Workspan Daily News Bytes for Jan. 16, 2026

Meta to Emphasize Stronger Rewards for Top Performers

Tech company Meta is rolling out a new performance review platform called Checkpoint, which will reshape workforce ratings into four buckets, according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider.

Meta said its new system will incentivize the strongest performers with higher bonuses.

“We’re evolving our performance program to simplify it and placing greater emphasis on rewarding outstanding performance,” a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider. “While our employees have always been held to a high-performance, impact-based culture, this new direction allows for more frequent feedback and recognition in a more efficient way.”

The memo outlined the new distribution and pay multipliers for base bonuses:

Outstanding (around 20% of employees): 200% individual multiplier, for “outsized impact” above corporate expectations
Excellent (around 70%): 115% individual multiplier, described as the “high-performance culture baseline”
Needs improvement (around 7%): 50% individual multiplier, for employees with performance gaps who are expected to improve
Not meeting expectations (around 3%): 0% individual multiplier, for those who “do not meet” corporate standards

Additionally, Meta said it is introducing a new Meta Award, a 300% individual multiplier for a small number of top performers who deliver “truly exceptional impact.”

The new updates apply to the 2026 performance year and do not affect the current cycle. Under Checkpoint, Meta will transition to two cycles per year — mid-year and year-end — using the same rating scale in both cycles, with bonuses paid twice annually. Merit increases will happen once a year following the second cycle.

Amazon Now Operates Largest Single-Employer Health Plan in U.S.

Amazon has nearly 2.8 million participants in its health plan, according to December numbers from health insurance market data and analytics firm Mark Farrah Associates. The firm based its rankings on an analysis of Form 5500 filings.

The online retail giant took the top position, surpassing the National Education Association Retiree Health Plan, a professional organization representing teachers and public-school personnel across the nation, with 2.7 million participants. Walmart maintained its position in third, with 1.8 million participants.

The remaining top positions are held either by unions, such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters or the American Federation of Teachers, or globally operated companies, such as FedEx, AT&T and ADP.

Hundreds of Government Workplace Safety Employees Reinstated

As reported by the Associated Press, hundreds of U.S. health workers who were laid off last year at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are being reinstated. NIOSH is the federal agency where scientists, engineers and others conduct research and recommend ways to prevent work-related injury, illness, disability and death.

The layoffs were part of President Donald Trump’s remaking of the federal workforce led by then-adviser Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. At the time, close to 900 of NIOSH’s 1,000 employees were let go.

Some employees were brought back last year amid legal challenges and political pressure, but now all the terminations have been rescinded, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents workers at NIOSH and parts of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The New York Times reported about 20% of the laid-off NIOSH workers had found other jobs, resigned or retired while they waited for the situation to be resolved.

Report Finds ‘Uncertainty as a Constant’ for Workers in 2026

U.S. workers are bracing for a tougher labor market, according to a 2026 WorkWatch Report by employment website Monster. Compared to 2025 when workers were reacting to change with cautious optimism, 2026 shows a workforce that has largely accepted uncertainty as a constant, said Vicki Salemi, a Monster careers expert.

A survey of 1,504 employed U.S. adults found:

52% of workers believe layoffs will increase nationwide in 2026.
41% expect layoffs to stay about the same, indicating uncertainty but not optimism.
34% say layoffs at their company are somewhat likely.
13% of workers say layoffs at their company in 2026 are extremely likely.

Amid a stagnant or declining job market, the report also revealed:

57% of surveyed workers said they are not planning to search for a job in 2026.
40% of workers expect the job market to worsen in 2026.
40% believe it will remain the same.
20% think it will improve.

(A separate October 2025 Monster study found 75% of employees plan to stay put through 2027.)

Surveyed workers ranked the following as the most important priorities in 2026:

Salary increase (73%)
Flexible work schedules (58%)
Better work-life balance (54%)
Remote work (35%)
Four-day work week (32%)
Promotion (25%)
Career development opportunities (24%)
Unlimited paid time off (21%)

The full report also explored worker sentiments on salary expectations, inflation and financial stress; remote work and the push back to the office; side hustles and upskilling trends; and artificial intelligence (AI) at work.

New Study Reveals Key Recruiting Benchmarks

It took an average of 63.5 days to fill an open position in 2025, down slightly from 67.7 days in 2024, according to a hiring benchmarks report by recruiting software firm Employ.

By analyzing trends across software and technology, business services, retail, hospitality and manufacturing, Employ’s data also found:

Engagement rates declined from 1.2% in 2024 to 0.8% in 2025, with fewer people clicking through on recruitment marketing emails.
Time from application to initial screening interview improved from 8.3 days in 2024 to 7.2 days in 2025.
Candidate experience scores remain mixed, averaging 2.9 on a scale of 1 to 5, with business services and hospitality ranked at the higher end, while software and technology came in last.
Time to hire slightly went up from 45.7 days in 2024 to 46.2 days in 2025, indicting teams should prioritize where and how they can leverage automation to improve timing.
Early retention improved significantly, as first-year turnover fell from 23.7% in 2024 to 12.1% in 2025, suggesting more organizations are getting onboarding right.

“While it’s too early to know exactly where 2026 will go, the data shows us where hiring has been, and that type of clarity matters,” said Employ chief people officer Stephanie Manzelli.

Figures and Facts of the Week

51: The percentage of surveyed workers in a Zety report who noted “salary not keeping up with inflation” as their biggest career concern in 2026. Respondents also shared with the career-builder website their other top concerns, including finding a new job if needed (34%), job security/risk of layoffs (33%), burnout or mental health concerns (27%), remote/flexible work options (25%), and lack of career advancement opportunities (20%).
63: The percentage of C-suite leaders who believe redesigning work for AI and automation will yield the highest people-related return on investment in 2026, according to a Global Talent Trends 2026 report by consulting firm Mercer. However, this perspective is less widely shared among HR leaders, where only 46% express the same confidence.
92: The percentage of companies that plan to hire in 2026, according to a survey of 1,000 U.S. hiring managers by career tools website Resume.org. The survey also found 55% of participating employers expect layoffs in 2026, citing AI (44%), reorganization/restructuring (42%) and budget constraints (39%) as the top drivers of employment actions.
93: The percentage of recruiters who said they plan to increase their use of AI in 2026, according to new LinkedIn research, released Thursday, Jan. 7. Fifty-nine percent said AI is already helping them discover candidates with skills they wouldn't have found before. In addition, 66% of recruiters plan to increase their use of AI for pre-screening interviews in 2026, which 70% believe will help them have more valuable conversations with candidates.

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