In Brief Mid-market employers face rising complexity in leave administration as laws evolve and employee expectations grow. New data from NFP’s 2026 U.S. Leave Management Report highlights five trends: sick leave harmonization, uneven PTO usage, redesign of admin models, parental-leave equity, and expanded holiday calendars. Use these insights to reduce risk, lift engagement, and free HR capacity for strategic work.

As companies grow, the need for HR support also grows. There is more hiring to be done, more training to be delivered, and an exponential increase in HR admin tasks. On top of that, there's the challenge of developing a long-term human capital strategy for the future.

Here are some important stats about performance reviews: 85% of employees would consider quitting after receiving what they perceive as an unfair performance assessment. Additionally, only 14% of employees strongly agree that their performance reviews motivate improvement.

A well-run employee engagement survey can have a huge impact on your company. People feel more enthusiastic about work when leadership listens to them, leading to improvements in productivity and retention. According to one study, managers listening to employee feedback can cut staff turnover by as much as 20%.

When you work in HR outsourcing, one of the hardest questions to answer is: what does an HR consultant actually do? It would be easier to answer the question, “What does an HR consultant not do?”

At this time of year, many organizations run large-scale surveys to assess employee engagement and learn more about the current state of play.