What the Latest Benefits Research Is Telling Employers to Do Differently

Two major research reports came out this spring with remarkably consistent findings.

The Marsh McLennan Agency 2026 National Benefits Strategy Survey gathered responses from 616 employers across industries, and Goldman Sachs Key Workplace Benefit Trends 2026 drew on Fortune 500-heavy data collected during the 2026 open enrollment season.

Together, they point to the same conclusion: Benefits strategy is becoming more intentional, specialized, and consequential for retention. Here are five things the data says employers should do differently. Read more

Compliance Corner Session:  Nondiscrimination Rules

 

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Day: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM Pacific / 1:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Central / 3:00 PM Eastern

Where: Save my seat

 


 

Nondiscrimination Rules

Differentiating benefits can be a strategic tool for employers— but not all differences are allowed. This webinar will help employers understand when and how they can differentiate benefit programs while staying compliant. In this session, we’ll break down the various nondiscrimination requirements that apply to employee benefit plans, including tax code testing rules for highly compensated and key employees and protections against discrimination based on health status, disability, and other protected characteristics.

Who is Lumelight? 

Lumelight is a boutique ACA and benefits compliance consultancy helping people navigate the complex world of employee benefits compliance through deep expertise and superb client service.

Want to attend?

Save your seat by clicking here

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What Your Leave Policy Says About Your Organization

Employees read leave policies the way they read every other signal a workplace sends. A policy designed around the bare minimum tells them something. So does one that accounts for grief, mental health, and the full reality of caring for a family.

Before organizations ask whether their leave benefits are competitive, a more useful question is: What do our current policies communicate to the people who work here?

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Ancillary Benefits: The Benefits Employees Have But Don’t Use

Most employers would say their benefits package is competitive. For major medical coverage, they can be right, but ask those same employers when they last communicated about dental coverage, explained what short-term or long-term disability covers, or reminded employees that their vision plan includes an annual exam, and the answers get quieter.

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Compliance Corner Session:  Leaves of Absence – Focus on State Mandates

 

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Day: Tuesday May 19, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM Pacific / 1:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Central / 3:00 PM Eastern

Where: Save my seat

 


 

Leaves of Absence – Focus on State Mandates

As leave laws evolve, administering employee benefits during protected and unpaid leaves has become increasingly nuanced. In this session, we’ll break down employer obligations, benefit continuation requirements, and key decision points when coordinating federal, state, and company leave policies. Special focus will be given to how expanding state-paid leave programs are reshaping employers’ responsibilities and compliance strategies. 

Who is Lumelight? 

Lumelight is a boutique ACA and benefits compliance consultancy helping people navigate the complex world of employee benefits compliance through deep expertise and superb client service.

Want to attend?

Save your seat by clicking here

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What Workplace Toxicity Actually Looks Like (and Where It Comes From)

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Tolstoy wrote that nearly 150 years ago, and it still holds true for families and organizations alike.

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How Employers Can Support Caregiving Employees

One in four of your employees is a caregiver. Most of them haven’t told you.

They’re picking up kids, managing a parent’s medical appointments, or keeping a household running while holding down a full-time job. About 48 million Americans are doing this right now: unpaid, often invisible, and increasingly stretched thin.

The numbers tell a stark story. Since 2022, up to 39% of working caregivers have cut their hours, stepped away entirely, or taken a leave of absence. Over a lifetime, caregiving fathers lose an average of $280,000 in wages and benefits, while caregiving mothers lose an estimated $300,000.

It’s a workforce problem, and it lands on employers. Read more

The Innovation Trap for Small Teams

Small teams tend to attract dynamic, creative, action-oriented people. Each person covers a broad scope, which breeds versatility and initiative.

That same energy can become a liability without a framework to channel it.

Teams full of “quick starts” (people who love jumping into new concepts and chasing the next exciting idea) often end up with a trail of half-finished initiatives and no clear momentum. Everyone is moving, but nothing is getting done.

The goal is to give this innovative spirit a structure that lets it thrive without pulling the organization in five directions at once. Read more

Compliance Corner Session:  Spring Cleaning – Compliance Checklist & Regulatory Updates

 

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Day: Tuesday April 21, 2026

Time: 12:00 PM Pacific / 1:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 PM Central / 3:00 PM Eastern

Where: Save my seat

 


 

Spring Cleaning: Compliance Checklist & Regulatory Updates

 It’s time for a compliance refresh. This month, we’ll review key compliance deadlines, best practices, and areas that deserve a second look. We’ll also cover regulatory updates that have already rolled out in 2026 and what to watch for in the months ahead, giving you a clear roadmap for the rest of the year. 

 

Who is Lumelight? 

Lumelight is a boutique ACA and benefits compliance consultancy helping people navigate the complex world of employee benefits compliance through deep expertise and superb client service.

Want to attend?

Save your seat by clicking here

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AI Can Generate Content, Not Judgment

AI has made content production easier. It has, however, not made content strategy smarter.

Content, especially in the age of AI, can be produced quickly. 82% of businesses use AI writing tools for content creation in some capacity. This is up from 45% in 2022.

As marketing teams face pressure to produce more content with limited team resources (whether that be staff or time), they reach for tools to make it work. And AI does help with this: organizations using AI to create content report a 59% decrease in content creation time and a 77% increase in content volume.

This should be good news. But AI, no matter how much it can help the content creation process, should not be a “type prompt/copy/paste” endeavor. Read more