Looking Back to Look Ahead: November 2025 Business Trends
Executive Summary
November 2025 revealed critical shifts in how organizations are approaching AI adoption, workforce strategy, and leadership development. Four key trends emerged: peer-driven AI training is outperforming traditional top-down programs; lack of transparency around AI implementation is eroding frontline worker trust; blended workforce models combining contractors and full-time employees are becoming strategic imperatives; and a confidence reversal is occurring between optimistic entry-level workers and burned-out senior leaders. For organizations navigating digital transformation and workforce evolution, these trends signal the need for human-centered change management, transparent communication strategies, and adaptive leadership development approaches.
Key Takeaways:
Peer influencers drive 28,000+ employee AI adoption at ServiceNow
83% of frontline workers lack transparency about workplace AI use
97% of business leaders view blended teams as essential to goals
Entry-level workers show rising confidence while executives face burnout
Peer Influencers Are Driving AI Adoption Better Than Top-Down Training
ServiceNow is training 28,000 employees on AI over three years by leveraging 1,000 high-performing employees as influencers rather than relying solely on formal training programs. These influencers receive recognition, corporate swag, and facilitation training to encourage colleagues to adopt AI technology. The peer-to-peer model recognizes that adoption stalls when it's mandated from above but accelerates when trusted colleagues demonstrate value and provide hands-on support.
What This Means: Top-down AI announcements don't change behavior alone. Trusted peers are an essential part of any change management initiative, but are especially important when building trust in a technology that causes so much workplace anxiety. Peer influence builds confidence, reduces resistance, and creates the psychological safety people need to experiment with new tools.
AI Integration Without Transparency Is Eroding Frontline Trust
Only 17% of frontline workers feel informed about how their employers are using AI in the workplace, even as nearly half of workplaces have adopted the technology. Despite positive experiences with AI tools—96% of shift workers report satisfaction—27% want more transparency about implementation, and many feel excluded from conversations about technology that directly affects their work. The disconnect is clear: workers are eager to use AI effectively, but organizations are failing to communicate how, why, and when it's being deployed.
What This Means: Transparent and frequent communication is critical to successful AI integration. Without clear communication about how AI is being deployed, and what it means for human roles, organizations risk damaging trust and engagement—especially among the workers who interact most directly with customers and operations. AI should be a catalyst for better resourcing and integrating internal communications.
Blended Teams Are Becoming Strategic, Not Just a Stopgap
97% of business decision-makers now view blended workforce models—combining independent contractors with full-time employees—as essential to meeting business goals. The shift reflects changing priorities: 87% of decision-makers now prioritize quality of work over cost efficiency, increasingly turning to contractors as specialists for high-stakes deliverables rather than gap-fillers. Success requires robust onboarding, clear success metrics, and deliberate integration.
What This Means: Leaders who still think of contractors as a temporary fix are missing the opportunity to build agile, high-performing teams. At 18 Coffees, we've had success servicing our most complex engagements with blended teams by combining our full-time staff with specialists from our trusted network. The key for us has been intentionality: we maintain relationships with contractors we've collaborated with for years, and every project starts with structured onboarding that establishes communication norms, tools, and goals alignment. For these more complex projects, the focus has always been about assembling the right expertise for the challenge while maintaining the continuity and trust that our clients know to expect from us.
Entry-Level Workers Are Optimistic While Their Bosses Are Burned Out
A confidence reversal is happening in the workplace. Entry-level and mid-career employees report rising confidence and hopefulness, redefining success around adaptability and autonomy. Meanwhile, senior leaders face growing doubt, decision fatigue, and leadership challenges driven by workplace uncertainty. The generational divide reflects fundamentally different experiences of work: younger employees see possibility and flexibility, while executives shoulder the weight of transformation without a playbook.
What This Means: Leadership development programs designed for a stable environment won't work in this moment. The confidence gap also signals retention risk: optimistic younger workers won't stick around if they don't see a clear path forward under anxious, overwhelmed leadership. The opportunity lies in answering both at the same time: organizations can support anxious executives while harnessing the fresh thinking of early-career employees through reverse mentorship programs that engage the entire org chart.
Partner With 18 Coffees to Navigate These Shifts
At 18 Coffees, we help organizations implement AI through effective change management—so your team actually adopts it. Our approach combines strategic planning, leadership development, and workforce design to turn these insights into actionable strategies tailored to your organization's unique context. Whether you're navigating AI integration, building blended teams, or developing leaders for an uncertain future, we bring both the frameworks and the hands-on support to make transformation stick.
Ready to turn these trends into action? Let's talk about how we can help your organization thrive. Contact 18 Coffees today.
