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Image: Adobe Stock When Amy Kickham stepped into her role as chief human resources officer at wine and spirits distributor Southern Glazer's just over a year ago, she quickly set out to rethink the company's approach to employee benefits and engagement. Human resources is becoming one of the most in-demand professions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with employment for HR and benefits leaders projected to grow 8% from 2023 to 2033 — faster than the average

Image: Adobe Stock Every employer wants the same thing from health benefits: predictable costs and a plan employees can actually use. Yet many organizations end up in a familiar bind — benefits that look affordable on paper but fall apart when people need care or robust plans that feel financially out of reach.  This tension between "affordable" and "robust" coverage comes up constantly and can be a real high-wire balancing act for brokers and advisers. But it's often frame

Image: fizkes - stock.adobe.com Workplace plan sponsors are increasingly doing more than just overseeing 401(k) accounts. New research from Fidelity shows that many are evolving into full-service financial planning resources for employees — a shift advisers say could have significant implications for the broader wealth management industry. The survey of 1,144 plan sponsors found their primary concern is whether their plan is adequately equipping participants for financial se

Image: Adobe Stock Leaders are realizing that traditional solutions aren't enough to combat rising healthcare costs, meaning they'll need to explore more creative approaches to improve outcomes. Annual wellness programs — including health risk assessments, online wellness portals, self-guided educational content and on-demand health and lifestyle content — cost organizations between $150 to $1,200 per employee per year, according to data from medical clinic Avion Health. But

Image: Adobe Stock Gathering meaningful employee feedback has always been a challenge for benefits leaders, as traditional surveys often offer only surface-level insights that don't capture what employees truly want or need. But artificial intelligence is changing that.  Enterprise collaboration platform Arthur One's new AI-powered program, Vibe, takes employee feedback well beyond generic surveys. By engaging employees in conversation-style interviews, asking customized fol

Image: Adobe Stock Estate planning has quickly become one of the most in-demand workplace benefits, as employees search for financial security that goes beyond equitable compensation and 401(k)s. Ninety-six percent of Americans agree that having a will is important , according to legal services provider LegalShield, yet nearly half do not have one. And while 66% of employees want estate planning benefits , only 38% of employers actually offer support in this area. Leaders sho

Image: Adobe Stock For many HR and benefits teams, the end of open enrollment marks a long-awaited conclusion to months of preparation, hosting info sessions, updating plan documents, responding to employee questions , and supporting decision-making around health and financial benefits . But in between enrollment periods, prioritizing engagement is just as important. Surveys and other industry research consistently show a significant drop off in employee benefits awareness a

Image: Adobe Stock With the start of the new year, many employees traditionally consider exploring new jobs , alongside other resolutions like fitness goals or budgeting. But for the past two years, more workers have stayed in their roles — not because they're entirely satisfied with them, but because economic uncertainty has made them prioritize stability over the risk that comes with changing jobs. Most often referred to as "job hugging," many employees are clinging to the

Image: Adobe Stock Benefit leaders are well aware of the healthcare costs associated with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, but what about the toll on retention and engagement? For example, the American Diabetes Association reports that, on top of the $307 billion spent on medical costs for diabetes care in 2022, indirect economic costs including absenteeism, loss of productivity and inability to work due to disease-related disability tacked on more than

Image: Adobe Stock Having a small business doesn't have to mean sacrificing the ability to offer workforces a complete retirement package .    According to a 2024 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, only 38% of small businesses offered retirement plans, with many of the organizations choosing to opt out due to cost, complexity and lack of awareness around the rules, options and benefits. Investing in unconventional retirement strategies like a flat-fee 401(k),

Image: Adobe Stock Benefit leaders are becoming increasingly bogged down by the benefit administration process, and it's keeping them from some of the more meaningful aspects of their jobs.  HR and benefit managers currently spend 12 hours on average — more than a fourth of their work week — on payroll and benefit-related administrative tasks, according to a recent employee benefits report from benefit management platform Payroll Integrations. Twenty-seven percent admit to s

Image: Adobe Stock Estate planning has quickly become one of the most in-demand workplace benefits, as employees search for financial security that goes beyond equitable compensation and 401(k)s. Ninety-six percent of Americans agree that having a will is important , according to legal services provider LegalShield, yet nearly half do not have one. And while 66% of employees want estate planning benefits , only 38% of employers actually offer support in this area. Leaders sho

Image: Adobe Stock Your employees are your company's most valuable asset and your first customers. When they feel informed, valued and connected to the company's mission, their satisfaction and productivity improve. This is the core of internal marketing — promoting your company's values, goals and brand to the people who work there. It's a powerful approach that transforms employees into enthusiastic brand ambassadors. So, how can you build a program that achieves these res

Image: Adobe Stock Artificial intelligence is changing the game for benefit leaders, improving the benefit selection and delivery process, while simplifying common pain points, too. Eighty-one percent of benefit leaders say they have explored or already implemented AI to improve benefit administration efficiency, according to human capital software company UKG. To understand where that technology is having the greatest impact, a recent study from the ERISA Industry Committe

Image: Adobe Stock As benefit managers head into 2026, many are rethinking what it really means to support employees — and recognizing that benefits play a bigger role than ever in shaping the day-to-day employee experience .  Rising healthcare costs , economic uncertainty, and evolving workforce expectations are forcing employers to move beyond one-size-fits-all offerings. The good news? Small, intentional changes to benefits strategy can have an outsized impact on employee

Image: Adobe Stock As healthcare premiums continue their relentless climb , employers face a familiar and frustrating cycle: enhance benefits to attract and retain talent , or scale them back to control costs. This tradeoff often results in higher out-of-pocket expenses for employees, delayed care and growing dissatisfaction with the system. It's a cycle that's been repeating for decades. We chase the deepest network discounts, tweak plan designs , switch carriers, shift cost

Image: Adobe Stock Much ink gets spilled every year on the state of Americans' retirement security. Recent headlines have touted the record-high savings rates  in 401(k) plans. Reading these, it's easy to assume that all is well for retirement savings and people are saving in ways that will help them be secure.    The problem, however, is that these headlines obscure reality. Most of the savings rates that are shared publicly are based solely on people who are already partici

Image: Adobe Stock Every fall, millions of Americans make a big decision when they choose their health plan for the year ahead. During open enrollment , employees pay closer attention to their benefits than at any other time. But while the act of enrollment gets the spotlight, the choices that matter most are those that shape cost, quality and access to care . In reality, open enrollment is an intentional combination of strategic plan design decisions before an employee ever

Image: Adobe Stock Appreciation for the value of life insurance has grown since the pandemic. However, new LIMRA research suggests an uphill educational climb for benefit brokers and their employer clients just ahead of Life Insurance Awareness Month in September and open enrollment. Among the key findings supporting this conclusion: 57% of those who only have life insurance through their employer believe they have enough coverage, which doesn't square with reality. The medi

Source: Adobe Stock Surging benefit costs are straining company budgets. Next year, employers are projected to pay nearly 9% more per employee for health benefits — for the exact same coverage.  This increase comes just as workers are beginning to seek and expect quality benefits and personalization, due in part to the rapid and sweeping changes brought on by the pandemic. Today, 65% of workers worldwide are interested in better benefits and personalization, and nearly 40