In 2025, the landscape of leadership has shifted – not just incrementally, but fundamentally. The 2025 Workplace Engagement Index report by Reward Gateway highlights a clear mandate: managers are no longer just operational overseers. They are now the cultural connectors, empathy engines, and frontline facilitators of psychological safety in an increasingly fragmented and demanding work environment.
As the report notes, supportive leadership is one of the top drivers of productivity, but with only 67% of managers feeling sufficiently trained, and a growing expectation that they also shoulder responsibility for mental health, recognition, and connection – the demands are outpacing the resources. HR leaders are being encouraged to dedicate 80% of their focus to supporting managers, yet many organisations are still relying on outdated training models and assuming emotional intelligence can be developed ad hoc.
Psychological Safety: Not Just an HR Buzzword
The data is stark. One-third of employees feel burnt out. Almost half report feeling stressed. And more than one in four don’t feel safe raising issues like workload, personal leave, or even salary. When employees don’t feel safe speaking up, they disengage – and when managers don’t feel equipped to handle tough conversations, they retreat. This is where services like Ombpoint can act as a quiet force behind the scenes – offering managers and employees confidential, one-on-one advice and coaching to navigate sensitive issues before they escalate. Having an independent space for people to test their thinking, sense-check their approach, or gain perspective on a workplace challenge is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity.
What should we be recruiting for in this new era? Yes, we need strategic thinkers and commercially savvy leaders. But more and more, the differentiators are soft – and difficult to teach:
- Emotional intelligence, particularly in managing others’ stress and ambiguity.
- Curiosity and coachability, to seek feedback and adapt.
- Clarity and care in communication, especially during change.
- A growth mindset, to hold space for vulnerability without overstepping.
Leadership development in 2025 can’t be transactional or compliance based. It must be continuous, human-centred, and grounded in real situations. Forward-thinking organisations are investing in micro-coaching moments, safe spaces for reflection, and services that support managers just as much as they support staff. Ombpoint is increasingly being used this way – not just as a last resort for conflict or complaints, but as a preventative, leadership-strengthening tool.
Our clients have been proactively engaging with us during leadership transitions, such as a recent case where one of our clients was promoting a cohort of technical leaders into people management roles. Ombpoint can provide new managers an impartial space to explore and navigate some of those more complex dynamics — like managing new direct reports who also aspired to the role.
As the 2025 Workplace Engagement Index report puts it, 2025 is the Year of the Self. But perhaps it’s also the year we start thinking of the Self within the System – where the wellbeing of managers and employees are interlinked, and where supporting one strengthens the other.
Managers don’t need more pressure – they need more permission to ask for help, tools to lead with care, and space to pause and reflect. Let’s make that part of our culture – not just our strategy.
Holly Wilson | Ombpoint Adviser
