23 HR and benefit lessons learned in 2023

December 13, 2023 5:30 AM

Five coworkers high-five each other over a worktable

Gone are the days of the Great Resignation, and in its place we've been left with lazy girl jobs, loud laborers and other buzzing trends that shaped the workplace conversation in 2023. But what does it all mean for 2024?

As we look back on the most memorable learnings of the year, it's clear that 2023 was yet another transformational year for the workplace. Historic inflation has left both employers and employees rattled, and while discussion of an imminent recession has cooled as we approach what may in fact be an economic soft landing, the workforce is still struggling to feel in control of their financial wellness, especially as compensation has largely not kept up with rising consumer prices.

That has left some employers searching for more ways to support employees' finances, find innovative ways to provide affordable healthcare plans, and soften the blow of lacking pay increases with cultural perks and workplace flexibility.

Other employers have taken a firmer stance, demanding time back in the office, cutting investments in people-centric programs like DEI, and ignoring labor demands and concerns about everything from hours worked to the impact of AI on job security.

Need a refresher? We rounded up EBN's top stories of 2023, spotlighting the biggest lessons learned and the trends that will continue to shape 2024.

Traditional health plans just don’t cut it

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Why this insurer designed health plans with no deductibles or copays

Healthcare costs are forcing employers to rethink their health plans — and with prices expected to increase by a record rate of 5.4% in 2024, there's no better time for employers to ask themselves if their healthcare benefits are actually benefiting employees.

Between high deductibles and coinsurance rates, many employees defer care because their health plans are too expensive to use, explains Dr. Eric Bricker, medical director of insurance company SimplePay Health. Over 90% of the U.S. population has health insurance, according to the Census Bureau, and yet 45% of Americans had or currently have medical debt worth a collective total of nearly $200 billion.

"A lot of companies are still giving employees health plans that are not actually affordable for the employee," says Dr. Bricker. "An employer's deductible could be $2,500 and the employees are paid $15, $18 or even $25 an hour."

Companies like SimplePay Health and Curative, a Texas- and Florida-based plan provider, are challenging the status quo by creating health plans without deductibles or copays. Both companies expect to see an increase in preventive care and reduced costs for the employers overall now that employees have fewer financial barriers between themselves and their health.

"Einstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing, again, expecting a different result," says Fred Turner, co-founder and CEO of Curative. "Employers have been trying the same plans for decades and getting a 15% to 20% increase every year, while your employees spend thousands out-of-pocket for care. They need to be willing to try a different approach."

Unions aren't backing down

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From SAG-AFTRA to UPS: The 5 biggest labor wins of 2023

From Hollywood stars to local nurses in Rochester, New York, 2023 has been a year of historic strikes and wins. An estimated 453,000 workers went on strike in 2023, according to John Kallas, the project director of the ILR Labor Action Tracker. While they came from a wide range of industries, their demands were the same: better wages, healthcare, working conditions and employment protections.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the United Auto Workers (UAW) reached historic agreements with their employers, gaining cost-of-living raises, protections against AI and improved pensions. Still, big unions weren't the only ones to make changes in their industry. The Rochester Union of Nurses and Allied Professionals, or RUNAP, reached their contract as a new union after a two-day strike in August. The contract contains provisions that target dangerous patient-to-nurse ratios and protect pensions.

"The power has shifted to unions at the present," says Larry Cook, senior strategic advisor for Aon's global labor relations strategy. "We're seeing [workers] take a harder look at management practices, what they say versus what they do. With record profits, how do you defend modest wages, particularly in an environment with high inflation?"

Child care is becoming a table-stakes benefit

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Why Tyson opened a $5 million on-site child care center

The last three years have highlighted just how hard it is for working parents to juggle their families and their careers, without ever once dropping the ball — and employers are doing something about it.

According to Care.com, 56% of employers offered child care benefits in 2022; just three years prior, that number stood at 36%. Companies like Chobani, Etsy and Vivvi are providing stipends and subsidized child care, alongside expanded caregiver and parental leave policies. Tyson went as far as to build a $5 million on-site child care center for its employees in Humboldt, Tennessee.

"There is no greater asset for a family than knowing where their child will be every day," says Garrett Dolan, senior manager of social responsibility at Tyson. "Employees stay with companies longer because they associate high-quality child care with their employer directly."

AI is forever changing the workplace

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A step-by-step guide to implementing AI at work

According to a 2023 study conducted by IBM, 35% of companies are actively using artificial intelligence in their day-to-day operations and 42% are still exploring AI's potential for the future. In fact, data from market analysis and consulting services company GrandViewResearch found that the AI market is expected to grow 37.3% annually between 2023 and 2030.

In recruiting, AI is being used to screen applications and streamline the hiring process as well as being used by job seekers to write cover letters and resumes tailored to their organization of choice. In the workplace, hyper-intelligent chatbots are taking over repetitive administrative and time consuming tasks so that employees can focus on the more fulfilling parts of their job. And while the data suggests there is yet to be any real threat to headcount, some healthy trepidation remains.

"AI is like a whole new language," says Erik Barnett, North American digital healthcare and life sciences lead for Avanade. "Employees will need to know how to ask themselves, 'How does this impact what we're doing today?' and 'How do we expect that to evolve over time?' There will be a continual change in elements, but that's a good thing as long as I have the right tools."

Gen Z is redefining our relationship to work

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Gen Z on Gen Z: What your young employees really think of the future of work

Gen Z currently make up 30% of the world's population, according to the World Economic Forum, and by 2025 they're expected to account for 27% of the workforce. Soon, managers won't be able to avoid Gen Z talent. While Gen Z has been deemed one of the hardest generations to work with, much of it is due to the fact that they're more vocal about their workplace wants, needs and demands than the generations that came before them.

For example, 72% of Gen Z applicants are looking for a fair and ethical boss, according to Tallo research; 61% want to be heard and 47% are seeking a job making an impact socially and economically. Gen Z is also passionate about their return-to-work opinions. Seventy-seven percent of Gen Z employees prioritize a work-life balance when considering a new work opportunity, according to data from McKinsey, and they're also the most likely generation to have either left or considered leaving a job because their employer did not offer a feasible flexible work policy.

"The idea of setting boundaries and prioritizing personal needs is not just a trend," says 26-year-old Jordan Lintz, the founder and CEO of marketing agency HighKey Enterprises.. "It's a fundamental part of how Gen Z views work. To attract and retain this pool of talent, companies will have to adapt their policies and work culture accordingly."

Employees need a pep talk around retirement

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Inflation has crushed retirement dreams for a third of all workers

Inflation has pinched the wallets of many employees this year, and long-term savings is often the first thing to go. Today, more than a third of workers don't think they'll ever be able to retire, while 63% of employees anticipate retirement involving reduced hours or a different job, instead of a clean break from their careers. Sixty-six percent have pushed back the age they hope to leave the workforce.

But employees don't have to navigate financial challenges that can hinder their retirement alone. Reiterating the message to their workforce that long-term consistency is the best approach can help mitigate interruptions or changes in saving patterns, says Jerri Savage, retirement lead strategist at MFS Investment Management.

"I think it comes back to all the buzzwords we use in the industry: It's education, and it's engagement in education," Savage says. "Any way that a sponsor can reach their participants with the message of saving and investing in a diversified portfolio and not divesting to cash. The silver lining here is that participants are actually not that likely to take action. So even as we go through all this volatility, it's still a smaller portion of the overall population that's potentially doing damage."

The return to office is a rollercoaster — for employers and employees

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No more crying at work: How to prevent a toxic workplace

This year, many employees headed back to the office, in many cases, mandated and even threatened by their employer to get back to in-person work. Perhaps unsurprisingly, employers and employees found themselves at odds over just how necessary a return to pre-pandemic norms truly is.

Employees have faced a myriad of new distractions when returning to the office, like "loud laborers," who spend their in-person work hours bragging about their loaded work schedules, while doing very little actual work. Additionally, a return to the office has reintroduced toxic work environments: More than one in five workers has experienced harm to their mental health at work, according to recent data from the American Psychological Association, and 22% of workers have experienced harassment in the workplace in the past 12 months — up from 14% in 2022.

"The biggest takeaway is the need for intentionality in the evolution of people's practices in the workplace," says Shanté Gordon, head of DEI strategy at the Norfus Group. "To be an employer of today — and the future — it is critical for companies to foster inclusive workplaces, address toxic behaviors promptly, and create environments where employees feel safe and valued."

Menopause benefits are a must

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How to introduce menopause benefits to the workplace

According to a 2021 survey from telehealth company Gennev, 99% of women experiencing menopause don't specifically have supportive benefits at work. Software company Nvidia is among a growing number of employers working to provide the kind of support its menopausal employees are craving.

"When we went back to our carriers they essentially told us that employees' providers were the ones that needed to assist them with health issues," says Denise Rosa, benefits manager at Nvidia. "We dug a little bit deeper and figured that it would be best for us to find that third-party solution that would be able to support our employees and meet them where they are in whatever stage of life they're in."

Nvidia partnered with Peppy, a U.K.-based digital health platform that supports fertility care, men's health, gender-inclusive solutions and menopause support. Through the partnership Nvidia employees and their families gained access to the Peppy app, which offered opportunities to communicate with experts via chat, information and resource programs, videos, podcasts and one-on-one consultations with experts.

"Our employees felt like they had been heard," Rosa recalls. "They all had positive experiences with the benefit and felt that it had worked for them. And it doesn't matter if it had just helped one person or if it had helped several. Our main goal was to support all employees so that they could do their best work."

GLP-1s are here to stay

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Employees want weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Can employers afford them?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, roughly 40% of American adults are obese, and studies estimate that the 2019 annual medical cost of obesity was nearly $173 billion. Per person, medical costs are nearly $1,900 higher per year for obese adults as compared to their non-obese peers. Now, as GLP-1s have captured the attention of consumers, those costs may only increase.

The medications in question, including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, are part of a class of drugs known as GLP-1s, which are used to treat diabetes and can also help drive weight loss, in some cases supporting the loss of 15% (or more) of body weight.

Sarah Jones Simmer is CEO of Found, a weight management platform that relies on coaching, clinical care and, when needed, medication. Some employers told Found that Ozempic had become their highest cost drug; one 5,000-employee organization saw more than $100,000 in Ozempic costs in a single month. Others were spotting a nearly 4x increase in year-over-year GLP-1 utilization.

"The people who are footing the bill via insurance are recognizing that they cannot just let everyone who wants access to have them covered by insurance," Jones Simmer says. "They're $17,000 a year on average, and they have to be taken in perpetuity. But no employer wants to say, 'you can't have it.' But they do need to be able to point employees in a direction that could help more appropriately manage care and access."

Kids' mental health is a top priority for working parents

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'I needed her to get better': This working mom used virtual care to battle her daughter's eating disorder

Employers played a big role in supporting mental health throughout the pandemic, changing the conversation and reducing the stigma around seeking help. Today, employee benefits must support the whole family, especially children and teens, who are increasingly struggling with mental health issues, addiction, eating disorders and more well-being challenges. Without it, employees suffer too: 75% of parents have missed work at least once a month due to their child's mental health, according to data from Pelago, a digital substance use management solution.

Employers have stepped up, and new telehealth platforms are continuing to innovate to bring accessible and affordable care to families. Pelago expanded their virtual addiction services to cover adolescents struggling with tobacco use or other substance misuse disorder. Eating disorder platform Equip is also using virtual care to provide treatment at any age, and care for the whole family. Patients and their families are paired with a team that guides them through the emotional and often arduous process of recovery.

"The mission of Equip is to provide eating disorder treatment that works for everyone who needs it," says Nikia Bergan, president of Equip. "Virtual treatment really allows patients to live their lives while they're in treatment, versus having to leave their lives to enter treatment. The treatment team goes with you."

The old rules of recruiting no longer apply

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American Airlines, Pfizer and Globant are getting refugee women ready for the workforce

Employers are working hard to expand the diversity of their teams, and ensure their recruiting practices are more equitable. Some innovative employers are creating pipelines for communities that have typically been overlooked in the recruiting process, offering new opportunities for applicants, while cultivating loyal new talent for their organizations.

Tent Partnership for Refugees is now working with American Airlines, Accenture, Pfizer and others to mentor, upskill and hire refugee women into the workforce. Tent's program seeks to partner refugee women with mentors for at least six months. Employer partners are provided with a guided curriculum, on topics like building a LinkedIn profile, leveraging an online social network, writing resumes and cover letters, and preparing for job interviews.

"We've heard from people that they never thought they would be going into an interview, and now they're thinking bigger about what their profession could look like here in the U.S.," says Scarlet Cronin, vice president at Tent. "That's just by having someone who believes in them."

Women demand better healthcare

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How women's healthcare has changed in a post-Roe world

Employers are prioritizing women's health benefits more than ever before, with fertility benefits, paid family leave, menopause management and abortion care being prominent topics in benefits conversations. But talk is not enough — with the loss of Roe v. Wade over a year ago, 25 million women live in states where their reproductive healthcare is severely limited. It's crucial that employers continue to invest in women's reproductive health, placing an emphasis on equity and accessibility.

According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely to die from childbirth than white women. Women of color, but especially Black and Indigenous women, are more likely to face medical deserts in their communities, poorer insurance coverage and medical racism, underlines Ariel Childs, the executive director of Vital CxNs, a nonprofit dedicated to developing equitable access to healthcare across Boston communities.

"The best advice I could give is to design policies from the margins," says Childs. "Who is it hardest for to access these services? Every workplace policy, procedure and protocol should make sure that person can get the care they need."

Inclusivity efforts must include neurodiverse talent

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4 ways employers can attract and support neurodiverse talent

Even as more and more employers prioritize supportive workplaces, their diversity, equity and inclusion are incomplete without the consideration of neurodivergent folks. Approximately 4% of all adults in the United States have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to SHRM, and less than one-fifth of those workers have received treatment or diagnosis. Despite ADHD being one of the more common mental health afflictions, it often lacks support within employee benefits packages. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for persons with a disability was about twice as high as the rate for persons without a disability in 2022.

Thankfully, there are workplace leaders that are dedicated to creating spaces and products that ensure that workplaces are just as conducive to neurodivergent talent as they are for neurotypical talent. Louis Chesney is helping global behavioral and mental health platform RethinkCare reach more members of his community. Product testing company Aspiritech is prioritizing neurodivergent talent in their hiring practices and platforms like Leantime and Akili are giving neurodivergent talent a very necessary outlet outside of work.

"There's such a huge workforce out there of disabled individuals that really have a tremendous amount to offer and the companies just haven't put the investment in enough to tap into that workforce," says Maxwell Huffman, a program manager at Aspiritech. "But if they did, they would see that that's a huge amount of untapped talent and that it's a worthwhile investment that will pay dividends for these companies in the end."

Pensions are making a comeback

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What the end of IBM's 401(k) match could mean for the future of retirement plans

Beginning in 2024, IBM will no longer match employee contributions to their 401(k) plans. The news broke in early November, and reactions to the end of the match — which will be replaced by a 5% retirement benefit — have been mixed, sparking conversations about what the move could mean for the future of retirement plans.

In addition to the new automatic 5% benefit provided by IBM, called a Retirement Benefit Account (RBA), employees will receive a one-time 1% pay increase. For the first three years of this new plan, all employees are guaranteed a 6% annual interest rate, at which point IBM guarantees 3% of the rate on 10-year treasuries. Compared to a 401(k), IBM employees have expressed concern around lower returns and less control over their retirement funds.

Will IBM drive a trending return to pensions across industries? Not just yet, predicts John Lowell, partner at October Three Consulting, a benefits and retirement advisory. But as an adviser that champions the combination of 401(k) offerings along with cash-balance pensions, Lowell hopes change is coming.

"I'm not expecting companies to put in traditional defined benefit plans of the style that we had in the 70s and 80s," he says. "But we've got a construct internally at October Three that we are referring to as the plan of the future. So if you're working at a company, you'd have two plans: your investment plan, which is a 401(k), and your security plan, which is a cash-balance pension plan. In your investment plan, your employer may choose to match, and you get to decide how to invest and take risks if you want to. In your security plan, your employer provides all the money, and that account balance will grow at a rate of return you could get in the marketplace."

DEI strategies are failing workers of color

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DEI efforts are still failing BIPOC and Hispanic employees, report finds

In 2022, 71% of companies reported that they had implemented many DEI-related actions since 2020, according to KPMG's 2022 DEI progress survey. And yet, when asked to rate the level of inclusion a company demonstrates for multiple different minority groups including women, the LGBTQ community and disabled folks, BIPOC and Hispanic men and women were significantly less likely to rate companies' DEI efforts as very inclusive or friendly for those demographics, according to data from a 2023 diversity, equity and inclusion report from Arizent, EBN's parent company.

As a result, half of Black respondents said they were currently considering or actively looking for a new job, according to job search platform Indeed, meaning that when it comes to making a lasting impact to make BIPOC talent feel supported at work, organizations still have a long way to go.

"Discrimination is still a barrier to entry in the job process and it continues to persist in the workplace," says Charlotte Jones, Indeed's global employer brand leader. "Based on what we've seen in the research, employers are just not prioritizing their DEIB efforts even though it's still a key factor in attracting new talent, and just as important to keep current talent."

LGBTQ talent is facing an uphill battle

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45% of LGBTQ employees feel being out at work could cost them their careers

According to research by two Finnish universities, publicly-traded U.S. companies with LGBTQ-friendly policies are more likely to be profitable and have a higher stock market evaluation. And yet, LGBTQ talent still struggles to find their place — and success — in the workforce.

In a recent survey by job insights platform Glassdoor, 55% of LGBTQ employees — approximately 8 million workers in the U.S., according to a 2021 report from UCLA — report they have experienced or witnessed anti-LGBTQ comments by co-workers. As a result, 45% of employed queer Americans say they believe being "out" at work could hurt their careers, whether the result is not being selected for a project, being overlooked for a promotion or even losing a job.

Those fears have been fueled throughout 2023: There have been more anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state houses this year than in each of the previous five years, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

"[The news is] overwhelming to people who are just watching it from the outside," says Kate Steinle, chief clinical officer at Folx Health, a digital healthcare service provider that caters to the LGBTQ community. "But when you are a community member and it is your life and your health that is being talked about in these political circles, it's hard not to feel traumatized all the time."

For those juggling work, life and families, the workplace is often a place where this community looks for support. Fifty percent of LGBTQ employees wish their employer offered a mental health solution to address stress, anxiousness and sleep issues, according to Calm's 2023 workplace mental health report.

"One of the opportunities for employers is to acknowledge that you're a parent — queer or otherwise. When you're hyperventilating a little bit, who are you going to talk to?" says Emily Pesce, a trans woman and CEO of Joon Therapy. "Even in open and accepting places, they may not want people to notice this happening under their roof. Employers should acknowledge that much like school is an outlet for kids to get their pronouns respected, work is a place where this discourse probably happens.

Employers will need to recommit to their DEI programs

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How the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action will impact employers

After the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action in June, ending race-conscious college admissions programs, employers have been worried about how this new precedent will impact their own DEI policies. However, this ruling doesn't mean that employers should back down from their promises to be diverse, equitable and inclusive, underlines Amy Kim, president of PowerToFly, a talent hiring and management platform.

"Employers can respond to the ruling proactively by focusing their initiatives on building relationships with diverse talent and supporting them through mentorship programs and other initiatives that are not directly related to hiring," she says. "Policies focused on mentorship and outreach to specific diverse pools should not be impacted by the ruling."

This also means taking steps to ensure the candidate pool is diverse to begin with — Kim encourages employers to expand their recruitment channels, eliminate unnecessary requirements on job posts and train recruiters and interviewers to be more conscious of their biases. This could help companies hire diverse talent across intersections of identity, including race, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, disability and neurodiversity.

Caregiving benefits will retain top talent

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'There's a lot of guilt': The emotional burden of caregiving

Caregiving is an ever-growing, yet often unseen, part of employees' lives. One in three caregivers ends up leaving their job in order to better meet the needs of their loved one, according to the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. Because of inadequate support, those who stay risk high levels of emotional fatigue, anxiety and burnout. By offering more flexibility with work schedules and benefits options like access to caregiving platforms, employers are stepping in to ease this burden for their workforce.

Organizations that put together a layered support system can not only come through for their employees in a time of need, but provide peace of mind to those whose caregiving responsibilities will inevitably come down the line. Employer-sponsored caregiver platforms such as Wellthy, Cleo, Ianacare and Cariloop provide members with guidance, resources and expert support to assist caregivers on their complicated journey, and save them time that they need to balance their personal and professional responsibilities.

"We have to make caregiving and planning for the future of caregiving analogous to planning for retirement," says Dr. Madhavi Vemireddy, CEO of Cleo, a benefit provider and caregiver-support platform. "How can we be better prepared? There's been so much emphasis on helping folks put out fires, which is important, but we're missing the opportunity to prevent some of these fires."

Workers don't trust their employers

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25% of workers don't trust their employers

Employers have their work cut out for them when it comes to keeping employee satisfaction and engagement afloat. Calls to return to the office and economic insecurities are just a few factors leaving employees feeling wary of their organizations' intentions, but leadership at all levels can take steps to make employees feel valued, and in turn, build trust.

Research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that trusting employees are 260% more motivated to work, have 41% lower rates of absenteeism, and are 50% less likely to look for another job. Transparency, communication and recognition are just some of the ways managers can build close relationships with their workforce, and this is essential to establishing the connection and support that employees crave, says Sarah Fern, chief people officer at global workforce platform Velocity Global.

"The relationship between employee and employer has really been put to the test lately," says Fern. "You open your doors, whether virtual or in person, and you make yourself available as a leader. I can say, 'I hear you, I see you, I support you,' but if I'm never available, you're not going to trust me because you don't believe it. Ask the questions, 'How can I help you? How can I support you?'"

Voluntary benefits can boost engagement with all benefits

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Pet insurance or life insurance? Help employees select the voluntary benefits they need

Benefits that highlight every area of well-being are becoming a great way to get employees' attention — and increase engagement in other more traditional offerings. Health and wellness, tuition reimbursement and family-planning offerings are some of the voluntary benefits employers are enlisting to recruit and retain talent. Meanwhile, they are enlisting HR, brokers and advisers to educate employees on more mundane — but essential — benefits, such as life insurance, disability and dental.

Sixty three percent of employees said they were likely or extremely likely to sign up for voluntary benefits — intended to supplement more traditional offerings like healthcare and retirement — through their employer throughout 2023, according to Voya Financial. Trending offerings like pet insurance, for example, will grab the attention of employees easily, and can serve as a gateway to helping them elect more vital offerings.

"You can start with, 'Just like an unplanned emergency with your dog, what happens when you have an unplanned emergency — how are you going to meet that deductible?'" says Drew Neslin, head of ancillary benefits solutions at BCS Financial. "You've got the majority of workers in a high deductible health plan, so it's [helping them to] connect the dots."

Digitial wellness tools help employees manage stress — at home and at work

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How Prudential, Walmart, Aflac and PwC support mental health at work

The American Institute of Stress revealed that 94% of people report feeling stressed at work, and 63% say they are ready to quit their job to avoid stress they deem work-related. Employers are paying attention, and offering easily accessible digital apps to counter this and keep their workers healthy.

Nine out of 10 global organizations offer some type of wellness benefit, according to digital mental health platform WellSet. Meditation and mindfulness, financial education and parent support platforms help employees find the support they need in a way that's convenient. Assad Lazarus, chief client and development officer at voluntary benefits platform Purchasing Power, reminds employers that an understanding of what is important to their workforce will help them to pick the right offerings, and show employees they care about more than just their work performance.

"Just like we exercise daily to strengthen our muscles to be strong and healthy, a daily mindfulness practice helps us cultivate that resilience, emotionally and mentally," says Desiree Pascual, chief people officer at meditation platform Headspace. "When we're in a time of crisis or change, being able to come from a place of mental and emotional resilience expands our capacity to show up with curiosity, which leads to opportunity, rather than burnout."

Cancer is the top driver of healthcare costs. But employer-promoted screenings can save lives

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Early cancer detection can reduce deaths by 45%

Around a million working Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and half of those who survive will lose or quit their job, according to the American Cancer society. Early detection offerings allow employers to cut down on late stage cancer costs — 12% of overall healthcare costs, according to the Northeast Business Group on Health — but more importantly, they can increase their employees' chance of survival.

With access to early screening and intervention, 45% of cancer deaths can be prevented and lead to less costly care, according to health technology company Color Health. The platform's personal health assessments educate members on which screenings they need, then helps to set them up with everything from scheduling to transportation.

"We have good coverage, but we don't have good access," says Othman Laraki, CEO of Color Health. "Employers have this incredible opportunity to change the trajectory of healthcare in general, but cancer in particular, without needing to make big financial outlays."

Workplace disaster plans are a must in a hybrid world

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When war breaks out, can employers keep a global workforce safe?

Leaders of the largest U.S. companies believe there are more domestic and international risks now than there were three years ago, according to international security and medical services provider Global Guardian. With a rise in natural disasters and the outbreak of global political conflicts affecting their employees, employers can protect their people and their businesses by being prepared to deal with disaster when it strikes.

"The frequency and ferocity of events, both domestically and internationally, is ever-increasing, which means you have exposure," says Global Guardian CEO Dale Buckner, who works with corporate clients to secure rescue and transport of employees out of deadly hurricanes and even war zones. "This concept of being global, being able to move in minutes and hours, and actually having capability now matters more than just 'I transferred the risk' and 'I have a resiliency plan." You have to know you have an asset that can actually deal with kidnapping, hacking, war zones, natural disaster, terrorism, and physically get your people away from that threat."