is ‘job hugging,’ a phenomenon that has emerged as professionals increasingly choose to stay put rather than risk career moves in uncertain times. 

According to Manu Sharma, head of human capital at Anadrone Systems Pvt Ltd, “Job hugging is a recent phenomenon rooted in employees’ fear of layoffs and broader economic uncertainty, particularly evident in sectors like IT. It stems more from risk aversion than loyalty, as professionals prefer to hold on to stable positions rather than risk a move amid unpredictable times shaped by global political shifts and the growing impact of AI.”

But is job-hugging genuine loyalty or simply a survival instinct? Ruchira Bhardwaja, chief human resource officer at Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Ltd., tells indianexpress.com, “When employees hold on to a job because it aligns with who they are and what they value, that’s loyalty. When they do it out of fear, whether it’s inertia or a lack of confidence in their own capability, it becomes something else entirely. The difference lies in intent: one enriches the workplace, the other quietly drains it.”

Sharma emphasised the organisational response needed: “Organisations must focus on creating a conducive environment that promotes learning, collaboration, and innovation.”

Apart from this, other workplace trends dominated discussions in 2025. Here are the top trends we covered:

Career catfishing

While some employees are hugging their jobs tightly, others are taking an entirely different approach, accepting offers and simply never showing up. Dubbed ‘career catfishing,’ this trend has become particularly prevalent among Gen Z workers, with a striking number of young professionals essentially ghosting their would-be employers on day one.

Micro-retirement

Rather than waiting until their sixties to retire, Gen Z has popularised ‘micro-retirement’, which involves taking intentional career breaks lasting anywhere from a few months to a year to focus on personal well-being, travel, or skill development before returning to the workforce.

This trend reflects a fundamental shift in how younger generations view work-life balance. Having witnessed older generations sacrifice health and happiness for job security, Gen Z is opting to prioritise mental health and personal fulfilment throughout their careers rather than deferring them to traditional retirement age.

Conscious unbossing

One of the most striking trends of 2025 is ‘conscious unbossing’. It is Gen Z’s deliberate rejection of traditional middle management positions in favour of individual contributor roles that offer better work-life balance and less stress.

Gurleen Baruah, organisational psychologist and executive coach at That Culture Thing, said, “Gen Z is rethinking what career progression and management roles truly mean. Unlike previous generations, who often saw middle management as a key milestone on the way to career success, today’s young professionals are more sceptical about the stress, expectations, and rewards tied to these roles.”

Career minimalism

Tying these trends together is ‘career minimalism,’ a philosophy that sees Gen Z workers prioritising security and sustainability over traditional career advancement. Rather than climbing the corporate ladder, they’re jumping laterally between opportunities that offer learning, balance, and alignment with personal values.

Gurleen Baruah, existential analyst and organisational psychologist at That Culture Thing, tells indianexpress.com, “A lot of this shift is simply the world changing. Especially after the pandemic, many young people saw how quickly ‘stable’ jobs disappeared, how companies laid off thousands overnight, and how unpredictable the economy has become. When security becomes fragile, linking identity or purpose to a job starts to feel risky, even naïve.”