- Cyber-security, AI and employment rights named “ones to watch” in 2025.
- Leaders from The University of Law (ULaw) Business School share their insights for the year ahead.
As businesses head into the 2025/26 tax year, boardroom conversations turn towards strategy and investment for the year ahead.
With the business landscape evolving at an increasingly rapid pace, it can be a challenge to stay on top of trends and developments. To support business leaders, experts from across ULaw Business School have shared their insights and advice for a successful 2025.
Cybersecurity, data protection and customer trust
Dr Andres Perez Ruiz, Director of ULaw Business School, PhD in Business
We’re continuing to see a rapid evolution of technology in business, not just AI but also automation, cloud computing, machine learning and cybersecurity.
It has been estimated that 45% of medium businesses and 58% of large businesses experienced cyber-crimes in the 12 months to April 2024, costing an average of more than £1,000 per victim – a cost that can quickly add up for large businesses and enterprises.[i]
As technology advances, so too does the sophistication of the cyber threats businesses face. Those who aren’t investing in the correct systems and infrastructure to protect their business could well face the consequences sooner than they might think.
While the financial impact is usually the most immediate concern of course, the damage of a cyber-attack or data breach can be wide reaching. The moment a customer’s trust is jeopardised, businesses will find themselves scrambling to regain it, which can often take many years.
Trust and privacy really should be front of mind for business leaders right now. While AI developments have been exciting, they have brought about a wave of distrust and a craving for human connection. In 2025, it is the business which have gained and maintained customer trust that will succeed.
Human and artificial intelligence will work together to co-create
Associate Professor Kris Scendo-Kokot, Programmes Director, ULaw Business School
The business landscape of 2025 continues to rapidly evolve, with integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into organisational structures, appearing to be the way forward across industries.
Organisations like OpenAI and Google DeepMind seem to be setting benchmarks by embedding AI as a cornerstone of delivering value through innovation. These organisations are not just using AI to automate processes but are co-creating solutions where AI and human intelligence operate side-by-side. At the same time, startups such as UiPath expose us to scalable AI applications, using automation to optimise workflows and empower teams. These organisations demonstrate that the key to success might not merely rely on acquiring advanced AI tools but fostering an organisational culture that embraces innovation and learning with a human-centric approach while exploring new models of work.
Such requires leaders to adapt rapidly to inspire their teams to meet the demands of technological and societal shifts but also to drive collaboration and impact.
Microsoft and Unilever, as an example, introduced the positions of Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Experience Officer, reflecting a growing emphasis on sustainability, social responsibility and human-centric strategies.
Although “doing fewer things better and with greater impact” has become Unilever’s theme for 2025, Unilever's commitment to sustainability under Alan Jope demonstrates how environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals can drive profitability and long-term resilience, while Satya Nadella’s leadership at Microsoft has become a model for blending empathy with innovation and collaboration with growth mindset.
These companies highlight the value of collaborative and adaptive leadership that fosters innovation across organisational boundaries, which may potentially positively impact acquisition and retention of much sought-after talent and increase their overall attractiveness among a diverse and dynamic workforce of today.
Changes to employment rights and making work pay
Dr Richard Galletly, Senior Lecturer, ULaw Business School
This year the UK government plans to introduce substantial changes to workers’ employment rights to fulfil its promise to ‘make work pay’ (Labour.org, 2024).
The Employment Rights Bill is the centrepiece of this plan, introducing several changes to various aspects of employment law, including the removal of qualification periods for statutory sick pay and the ‘right to disconnect’, which effectively means the right of every employee to have the freedom to switch off outside their normal working hours (CIPD HR inform, 2024).
Businesses and Human Resource (HR) professionals alike ought to take note, given that these changes to the law will impact on the rights of employees. Two new employment rights included in this new bill are of particular interest; firstly, the right for qualifying workers on zero-hour contracts to be offered guaranteed hours, and secondly an employee’s right to request flexible working will be clarified.
In future, if this bill passes the various stages of consultation, an employer will only be able to refuse a request for flexible working in a few circumstances defined within the bill, for example due to the burden of costs, or the impact on performance or quality (Employment Rights Bill, 2025).
Employers will need to be aware of the changes developed within the new bill to ensure they are acting legally towards their staff. The new legislation will continue to be scrutinised by members of both parliaments, which may over time lead to further amendments to the bill. In addition to this scrutiny, the Chartered Institute for Professional Development (CIPD) will continue to provide evidence, for example concerning the potential costs to businesses (CIPD Making Work Pay, 2024). Ultimately, employers, line managers and HR professionals will play a crucial role when putting in place the reasonable adjustments and flexible working practices required, moreover HR professionals will be tasked with interpreting and implementing this new legislation. Students of HR Management should also be made aware of these changes so that they are prepared to enter the workforce armed with an understanding of contemporary issues in the sector.
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[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2024#:~:text=An%20estimated%2022%25%20of%20businesses,being%20victims%20of%20cyber%20crime.