Category: Human Resources

  • AI Chatbots in HR: What Employers Need to Know

    Artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT are transforming the workplace, helping organizations improve efficiency, streamline workflows, and enhance the employee experience. In HR, AI can assist with tasks such as drafting job descriptions, screening applicants, supporting onboarding, and answering routine employee questions. While these tools can save time and improve productivity, they also introduce legal,…

  • Human Sustainability and HR: Protecting People, Driving Performance | VA Employee Benefits Agents

    Exhausted employees do not innovate, and burned-out managers cannot build strong, thriving cultures. For nearly a decade, corporate wellness has been siloed into superficial initiatives: wellness apps, awareness weeks, or reactive crisis counseling. Human sustainability recognizes that employee health, energy, resilience, and mental capacity are finite resources. Like any organizational asset, these can either be…

  • Workplace Strategies for Supporting the Sandwich Generation | VA Employee Benefits Agents

    In today’s workforce, a significant number of experienced employees are working a second job that never appears on a timesheet: caregiving.  This places them in the “sandwich generation,” a group of middle-aged adults tasked with simultaneously caring for their aging parents and their own children. This isn’t a specific age cohort like the Baby Boomers,…

  • When the Calendar Shifts: Preparing for an Extra Payroll Cycle in 2026 | VA Employee Benefits Agents

    Most employers follow standard payroll schedules—monthly, weekly, semi-monthly, or biweekly—with biweekly cycles being the most common. Nearly half of organizations pay employees every other week. In 2026, however, employers using a biweekly schedule may encounter an unusual twist. Because New Year’s Day in 2027 falls on a federal holiday, companies that typically issue Friday paychecks…

  • “Too Small for HR”? Here’s Why That’s a Risky Myth | Virginia Benefits Agency 

    “HR is for big companies. We’re only 12 people.” It’s a common refrain and an expensive one. Compliance obligations don’t wait until you hit 50, 100, or 500 employees. Many apply from employee #1, and others kick in far earlier than most small businesses expect. The result? Well-meaning teams make ad-hoc decisions, managers wing it, and risk…

  • The Great Stability: Why Employees are “Job Hugging” in 2026 | Virginia Benefits Agency  

    As we move through 2026, the workforce is sending a clear message: Stability is the new priority.   New research from the Adecco Group shows that employees are putting a premium on job security, fair pay, and long-term stability—much more than chasing the next opportunity. Many have embraced “job hugging”, choosing to stay where they are rather than jump…

  • Holiday Housekeeping: 4 Employee Handbook Policies to Make Sure You’ve Got Right Before 2026| VA Benefits Team 

    An employee handbook is key for setting workplace expectations and staying compliant. Outdated policies can create legal and operational risk. With evolving compliance requirements in the form of new laws and revised regulations, employers need to keep a watchful eye on their handbook policies to make sure they stay compliant. They should also be sure…

  • 7 Change management to-dos for HR | Virginia Benefits Group 

    Change management is a necessity in today’s workplace. Digital transformation, hybrid work and automation are forcing people to adapt, learn new things and evolve. HR professionals are uniquely positioned as both architects and ambassadors of change. Discover guidance for navigating these transformations: 1. Assess the preparedness of the workforce Whenever big change is coming, organizations must determine how ready their people are…

  • The Social Signals Behind Employee Retention | VA Benefits Group

    When considering employee retention, HR professionals must realize that turnover doesn’t begin with a resignation letter. It starts much earlier—and it’s quieter. A skipped lunch, a missed meeting, fewer Slack messages. These small signs often signal something much bigger: an employee pulling away. Long before someone quits, they disconnect. And in today’s networked workplace, social withdrawal is often…

  • What is Mental Health and Wellness in HR? | Virginia Benefits Group 

    Mental health and wellness in HR is the practice of employers caring about the health and stress management of their workers by providing support and resources to prevent burnout. Human Resources professionals include mental health and wellness benefits, such as insurance coverage, employee assistance programs (EAPs), access to apps and counseling, and more. Beyond traditional benefits,…