Our Ninth Annual Employee Relations Benchmark Report is here, and if there’s one message it delivers loud and clear, it’s this: The work we do is only as effective as the data we use to guide it.
Best of all, our new digital experience makes it easier than ever to access this year’s study, highlighting key takeaways you won’t want to miss.
As workplace dynamics grow more complex and regulatory pressures continue to rise, relying on instinct alone just isn’t enough. To navigate today’s challenges, we need consistency, insight and actionable data.
This year’s report reveals a real opportunity: To lead with data, gain clarity and elevate employee relations from a traditional support function into a strategic driver of business resilience and employee satisfaction.
There’s a lot to explore in the full Study, and you can do so here—but let’s take a quick look at some of the key findings.
Gaps in Employee Relations KPI Tracking are Holding Back Strategic Decisions
If organizations want to elevate employee relations, it starts with better data. That means tracking the metrics that matter. The Ninth Annual Benchmark Study revealed that the majority (68%) of organizations aren’t tracking the number of issues per case: A critical blind spot when it comes to understanding the complexity of employee relations cases and determining whether existing resources adequately support the function.
On average, cases consisted of just 1.4 distinct issues. But that number doesn’t tell the whole story. Members of our community, empowER, often share that cases are increasingly complex—for instance, a policy violation has an undertone of discrimination, or a performance case evolves into an accommodations request. Underlying factors like mental health challenges only make things more complicated. And that matters—because the more layered a case becomes, the more time, resources and expertise it requires. Without visibility into this, it’s tough to justify or optimize resource allocation.
This also reinforces the need for flexible case management and investigation platforms that can track multiple issues within a single case (like HR Acuity does).
Employee Relations Teams are Yet to Tap into AI’s Potential
You can’t open your email, check LinkedIn, or scroll for more than a minute these days without running into two little letters: AI.
But our Benchmark Study tells a different story for employee relations teams: adoption is still in its earliest stages. Nearly half (44%) of organizations reported that their AI adoption is nonexistent, with no active projects or conversations about implementing AI for employee relations or investigations.
However, there’s plenty of excitement about AI’s potential to boost productivity, and about a third of organizations are proceeding with caution. That’s an approach we encourage—because if you’re not using AI right, you’re exposing your organization to serious risk.
Still, for many teams, there’s a clear missed opportunity to lean in. The way the world works is changing fast, and employee relations won’t stay on the sidelines for long.
We’ll dive into our next key finding shortly, but one thing stood out to me: Organizations that use structured investigation processes tend to be more mature in their AI adoption. In fact, they’re two times more likely to incorporate AI into ER and investigations. This suggests that maturity in one area often translates to progress in another.
And that brings me to my next key finding—and the last in this blog. Want more? There are countless statistics to dig into in the full Benchmark Study. You can dive into it here.
Structured Investigation Processes Are a Must-Have, Not a Nice-to-Have
One of the biggest surprises in this year’s study: Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims hit 14.7 issues per 1,000 employees in 2024, and this shows no sign of stopping in 2025. Changing regulations only add to the pressure.
That’s why having a clear, step-by-step investigation process is crucial. It helps your team handle cases the right way every time, making sure nothing slips through the cracks and keeping your organization protected. Without a solid process, mistakes happen—and that can cost you. EEOC settlements, brand damage and hits to morale and productivity are risks no organization can afford to overlook.
As claims rise, strong investigations protect your organization and help create a fairer workplace. But here’s the catch: while almost all organizations (88%) agree that investigators follow required or suggested practices, the use of required investigation processes was only 58%, revealing that 2 in 5 organizations are vulnerable due to inconsistent issue handling. And when concerns are mishandled, your organization suffers—employees lose trust, stay silent about problems and eventually, walk away.
Dive into the Data with the Ninth Annual Employee Relations Benchmark Study
These highlights are just the beginning. The full Benchmark Study is packed with insights to help you spot trends, find opportunities and strengthen your employee relations strategy. With a refreshed digital experience, accessing the data (and acting on it) has never been easier. See what’s possible with metrics as your compass in the Ninth Annual Employee Relations Benchmark Study.
