What’s shaping the workplace in 2025? We take a dive into SHRM’s latest State of the Workplace report to understand the changing priorities amid labor shortages, rapid tech advancements, and evolving employee expectations. James Atkinson, vice president of thought leadership at SHRM, joins us to explore why organizations are shifting from external hiring to internal growth — and how HR leaders can build resilient, engaged teams for the future.
Episode Guest
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James Atkinson
James Atkinson is the vice president of Thought Leadership at SHRM, where he leads research teams uncovering key insights on the challenges and trends affecting HR and the workplace. James joined SHRM with more than 15 years of research, data, and product experience, having spent a decade in various leadership roles within the HR industry. Prior to SHRM, James was the Vice President of Data Products at Payscale, where he was responsible for the overall strategy, development, and delivery of data products for compensation professionals. He also spent 9 years at Gartner, finishing his tenure there as the Managing Vice President of Data Products for the HR research and advisory practice. Across his career, his teams have created award-winning research and data products for HR executives and their teams on topics including learning and development, total rewards, recruiting, talent management, HR strategy, HR technology, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This work has been featured in top business journals and media outlets such as Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.
James holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Ohio State University.
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Get key insights from the 2025 SHRM State of the Workplace report on this year’s shift to employee engagement and leadership development as a priority for HR pros.
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