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After years of prioritizing employee experience and retention, in 2025 HR is prioritizing performance management above everything else, followed by leadership development. The latest research study, Workplace Insights: Elevating Employee Experience and Future-Proofing Performance, from Accurate and HR.com’s Research Institute, reveals these areas as the biggest focus in today’s rapidly evolving workforce landscape.
In fact, the findings identify performance management as the top HR priority, with 40% of organizations selecting it as their main focus. This is followed by leadership development (28%) and employee experience (25%)—critical areas that directly impact talent retention and organizational success.
Organizations with stronger performance management processes are seeing major business benefits:
5X more likely to report above-average financial performance in the last year
2X more likely to say overall employee performance is above average
However, leadership challenges remain a concern. Only 26% of HR professionals believe their employees feel well-led, and just 26% say leadership prioritizes employee engagement. Communication is a key issue, with only 15% of organizations achieving high levels of employee communication sophistication and just 35% training managers effectively in communication skills.
Employee experience continues to be a challenge, with only 36% of HR professionals rating their organizations highly in this area. As retention pressures persist in 2025, companies
