For HR leaders, 2025 cannot be a year for complacency when it comes to compliance. Instead, they should be working now to get ahead of what will be a hectic New Year with an expected wave of policy and regulatory changes, experts say.

For instance, there's the "AI legislation and regulatory revolution," as well as ongoing shifts to wage and hour worker definitions, says Helena Almeida, vice president, managing counsel, for ADP, which offers HR solutions, compliance, benefits administration and other services.

HR leaders would be wise to pay attention to the ever-changing legal landscape, given the whopping $3 billion lawsuits filed against U.S. employers since 2000, alleging the organizations did not comply with employment and civil rights laws, reports the Academy to Innovate HR. Just last year, the Department of Labor levied more than $26 million in fines to employers for compliance violations, according to a previous HR Executive interview with Tami Nutt, director of research and insights at Aspect 43, a strategy firm.