Workforce trends for 2025 are taking shape — from AI and automation to evolving employee expectations and hybrid work models. In this kickoff of the “Trends in the Workplace 2025” series, experts break down what’s coming and what it means for the workplace.

This episode is a recording from March 2025 of the first day of a three-part webinar series by Catapult Employers Association and The Charlotte Ledger. The webinar series explores the key trends, technologies and shifts reshaping the workplace in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode, The Charlotte Ledger’s Tony Mecia talks with:

◼️ Dr. Cheryl Richards, the president & CEO of Catapult, who brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in higher education and workforce development; and

◼️ Doug Blizzard, Catapult’s chief solutions officer with more than three decades in HR, leading service delivery and advising on everything from compliance to talent strategy.

Be sure to check out Part 2 and Part 3, which you can listen to on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast.

Part 2: Rethinking your hiring strategy

Part 3: Retaining and developing your employees

Find out more about Catapult at LetsCatapult.org. Find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

This episode is sponsored by Catapult Employers Association. Catapult empowers Charlotte's business community with trusted, local HR expertise. Join Charlotte's top employers this April in Greensboro, NC, at their 2025 HR Conference: HResilient. Learn more at letscatapult.org/hresilient2025/.

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