The benefits equation has changed. Budgets are tighter, scrutiny is higher, and "we offer great benefits" is only a starting point. Today's HR leaders aren't just designing total rewards packages, they're defending them to their CFOs, their boards, and a workforce that's paying closer attention than ever (as they should).

Join HR Brew for a half-day event that puts your comp and benefits strategy under the microscope. We’ll unpack what programs are working, what your employees think, how to defend costs, and where businesses are seeing the biggest payoff when it comes to how they approach culture and care. Leave equipped with the language, data, and real-world case studies to make the case back home and ensure it holds up under pressure.

Here's what you can expect to cover:

• The Healthcare Reckoning: Healthcare spend is the defining total rewards challenge of 2026. HR leaders are restructuring plans, exploring self-funded models, and renegotiating everything all while trying not to lose employee trust in the process. We get into the mechanics: what's working, what's not, and what the CFO conversation looks like when it actually goes well.
• Prove It: The ROI of Benefits: Which benefits are earning their keep? And how do you know? Practitioners talk through real innovative, and foundational, programs: what it cost to build, how they measured impact, and whether the numbers held up. Whether you’re considering programs related to flexible time off, financial wellbeing, or something more experimental, this is the session for you.
• Care at Every Stage: The sandwich generation is real, and it's sitting in your workforce right now. From fertility to eldercare, we explore how HR leaders are designing caregiving support that scales and what role technology and outside partnerships play in making it cost-effective.
• The New Tech Toolkit for Total Rewards: With the right technology, total rewards can be more strategic, inclusive and data-informed than ever before – both in how offerings are determined and communicated. During this conversation, HR Brew explores how forward-thinking companies are leveraging emerging technologies – AI, predictive analytics and personalization tools – to optimize cost, usage and employee satisfaction.
• The Flexibility Factor: Strategic Benefits for Employee Wellbeing: Modern organizations are focused on redesigning their total rewards strategies to proactively support employee wellbeing across mental, financial and social dimensions while offering the flexibility that today’s talent expects. From remote work stipends and sabbatical programs to personalized PTO policies and community-building initiatives, explore practical approaches to building a culture of wellbeing that makes the difference in retaining talent.