Workspan Daily News Bytes for Feb. 20, 2026

Pharmacy Coverage, Well-Being Initiatives Driving Benefits Strategies

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication demand and well-being concerns are shaping employee benefits strategies in 2026, according to a new report by NFP, an Aon company and benefits consulting firm.

Notably, 51% of surveyed employers cited GLP-1s as the primary driver of rising prescription spend, while 29% of employees said coverage could influence job decisions.

GLP-1s are a top concern impacting drug pricing, according to the report. For example, GLP-1 utilization has surged across both diabetes management and weight-loss applications, creating a third pharmacy trend driver that now rivals oncology or autoimmune treatments.

In addition, 47% of surveyed workers said they look for lower-cost drugs through websites or apps, and workforce satisfaction with prescription cost-share fell from 73% to 66% year-over-year.

When it comes to well-being, workers noted they wanted more clarity. Thirty-one percent of these respondents rated well-being program communication as poor, compared with only 9% of employers.

Compensation and financial difficulties were the top workplace stressors:

41% of surveyed workers have seen an increase in out-of-pocket expenses for clinical mental health services.
38% of surveyed workers have less than $500 in emergency savings.
Just 35% of surveyed employers offer any structured financial-well-being program beyond the 401(k).

Report Finds Half of Retirees Fear Running Out Money

Fifty-eight percent of pre-retirees aged 50 to 75 who are within five years of retirement and are currently enrolled in an employer’s defined contribution (DC) plan are worried about running out of money in their DC plan in retirement, according to a new report by insurance and benefits provider MetLife.

Pre-retirees now expect their savings to last, on average, only 15 years after retirement, down from 19 years just four years ago, despite many expecting to spend 25 to 30 years in retirement.

Meanwhile, 51% of retirees who have money remaining from their DC plan share this concern, an escalation from 30% less than a decade ago.

“Economic volatility, rising costs and increasing longevity are reshaping the retirement landscape,” said Roberta Rafaloff, Metlife’s vice president and head of institutional income annuities. “Even diligent savers are finding their retirement outlook disrupted. Without reliable income streams to anchor their finances, retirees face an elevated risk of outliving their savings.”

According to the report, around 3 in 5 pre-retirees and retirees admit they underestimated how much they needed to save for retirement (62% and 59%, respectively) and overestimated how long their savings would last (61% and 57%). Nearly half (46%) of pre-retirees expect to cut back on spending due to fears of running out of money, while 44% of retirees already have.

The report also found both groups view having a reliable stream of retirement income as essential:

92% of pre-retirees and 86% of retirees say a monthly retirement “paycheck” is very important or absolutely essential to pay their bills.
Retirees with annuities report financial security (94%) and more predictable budgets (92%) as key benefits of this decision, and less worry about outliving their savings (51%).
Nearly half of retirees who took lump sums and whose employer offered an annuity (46%) now wish they had selected guaranteed lifetime income instead — more than triple prior years (versus 15% in 2017 and 13% in 2022).

CFOs Putting More Emphasis on Growth Functions, Tech, AI

New research from consulting firm Gartner revealed chief finance officers (CFOs) and finance leaders are prioritizing growth-driving functions, technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in 2026.

According to Nauman Abbasi, the vice president analyst in the Gartner finance practice, sales and IT are expected to see the largest budget increases in 2026, with more than half of CFOs planning higher spending and 28% anticipating double-digit growth in both areas.

In addition, technology budgets are set to rise for 75% of CFOs, and 48% plan increases of 10% or more, underscoring the strategic importance of digital transformation, AI adoption and cybersecurity.

“Across industries, technology consistently emerges as the area with the highest budget increase, underscoring its role as the backbone of digital transformation and operational resilience,” Abbasi said. “The average increase across all industries is around 10%, but this ranges from around 15% in the financial services sector to 6% in manufacturing.”

Nearly 60% of CFOs also plan to increase finance-function AI investments by 10% or more in 2026, while another 24% expect gains of 4% to 9%.

Efficiency is the top driver, with 88% of CFOs ranking finance staff productivity among their top three priorities, reflecting the need to automate, shorten cycles and control costs.

Missouri Federal Judge Dismisses Starbucks DEI Lawsuit

As reported by Reuters, a federal judge in Missouri dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday, Feb. 5, accusing Starbucks of using its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a pretext to systematically discriminate based on race, gender and sexual orientation.

U.S. District Judge John Ross said the state’s case failed to prove that the coffee chain actually discriminated against “even a single Missouri resident” who worked at Starbucks or applied for a job there.

The lawsuit also accused Starbucks of singling out preferred groups for additional training and job advancement prospects, and for employing a quota system to ensure its own board of directors had a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Missouri’s lawsuit sought to force Starbucks to end alleged discrimination based on race, gender and national origin, rehire and rescind discipline against employees affected by discrimination, and pay unspecified damages.

Companies including Goldman Sachs, Google, Amazon and Target have already publicly scrapped their DEI programs as U.S. President Donald Trump has tried to shut down policies promoting DEI in the federal government, schools and the private sector.

Figures and Facts of the Week

31: The percentage of hybrid teams that said they averaged two to three hours of deep focus during the workday, according to a recent report by HubStaff, a time tracking software platform.
43: The percentage of workers who said a breakup negatively affected their productivity or ability to focus at work, according to a recent survey by career website Zety. The survey also found 33% of the respondents said employers should offer “heartbreak leave” (formal days off to recover from romantic loss), with 43% saying they would likely use this leave if it were offered.
56: The percentage of American workers who admitted they are currently “job hugging” (staying put with their current employer), not because of a sense of loyalty but out of necessity in a volatile economy, according to MetLife’s 2026 Employee Benefit Trends Study.
61: The percentage of U.S. workers who reported they are languishing or struggling with engagement, motivation or fulfillment in their roles, according to a new national study from the Center for Professional Responsibility in Business and Society at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. Those who are languishing reported higher burnout and distress: 38% of languishing employees said they feel burned out “very frequently” (as opposed to 29% of flourishers), and 34% of languishers indicated they intend to look for new work in the next 12 months.
1.15 trillion: The collective amount of income (in U.S. dollars) that American workers lost over five years due to mental health and substance use issues, according to a new study by Renaissance Recovery, an addiction treatment center.