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By reducing complexity, enabling adaptability, and cultivating trust, Singapore’s leaders can turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.
This article is brought to you by Qualtrics.
One of the greatest challenges faced by business leaders today is balancing demands to increase productivity in an increasingly uncertain economic environment, while meeting the expectations of their customers and employees. Among the chaos, there is a consistent focus for every successful leader - supporting employees as they adapt to change and enabling them to do great work.
It is a challenge leaders must prioritise in 2025, because right now productivity pressure is often having the opposite effect of its intended objectives. The 2025 Employee Experience Trends report from Qualtrics reveals employees who feel under the pump are often less engaged, have lower levels of wellbeing, and more likely to leave. It is evident that pressure on employees is actually eroding business’ capacity for sustainable performance, which relies greatly on an engaged workforce that has the resilience to deliver consistent results over time.
To boost productivity in 2025, employers must focus on three critical areas: reduce workplace complexity, invest in employee enablement, and foster trust by demonstrating care for employees.
Cut workplace chaos to unlock productivity
After years of relentless change at work, employees across Asia are at breaking point. And it’s an issue being compounded by the need to increase productivity.
Productivity isn’t just about asking employees to do more—it’s about empowering them to work smarter. The report reveals that workers thrive in cultures where processes adapt seamlessly to customer needs. Yet, only 65% of employees in Singapore believe their organisation enables them to meet these demands effectively—a 10% drop from last year.
Leaders can turn the tide by prioritising simplicity and ultimately enabling people to get their job done. Streamlining workflows, encouraging them to develop new ways of serving customers, reducing bureaucratic hurdles, and investing in user-friendly tools can transform the employee experience.
Enabling employees to adapt and thrive
The country’s workforce has demonstrated resilience amid constant change, but resilience isn’t infinite. Feeling unsupported in adapting to organisational shifts is the employee experience that is most strongly connected to lower engagement, wellbeing, and retention. Only 62% of Singaporean workers feel their organisations support them in adapting to change—a statistic that must improve if businesses aim to sustain high performance.
A key element of this is addressing the AI enablement gap—a growing risk as employees outpace their organisations in adopting AI tools. While companies frequently tout AI as the solution to lifting productivity, only two-thirds (64%) of employees report receiving AI enablement and training, and even fewer (53%) say their organisation has established AI guidelines, ethics, or principles to support them.
Organisations must act to bridge this gap, not only to mitigate risks but also to foster a culture of innovation and trust. Providing the AI tools that employees need, along with structured AI training, clear ethical guidelines, and aligned organisational support can enhance both productivity and employee satisfaction, equipping teams to adapt and thrive in an AI-driven world.
Rebuilding trust for sustainable growth
The report reveals a troubling gap in employee trust: only 50% of Singapore workers believe their leaders prioritise wellbeing over short-term profits, compared to a global average of 56%. Believing that your employer cares about people is the cornerstone of trust, and trust is the foundation of any productive workplace. Years of change and short-sighted decision-making have created tension in the workplace that many leaders are now needing to repair.
To rebuild trust, leaders must align actions with values, showing employees that their voices matter. Actively involving employees in decision-making, transparently communicating organisational goals, and delivering on commitments are key steps. Equally important is focusing on wellbeing—not as a corporate buzzword, but as a tangible priority. Offering flexible work arrangements, fostering inclusion, reducing unnecessary burdens at work that impact stress and proactively signal that employees are more than just productivity metrics.
Setting the stage for a productive 2025
Productivity growth in 2025 won’t come from pushing harder on employees, but from creating environments where employees and businesses can thrive. By reducing complexity, enabling adaptability, and cultivating trust, Singapore’s leaders can turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.
As the research underscores, the organisations that succeed will be those that place both people and profit at the heart of their strategies. When leaders simplify work, empower their teams, and rebuild trust, productivity ceases to be a forced result and becomes a natural outcome of a resilient, engaged workforce.
The writer is Dr. Cecelia Herbert, Workplace Behavioural Scientist, Qualtrics
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