Benepass

National Employee Benefits Day feels like a good moment to ask a simple question: Are your benefits actually working? Our 2026 benchmark data suggests the best programs share a few traits: defined budgets, less vendor sprawl, and a card-first experience that employees actually use. → 83% LSA utilization → 85% FSA utilization for employers that consolidate pre-tax + LSA on one platform → 82% of global benefit transactions completed on card Happy National Employee Benefits Day. It’s a good moment to reflect on how benefits can better support employees every day. Download the full benchmark report in the comments below 👇

GLP-1 demand is rising fast. So is employer pressure to respond without blowing up the healthcare budget. They’re now one of the biggest cost and coverage questions employers face in 2026. Employees want access. Outcomes are compelling. But covering GLP-1s through the traditional health plan can introduce major budget volatility. That’s why more employers are exploring a different model: Specialty HRAs for weight health. In our latest blog, we unpack: • why GLP-1 demand is accelerating • why cash-pay and alternative access models are gaining traction • how Specialty HRAs create more control, flexibility, and predictability • what a real-world weight health HRA can look like in practice For benefits leaders trying to support employees without embedding uncontrollable costs into the medical plan, this is one to bookmark. Read our latest blog, linked in the comments below.

Benefits strategy in 2026 is being shaped by a familiar challenge: doing more with less, without compromising the employee experience. Join Benepass on Thursday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. PT for Benefits in 2026: Insights from the Benepass Benchmarking Guide, featuring guest speakers from Brown & Brown. In this session, we’ll unpack how leading employers are approaching: • healthcare cost pressure • FSA/HSA optimization • hybrid commuting trends • LSA budgeting with caps • consolidation and card-first benefit strategies Speakers: Megan Burns, Lead Benefits Solutions Consultant, Benepass Meg Bricker, Principal, Benefits Strategist and Executive, Brown & Brown Abinue Fortingo, MPH, Partner, Population Health & Wellbeing, Brown & Brown Join us to explore how benefits teams are building leaner, more intentional programs with clearer visibility into spend and stronger outcomes. Registration link in the comments.

Some of the best conversations at Transform 2026 happened outside the main stage. Across our workshop and the smaller moments throughout the week, we kept hearing the same themes: how to make budgets work harder, how to deliver more flexibility, and how to keep the experience simple for both employees and HR teams. Those more candid conversations were some of the most valuable. Thank you to everyone who joined our workshop and spent time with the Benepass team in Las Vegas. And thank you to our speakers, Brandon Sammut of Zapier, Nancy Hauge of Automation Anywhere, and Jaclyn Chen and Megan Burns of Benepass, for helping make the conversation practical, thoughtful, and grounded in what teams are actually navigating right now. What conversations or themes are still on your mind after Transform? Connect with the Benepass team from Transform here: Jaclyn Chen, Megan Burns, Austin Burtenshaw, Claire Mowen, Jack Gray, Alicia Kelsey, Winston Y., Shayne C., Julian Lina, Porter Sproul #Transform2026 #EmployeeBenefits #PeopleOps #HR #BenefitsStrategy

Let's talk AI. Whether you see it as a threat or an incredible opportunity, the pressure to upskill is landing on employees' shoulders. And most employers aren't helping them … at least not enough. 👉 42% of employees expect their role to change significantly due to AI within the next year. (Bright Horizons)  👉 Only 14% have been offered any AI training by their employer in the past 12 months. (Fortune) Employees want to grow, and they need their employers to offer the right benefits to get them there. A Benepass Professional Development Account gives employees flexible funds to invest in the skills that matter most to them: ✅ Courses ✅ Certifications ✅ Conferences ✅ And yes … AI training Best of all? When you support your employees in their career development, they’re more likely to use their new AI skills to support your organization. 

GLP-1 demand is here. The question for employers is how to offer support without taking on open-ended cost exposure. On March 31, Benepass and Sequoia are hosting a fireside chat on one of the most pressing benefits decisions of 2026: how to offer meaningful GLP-1 and weight health support without driving up costs. Jaclyn Chen, CEO of Benepass, Nelsie Nelson PharmD, RPH, MBA, Director of Pharmacy and National Pharmacy Practice Leader at Sequoia, and Erica V., Strategic Alliances Manager at Benepass, will share what they’re hearing from employers across the country and walk through a practical path forward. We’ll cover: • Why GLP-1 costs are surging • Recommendations for fully insured vs. self-insured employers • How specialty HRAs can serve as a compliant, cost-controlled alternative • A financial comparison of coverage options and tax implications For HR, Total Rewards, and Benefits leaders, as well as Benefits Consultants. Register at the link in the comments below.

Employees are taking time off for breakups whether you have a policy for it or not. A new survey by Zety found that 1 in 3 workers has already taken time off following a breakup — and the same number believe employers should offer dedicated heartbreak leave to make it official. It's easy to dismiss, but the impact on work is real: 👉 Breakups negatively affect engagement, focus, problem solving, and punctuality 👉 47% of Gen Z and 45% of millennials say they'd take time off following a split 👉 Employees feel more loyal to companies that support them through personal challenges Whether heartbreak leave becomes a formal policy or not, employees want to feel like their personal lives matter to their employer. Beyond offering PTO, a Lifestyle Spending Account can help employees access mental health support, therapy, and wellbeing resources when life gets hard — for whatever reason. Learn more about how to build a culture of support. (link in comments).

On stage at The Conference Board in NYC, the conversation kept coming back to a practical question. How do you add flexibility for employees without adding complexity for HR and surprise costs for Finance? Clarity for employees. Control for the business. One benchmark we saw this year made the case for consolidation. Employers offering an FSA average 79% utilization. Employers offering both an FSA and an LSA with Benepass average 85% utilization. That lift shows up as fewer forfeitures and a more consistent experience for employees. Our 2026 Benepass Benefits Benchmarking Report is live, based on benchmarks from 280+ employers representing 500,000+ employees across 90 countries. If you are heading into planning and renewals, use the data to pressure test:  • what you standardize vs where flexibility actually matters  • what gets measured vs what stays anecdotal  • which benefits drive usage vs which ones create confusion I will share the download link in the comments. Thank you again to Conor Molloy from Authentic Brands Group and Kristen Jacob from EY for the thoughtful conversations this week.