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Performance guarantees are among the many ways employers are assessing vendors, Kelsay said.

With recent insights from the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report showing 41% of employers anticipate reducing their workforce as AI makes certain job roles obsolete, promoting new skills among employees is more relevant than ever — and total rewards departments will play a key role.

“The headline gain appears to make a mockery of our fears that Omicron would weigh heavily on the payrolls figures, with leisure and hospitality employment rising by a solid 151,000.

While there are certainly benefits to offering remote work — namely the flexibility it affords employees — employers that operate in a fully or hybrid remote environment should be mindful of social health and create opportunities for employees to develop, cultivate and maintain social relationships.

For employers, retaining older workers has become crucial as the talent market has tightened in recent years.

Task Force on Harassment (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2016).

On the utilization side, Nayya research found: ;70% of employees keep the same benefits from year to year — despite life changes that may make new benefits more relevant.; ;Only 14% actively seek new benefits options during annual enrollment.; ;26% of workers in a high-deductible health plan don’t use the associated HSA.; ;64% of those using an HSA don’t take advantage of its long-term investment potential .; Then, there’s the lack of understanding: ;70% of polled employees don’t understand hospital indemnity, accident and critical illness insurance.; ;50% can’t explain the intricacies of 401(k)s, HSAs or flexible spending accounts, or how these benefits work.; ;While employers annually spend an average of $16,501 per employee on health coverage, only 10% of employees understand that value; 25% believe their employer spends only $1,000 a year on their health benefits.; ;40% of employees don’t recognize health insurance as part of their total compensation, while 48% don’t consider

Forty percent of employers offer manager trainings to help identify and support employees experiencing mental health challenges.

Employers can help employees find the flexibility and resources they need to maintain their mental well-being during these dark days and beyond.

“Rewards professionals must ensure they’re designing tools and resources that ensure the organization is set up for success in complying with these laws,” he said.