Employee Engagement

Recruiting has its own ghost stories, and when we asked about the most ghostly thing a candidate did to you this year, the most common answer was a confession. Of you who voted, 32% said you ghosted the candidate first. Another 27% had a candidate accept an offer and never show up on day one, 27% had one disappear after the final round, and 14% interviewed someone who turned out not to be a real person.

We asked how your organization is handling politics at work ahead of the November 3 midterms. The most common answer was an unwritten rule (33%), then letting it ride (28%), already putting out fires (24%), and a written policy (15%). That means about 85% of respondents have nothing on paper a week before Election Day.

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, employees are increasingly seeking a different kind of freedom at work. Not freedom from accountability, and not freedom from hard work. But freedom from the workplace frustrations that create unnecessary friction, drain energy, and make work harder than it needs to be. Here are eight things employees increasingly want freedom from in 2026.

44% of employees say burnout is worse than it was five years ago. Yet most managers don't spot it until after it's already done damage. The signs are there — but only if you know what to look for. Journalist, Katie Nadworny, breaks down what HR leaders and managers can actually do: from the early warning signs to watch for, to the systemic fixes that stop burnout at the source — before it spreads.

"Dear Ellie" is an advice column from a seasoned HR consultant. Read her advice for an HR pro struggling with a toxic manager.

Research consistently shows empathy is one of the strongest drivers of performance, engagement, and retention. When employees feel their leaders are empathetic, the overwhelming majority report they can better navigate work and life demands. And employees routinely say they would leave—or even take a pay cut—for a more empathetic employer.

Engagement does not deteriorate slowly at the beginning of the year. It declines quickly and often quietly. By the end of February, HR teams are already seeing signs of disengagement that leadership did not anticipate. The issue is not that employees resist change or lack motivation. The problem is that January does not erase their memory. Employees carry the prior year with them, and they evaluate early leadership behavior through that lens. For HR, January is not a launching season. It is a credibility audit.

Many workplace traditions often reflect the culture of the dominant group, without questioning whether that culture represents everyone at the table. What is presented as festive can unintentionally alienate. What is framed as inclusive may, in practice, be anything but.

Gratitude is instrumental in effective communication, personal wellness, healthy work/life balance, solving conflict, and encouraging team connection. Learn how you can infuse it in your culture.