Long story short: How employers made it through 2022

December 30, 2022 11:00 AM

It's the final work day of 2022 — congratulations on getting through yet another unprecedented year!

At EBN, we've been on the front lines of covering the ever-changing world of work — from new and improved benefits, to supportive workplace cultures, and all the challenges in between. CEOs, HR leaders and employees have overcome major hurdles and milestones to make it to the finish line; take a moment to reflect on what you've overcome, and don't forget to express some gratitude for the help you received along the way.

Then, it's time to look forward. What are your professional goals and resolutions for the new year? Perhaps it's finally committing to a healthier work-life balance. Maybe it's boosting supportive benefits to help your employees do the same. To get the wheels turning, check out our most-read stories of 2022 — here's what HR leaders and employees have been thinking about this year.

11 companies with the best parental leave policies

Over the last few years, parental leave has become a critical part of every employees' workplace wishlist, but while some companies are still struggling to meet demand, others have risen to the occasion.

"As a new parent, taking a break from work to support your family is an absolute necessity, especially during such a big life transition," Kris Osborne, vice president of talent at financial insights company FinanceBuzz, told our associate editor Paola Peralta. "It allows you to destress from work, allows your significant other to take a much-needed break and allows you to bond with your little one."

FinanceBuzz analyzed parental leave across industries to round up the companies with the most comprehensive policies.

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11 companies with the best parental leave policies

Student loan forgiveness in limbo: What you should know

Biden's one-time student loan forgiveness was struck down in November by Texas federal court judge Mark Pittman as "an unconstitutional exercise of Congress's legislative power." In response, the Biden administration is extending student loan payments until after June or whenever the student loan forgiveness plan is able to move forward — monthly loan payments were initially supposed to resume in January.

Meagan McGuire, senior student loan adviser at Student Loan Planner, spoke with associate editor Deanna Cuadra to break down the possible fate of student loan forgiveness in the U.S. and what it means for employer-provided student loan benefits. "We haven't been making payments for a long time due to COVID. For those that plan to pay loans off, these changes are definitely impactful."

Please advise: The 10 most passive aggressive email phrases

Employees may not always realize the passive aggressive language they're peppering into their work correspondence, but a survey by gaming site WordFinder by YourDictionary reveals the 10 most passive aggressive phrases that make colleagues raise an eyebrow.

From "per my last email," to "just following up," employees rely on these expressions to thinly veil their frustration with coworkers and colleagues. The site ranked the phrases based on their Google search volume. Give your emails a scan to ensure you're not encouraging a toxic work culture through your communications.

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Please advise: The 10 most passive aggressive email phrases

The 25 best companies for HR teams

As HR teams hustled to attract and retain talent over the last two years, it's no surprise that over 50% of HR leaders are burned out and 48% are looking for a new job, according to employee feedback platform AllVoices. Comparably, a business data platform, surveyed employees in HR, people and talent acquisition roles over the last year, examining how these workers felt about their current employers. Fifty companies were ranked based on anonymous submissions, and the results are in.

"It's no surprise to see names like Adobe, Hubspot and Chipotle in the top spots because they're widely known for their commitment to creating incredible workplace cultures for their people," Jason Nazar, CEO of Comparably, told associate editor Deanna Cuadra. See which companies took the other top spots.

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The 25 best companies for HR teams