New Delhi, Dec. 31 -- In more senses than one, 2025 became the year when workplaces across the world had the rudest awakening since the shake-up by the covid-19 pandemic five years ago.

To begin with, remote jobs, the most controversial legacy from that period, seemed to have their death knell sounded this year. Hybrid offices became the norm, as did co-working hubs. A survey by Robert Half, a talent solution and business consulting firm, in November found that, currently, 88% of employers in the US are willing to offer some form of hybrid arrangement, depending on the seniority or the role they are hiring for. Only 12% of jobs posted in Q3 of 2025 were remote.

However, the biggest disruptor this year was the integration of AI tools by ...