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.

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.

For HR professionals, the annual open enrollment period is one of the busiest times in your calendar. With sharp renewal cost increases sweeping the market, thoughtful strategy and communication are more critical than ever. Getting open enrollment right is an essential part of the overall employee experience. Benefits changes are a significant concern for your team, and they need to know they can trust you to address their needs.

Reviewing your employee benefits can be an arduous process. You’ll spend time working with your broker to explore the market, find the best options, and agree on a reasonable employee/employer premium split.

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.