We are still in the early stages of the Artificial Intelligence revolution, which means many key questions remain unresolved. How will AI affect the world of work? Will automation replace human workers, or will AI augmentation make us more productive than ever? Most of all, everyone is asking what they should do right now to prepare for the AI future.

Employee expectations around mental health benefits have shifted from "should we offer them?" to "how do we do this well?" Employers that move beyond compliance to provide accessible, stigma-free mental health support gain a measurable edge in retention and engagement. This article outlines five actionable steps to transform mental health programs into true talent retention tools — from assessing current offerings and removing access barriers to empowering managers and integrating wellbeing into your employee value proposition.

Most mid-market employers will hold 2026 salary increase budgets near 3.5% while health benefit costs are projected to rise about 6.5%. Stay competitive by reallocating toward market and equity fixes, rewarding performance and critical skills, keeping a mid-year reserve, refreshing ranges, and clearly communicating total rewards.

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.

Budget isn’t the barrier to great recognition. This refresh summarizes what works in 2025, why timely, tailored appreciation boosts engagement and retention, and 30 proven, low-cost ideas you can implement this quarter. Use the checklist and metrics below to launch or refresh a scalable recognition program.

I was recently delivering the results of an employee engagement survey to one of our clients. The survey results indicated that employees felt they were not paid competitively and that the available bonus opportunities were not sufficiently incentivizing. Leadership didn’t quite understand why employees felt this way — after all, they thought they had done all the right things.