The Benefits Brief · Week of July 20, 2026

THE ISSUE

Why the work of HR still comes down to showing up.

By Andrew Dalton · Week of July 20, 2026 · 10 stories
This week's standings

This weekend I said goodbye to Chloe. Nearly twelve years of a dog who met me where I was every single day — on the good ones, on the hard ones, and on the ones that were mostly chaos with a little grace mixed in.

Managing people is a lot like that. HR rarely hands you a quiet week. Benefits change. Costs climb. Policies shift. Someone on your team is always carrying something you cannot see from a dashboard. And still — when you show up for your people the way Chloe showed up for me, the work is worth every messy day.

Here are the stories and items that caught my eye this week. Read them with that same spirit: not as noise to clear, but as people and plans that need you present.

Mind

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  • Employee Benefit Trends — A recent report highlights the disparity between the prevalence of employee assistance programs (EAPs) and their actual usage, with 98% of mid-to-large companies offering EAPs but only 4% of employees using them. This suggests a need for employers to reassess their mental health benefits and create more effective programs. The report aims to help employers create mental health benefits that employees will actually use. As you reassess your mental health benefits, consider leveraging data and employee feedback to design programs that address the specific stressors and challenges your workforce faces, increasing the likelihood of actual usage and positive outcomes.
  • Employee Wellness — Employers should ensure timely access to mental health treatment for their employees, as delayed care can lead to burnout and decreased productivity. According to John Troutman, vice president of business development for MindClub America, providing daily tools and faster access to counseling can pay significant dividends. MindClub America has seen about 70% regular engagement with their mental health services, unlike traditional employee assistance programs (EAPs) which have uptake averages of less than 5%.

Body

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  • Fierce Healthcare — Teladoc Health has introduced a new virtual care model called Teladoc One, which provides a more coordinated and personalized approach to healthcare for employers and health plans. The model aims to replace fragmented, condition-specific programs with an integrated offering that supports a person's entire health needs. Teladoc One ties payment to clinical and financial outcomes, with 100% of fees at risk, and is set to launch with a group of enterprise customers in September and be generally available in January 2027. You should be preparing to integrate value-based care models like Teladoc One into your benefits strategy, as the shift towards outcomes-based payment and personalized healthcare will likely become a key differentiator in attracting and retaining top talent.
  • Employee Wellness — Vantage Fit has introduced three new AI-powered features to help HR teams convert wellness investments into employee action, including an AI Program Assistant, a consolidated analytics and reporting module, and an Audience Builder that targets employees using live behavioral signals. These features aim to address the industry gap in employee engagement, which fell to 20% in 2025, according to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report. The updates aim to increase participation in wellness programs and provide HR teams with actionable insights to improve employee wellbeing.

Money

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  • Employee Benefit Trends — The 2026 Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research Retirement Confidence Survey examines the impact of caregiving on retirement. The survey aims to understand how caregiving responsibilities affect employees' retirement plans and financial security. The research provides insights into the challenges faced by caregivers in preparing for retirement. To support caregivers in your workforce, you may need to rethink your retirement planning resources and benefits, incorporating more flexible and inclusive options that acknowledge the unique financial and emotional challenges faced by employees with caregiving responsibilities.
  • Employee Benefit Trends — A recent study by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America found that nearly one in four U.S. workers, or 24%, report staying in their current job due to fear of losing health insurance, an eight-percentage-point increase since 2021. This phenomenon, known as job lock, is more prevalent among those with chronic conditions, financial strain related to healthcare expenses, and women. Job lock can have significant consequences, including lower life satisfaction, poorer overall wellbeing, and higher rates of occupational injury.

Workforce

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  • HR Dive — A recent survey found that nearly 7 in 10 workers question their ability to retire comfortably, highlighting concerns about financial security. This comes as some companies are shifting their spending priorities, with more investment in artificial intelligence and less on new hires. The survey results suggest that employees are anxious about their retirement prospects. Given the growing concerns about retirement security, you should prioritize educating and empowering your employees to take control of their financial futures, potentially through personalized financial wellness programs, retirement planning tools, and benefits that support long-term savings and investment.
  • Employee Benefit Trends — Employee engagement in the US remains at 31%, unchanged from 2025, despite increased adoption of AI in the workplace. Gallup's research suggests that access to AI alone does not improve engagement, but rather clear expectations, a thoughtful implementation plan, and active manager support are key to improving employee experience. Employee engagement is 15 points higher when organizations provide a clear plan for integrating AI and 18 points higher when managers actively support AI use.

Nebraska & Incentives

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  • Employee Wellness — The Employee Benefits Security Administration, a DOL agency, has published a draft regulation that could make electronic delivery of group health plan documents more widely available. The draft regulation aims to update existing rules to reflect modern technologies and communication methods. The proposed changes may impact how employers distribute important plan information to participants. As the draft regulation on electronic delivery of group health plan documents moves forward, you should be evaluating your current communication strategies and preparing to adapt to a more digital, user-friendly approach to benefits administration, which may also create opportunities to enhance employee engagement and understanding of their benefits.
  • Nebraska Legislature — Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. signed the city's minimum wage ordinance into effect, setting the minimum wage at $15 an hour for all workers, including those under 16. The ordinance was approved by the Omaha City Council on a 4-3 vote, despite a temporary injunction being granted against a similar ordinance in Lincoln. The Nebraska Attorney General's Office is likely to challenge the Omaha law in court.

The Bottom Line

I will miss Chloe for a long time. What I will not forget is how simple the job looked from her side of it: be there. Meet them where they are. The chaos will keep coming for employers and for the rest of us — the reward has always been the people. See you next Friday.

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This Week's Reading — Every Link

Mind 2
Body 2
Money 2
Workforce 2
Nebraska & Incentives 2
  • DOL posts draft group health plan E-delivery regulations - BenefitsPROAlert: Employee Wellness
  • Omaha mayor signs city's minimum wage law into effect - The ReaderAlert: Nebraska Legislature slow to load (~20s)
    Read the full review here
    Close Search for: Search News Open dropdown menu Local Government Health Environment Economy Education Culture Open dropdown menu Movies Music Visual Arts Theater Dining Open dropdown menu Food Drinks Restaurants Donate Facebook Twitter Instagram Close Skip to content Facebook Twitter Instagram The Reader Search for: Search Menu News Open dropdown menu Local Government Health Environment Economy Education Culture Open dropdown menu Movies Music Visual Arts Theater Dining Open dropdown menu Food Drinks Restaurants Donate Posted in News Omaha mayor signs city’s minimum wage law into effect by Matt Olberding July 21, 2026 July 21, 2026 John Ewing Jr. (Fred Knapp/Nebraska Public Media News) Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. said Tuesday that he signed Omaha’s minimum wage ordinance, even though the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office won a temporary injunction last week to stop a similar ordinance from taking effect in Lincoln. Like Lincoln’s ordinance, the Omaha one seeks to keep the minimum wage for all workers, including those under the age of 16, at $15 an hour. That’s what voters originally approved in 2022, but the Nebraska Legislature earlier this year approved a lower wage of $13.50 an hour for 14- and 15-year-olds as well as a 90-day training wage of $13.50 for anyone under 19. The Omaha City Council, on a 4-3 vote, approved the ordinance last week. Ewing said there were two reasons he chose to sign the ordinance. First, he said, just about everyone has experience ear