What’s in store for onboarding in 2025? 3 trends HR needs to know about

In the last five years, the world of work has changed beyond recognition. Remote work has revolutionized where and when work happens, and AI has entirely reshaped how it gets done. 

These shifts have not only changed employee expectations of the workplace, but have had a huge impact on the regulatory landscape, forcing organizations to rebuild compliance, workforce management, and talent acquisition strategies to meet the pace of change.

One place HR teams are really feeling these changes is in how they integrate new talent into the fold. Onboarding—once a straightforward process—must now adapt to a world where digital-first is the norm, employee experience is paramount, and the whole model for the 9-5 has been upended. 

And for HR leaders, the biggest question right now is: Do our current onboarding processes fit the workplace of 2025? Our 2025 Trends Report explores the five key trends transforming HR onboarding and offers some practical strategies for staying ahead. Here’s a sneak peek of what’s inside.

1. Political shifts put I-9 audits under the microscope

The arrival of 2025 marks a time of change, with a new administration taking office in the United States. But the impact of political shifts goes beyond just a new president. The results of the 2024 election could also lead to significant changes in the regulatory landscape.

According to a 2024 pre-election poll by PwC, 76% of executives believe that the outcome of the election will impact their approach to regulatory compliance—whatever way the vote swung. 

Changes around labor and immigration policies are likely to have a downstream impact on organizations’ workforce management and labor strategies—particularly concerning new hire compliance and legal practicalities around how organizations hire from overseas markets. Organizations may face greater scrutiny around how and who they hire, leading to an increased frequency of I-9 audits.

2025 strategy: Build always-on audit processes to stay on top of compliance

Nobody has a crystal ball for how the next few years will impact businesses. But with more I-9 audits on the horizon, few organizations want to get caught short. That’s why in 2025, forward-looking HR leaders are using this political inflection point to review and revisit existing I-9 audit policies to maximize their efficiency and adaptability while ensuring optimum compliance. 

Processes, policies, and technology are key to getting this right:

• Create frameworks to proactively monitor and adjust compliance processes in line with changing legislation.
• Review digital and paper audit trails and employee documentation for errors and instances of non-compliance.
• Build ongoing training for HR teams and other internal stakeholders on how to handle audit requests and processes.

2. AI-enabled new hire compliance processes will help organizations tackle identity fraud

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the whole spectrum of HR processes, from how organizations source and hire great talent to how they retain their workforce, predict future skills needs, and design tailored development plans that meet evolving business demands.

We’re all in on rebuilding HR processes for efficiency. But if there’s one place that AI is set to take center stage in 2025, it’s in helping organizations mitigate a million-dollar compliance and security risk: Identity fraud.

Let’s be clear: Identity fraud has always been a challenge for organizations. But as AI has grown more sophisticated and accessible, fraudsters are finding new ways to exploit its capabilities. Synthetic identity fraud—where fraudsters combine fake and real information to create a fake identity—is one emerging new challenge for HR teams.

The risk to businesses is stark: 2022 data from Deloitte estimates that synthetic identity fraud will generate at least $23 billion in losses to businesses by 2030. And this poses an even greater challenge for organizations that volume hire, where tight timelines and mountains of paperwork can increase the risk of fake paperwork slipping through the net.

2025 strategy: Integrate AI-enabled tooling into I-9 document-checking workflows

I-9 mistakes do happen—even with the most watertight of processes and cross-checks in place. But for organizations managing high volumes of hires, manually authenticating and validating thousands of employee documents isn’t scalable or cost-efficient. It’s also impossible when organizations are hiring remotely, and are reliant on comparing documents seen on a video call to a digital counterpart.

Fortunately, as AI continues to advance, HR technology is keeping pace—helping to prevent fraud while optimizing budget, accuracy, and efficiency.

• Integrate advanced screening technology to automatically scan and assess document authenticity in minutes.
• Build automated workflows that flag I-9 errors, inconsistencies, or missing information before submission.
• Implement data-driven dashboards to identify I-9 process inefficiencies and bottlenecks.

3. Compliance processes will get a flexible upgrade to match new models for work

Over the last five years, the model for work has changed dramatically. Workers everywhere want more flexibility and autonomy over where and how they work—and as remote work continues to gain popularity, this has led to an uptick in the freelancer and gig economies. 

For organizations, this increased flexibility has some obvious benefits. Companies now have unparalleled access to the world’s best talent, enabling them to access to skills exactly at the point of need. In times of instability where the hiring budget takes a hit, organizations can make more strategic choices around permanent versus temporary hires, minimizing overheads. 

But this shift hasn’t come without its challenges from an HR and compliance perspective. Namely, most onboarding and compliance processes just weren’t built with that much flexibility in mind. 

2025 strategy: Rebuild onboarding and compliance processes with flexibility and self-service in mind

Capitalizing on a more flexible way of working while staying compliant requires organizations to revisit their current onboarding processes and map out the specific needs of each supplier or worker. 

Designing distinct compliance workflows for each worker classification will be an essential part of this process, giving HR teams a structured, compliant framework for onboarding that maximizes time-to-value without getting mired in unnecessary paperwork.

Organizations can also implement the following steps:

• Invest in a self-service platform that helps gig workers and contractors upload and manage compliance processes efficiently.
• Implement advanced screening software to verify workers’ identification, qualifications, and other supporting documentation according to the conventions of different states, regions, or countries.
• Create automated workflows to track and manage tax requirements, lapsed agreements, or contracts up for renewal to maintain compliance.

Preparing your organization for 2025 and beyond

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the last few years, it’s that change is now a constant in the world we live in. Staying ahead of the curve relies on embedding flexibility, adaptability, and a tech-forward mindset into your onboarding strategy and processes so that you’re ready for what’s coming next.

Our newest white paper, Navigating the Future of HR Onboarding in 2025, provides expert insights and practical strategies on these trends and more—so that your organization stays compliant, secure, and competitive into 2025 and beyond. Get your copy here.