New research shows benefits of a four-day work week
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
HR Acuity CEO Deb Muller Named to Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation List
This recognition reinforces Muller's role as the voice of employee relations and HR Acuity's market leadership in employee relations NEW YORK, Aug. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- HR Acuity, the category leader in HR case management and employee relations software, today announced that its founder and CEO Deb Muller has been named to the 2025 Forbes "50 Over 50: Innovation" list. The annual ranking spotlights 50 trailblazing women over age 50 who are reshaping their industries through innovation and impact. Muller founded HR Acuity to improve how companies manage workplace issues. Under her leadership, HR Acuity has become the go-to partner for hundreds of enterprises looking to manage workplace issues with transparency, consistency and integrity. Muller's influence extends beyond product, having led the development of the company's annual Employee Relations Benchmark Study, covering more than 9 million employees; the ER/Q, the first-ever maturity model for employee relations; and empowER™, a growing community of more than 6,000 employee relations, workplace investigations, human resources and compliance professionals. "The best ideas don't come with a timestamp," said Deb Muller, founder and CEO of HR Acuity. "Being named to Forbes' 50 Over 50 list alongside so many brilliant women proves that innovation has no age limit—experience and wisdom are powerful catalysts for groundbreaking solutions." The complete list can be found here: About HR Acuity HR Acuity is the category leader in HR case management and investigations software, purpose-built for employee relations and HR professionals. Its industry-leading SaaS solution delivers powerful tools and AI-driven analytics to manage employee relations cases and investigations with consistency, clarity and confidence. By transforming how organizations handle workplace issues—from initial report to resolution and beyond—HR Acuity empowers businesses to foster transparency, accountability and a culture of trust. HR Acuity proudly boasts an expanding customer base, working with hundreds of leading enterprises. The company publishes the annual Employee Relations Benchmark Study, covering more than 9 million employees; is the creator of ER/Q, the first-ever maturity model for employee relations; and is the founder of empowER™, a growing community of more than 6,000 employee relations, workplace investigations, human resources and compliance professionals. For more information, visit or follow us on LinkedIn. Media Contact: Kate Freer, CMO kfreer@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE HR Acuity Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
How PEOs Can Redefine Employee Benefits
Saket Chaudhari, Principal Software Engineer, TriNet Inc. My role as a principal software engineer with a leading professional employer organization (PEO) gives me direct exposure to the fast-paced changes happening in employee benefits platforms. When business requirements meet technological advances, organizations discover fresh possibilities to generate value for their customers alongside their workforce. For leaders who operate within the PEO space implementing an employee benefits system, the challenge is no longer just technical execution—it's aligning system decisions with evolving workforce expectations and regulatory demands. Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) use PEOs to attract top talent through enterprise-level benefits and for HR services such as payroll. A smooth, personalized benefits experience has become crucial for organizations operating in today's competitive labor market. By engaging with PEOs, businesses can access competitive health plan options, retirement plans and compliance support that are often out of reach with most smaller employers. However, as many in the PEO space have discovered, simply offering benefits alongside HR outsourcing is not enough. Employees increasingly expect intuitive, digital-first experiences. Employees appreciate having the ability to compare their benefit plans and access support from any location through their mobile devices. In this context, technology stands out as a strategic differentiator. A strategic approach to sophisticated software can help PEO platforms combine payroll processing with benefits administration and analytics support through a single unified portal that supports compliance. Key features that customers often look for include: Customizable Dashboards: Both employers and employees have the ability to rapidly assess essential metrics, including enrollment statistics, benefits usage and the status of compliance requirements. Self-Service Tools: The platform enables employees to manage their personal details and financial details and access learning materials through an intuitive interface or mobile application. Integration Capabilities: With prebuilt APIs, businesses can connect benefit platforms to other business and financial systems, streamlining workflows and reducing administrative workload. Advanced Analytics: Employers can make informed choices based on data when workforce analytics and reporting tools enable them to enhance benefit offerings and understand trends in employee needs. AI and data-driven insights serve as key drivers for emerging innovations in PEO technology. AI can help businesses deliver tailored benefit suggestions to employees while automating standard HR functions and forecasting future workforce needs by analyzing historical information and behavioral trends. Machine learning algorithms can help organizations to explore health plan offerings for different employee groups and assist with the proactive identification of potential issues. Looking ahead, enterprise workflows may be further reshaped by agentic AI systems—tools capable of independently performing tasks, learning from outcomes and adapting over time. This shift may power more dynamic and responsive experiences, from automated onboarding to real-time benefits troubleshooting and proactive guidance through complex benefit decisions. Strong collaboration between business leaders and technologists is essential for success in the PEO space. Business teams should define transparent objectives, which may involve increasing employee satisfaction levels, lowering administrative costs or entering new markets. Technology teams need to develop systems that maintain scalability and security while remaining intuitive and flexible enough to adapt to evolving business requirements. Practical examples of this partnership include: • Collaborative Design: The design process requires direct participation from end users like employers and employees to create platforms that serve real-world requirements. • Continuous Feedback Loops: Enhance the platform and develop new features by evaluating analytics data and obtaining input from users through an iterative process. • Industry-Specific Expertise: Technology enables the creation of customized solutions for various industries, including healthcare and financial services as well as manufacturing. I believe the companies that succeed in the evolving PEO landscape will be those that strategically use technology to create outstanding experiences for employees. Through investment in advanced analytics technology alongside AI automation and smooth system integrations, PEOs enable their clients to secure top talent while simultaneously optimizing costs and mitigating risks. For business leaders, the evolution of employee benefits will center around digital solutions powered by data and personalized for each individual. Technologists face both a challenge and an opportunity when developing platforms that transform this vision into reality. This communication is for informational purposes only, and is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
Eight Ways HR Leaders Can Create Effective Wellness Stipend Programs
With employee well-being becoming a higher priority in recent years, many organizations are turning to wellness stipends as a flexible and inclusive way to support their teams. These programs can help cover a wide range of wellness-related expenses, such as fitness memberships and mental health support, that take the holistic employee into account. If you're planning to build out a wellness stipend initiative, you'll need to carefully consider every detail, from budgeting and communication to equity and personalization. To help you figure this out, eight members of Forbes Human Resources Council share their expert strategies for creating wellness stipend programs that are accessible, meaningful and aligned with employee needs. 1. Survey Employees To Understand Their Needs HR leaders must start by surveying employees to understand their wellness needs. Then, they can offer flexible stipends that cover diverse expenses, from gym memberships to mental health apps. It's best to keep it simple, inclusive and easy to access so employees feel genuinely supported. - William Stonehouse, Crawford Thomas Recruiting 2. Define Eligible Expenses To create a strong wellness stipend program, companies should assess employee needs, define eligible expenses (like gym memberships, therapy, wellness apps or employee assistance program services) and set a meaningful budget. The program should be flexible, easy to access and clearly communicated. Ongoing feedback and tracking ensure it remains relevant and supports overall well-being. - Eiman Alhammadi, ADNOC 3. Set Clear Categories With Broad Guidelines They can start by surveying employees to learn what wellness expenses matter most to them. Leaders should set clear categories like fitness, mental health or hobbies, and keep guidelines broad to allow personal choice. They should offer easy reimbursement or prepaid cards, communicate the benefit often and gather feedback to refine the program so it truly supports well-being. - JacLyn Pagnotta, Rose Associates Inc. 4. Anchor Benefits To Use Cases Across Lived Experiences And Life Stages Wellness design should reflect lived reality, not HR assumptions. Stipends should be engineered as systems of equity, not perks of privilege. You should anchor them to real-life use cases across income levels, caregiving demands and health disparities, and integrate them with total rewards, tailoring support to life stages and emerging needs. That's how programs become indispensable, not just available. - Katrina Jones Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify? 5. Partner With Diverse Vendors HR should start by surveying employees to identify top wellness needs—mental health, fitness, nutrition, childcare and so on. Then, they can design flexible stipend options with tiered reimbursement levels, automatic payroll integration and annual usage tracking. It's a good idea to partner with diverse vendors to ensure equity and inclusivity across all income levels. - CJ Eason, 6. Set A Per-Employee Budget To Allocate Toward Their Personal Wellness Needs You can begin with a per-employee budget that the CFO and finance team are able to allocate to the organization. Then, you can survey employees' needs and itemize the top 15 to 20. The next step would be to allow the employees to allocate their budget towards the wellness needs that suit them. This allows for three things: showing you care, aligning with employee needs and staying within budget. - Subha Barry, Seramount 7. Prioritize Communication And Education It's best to start with understanding your workforce via surveys, demographics and life stage analysis to uncover diverse needs. You can leverage these insights, budget and data to create personalized well-being choices. Effective communication and education are crucial for the why. The program must continually evolve, tracking utilization, adapting to gaps and changing needs to ensure ongoing relevance and value. - Sherry Martin 8. Track Usage And Continuously Improve The Program Based On Feedback You can empower every employee by co-creating through surveys to address their needs. You can build a foolproof wellness stipend by offering flexible, inclusive benefits, clear policies, easy access and personalized options. You should avoid complex reimbursements and create awareness with strong communication. It's a good idea to track usage and gather feedback for continuous improvement for holistic employee well-being. - Sheena Minhas, ST Microelectronics
