Since defined contribution plans like 401(k)s became the dominant type of employer-sponsored retirement benefit in the US in the mid-1990s, many HR teams have focused on helping their workers save enough money to retire one day.

These efforts have paid off, at least according to data from one major retirement plan provider, Vanguard.

“We’re at the point now, where, through the very good work of the HR community…that the accumulation phase for (401)k saving is very much on the path to success,” David Stinnett, head of strategic retirement consulting for Vanguard, told HR Brew. A majority (85%) of employees with access to Vanguard retirement plans were participating in them as of 2024, Stinnett said, up four percentage points from 2015. Additionally, plan participants were saving at an average rate of 12%.

Now that more workers are saving adequately for retirement, plan sponsors are turning their attention to what happens after employees stop working, Stinnett said.

For more on how HR is helping plan income after retirement, keep reading here.—CV

Reid Walsh tells her HR team at NEOGOV, where she serves as its CHRO, to focus on impact. Walsh told HR Brew she has been “maniacally focused” on it since she joined the cloud-based HCM and hiring platform designed specifically for the public sector back in 2023.

It’s not about just identifying the people work that needs to get done. Walsh wants her teams focusing on the interventions and programs that will deliver the most impact for employees and thus the business.

It’s “being aware enough and involved enough, and honestly, having the superpower of intuition and impact to be able to address things when you could do everything,” she said.

Arriving three years ago amid rapid growth, a major acquisition, and a remote-work reset that transitioned away from a central office in LA, Walsh focused first on stabilizing a culture in flux, and set core operations (SOPs, payroll, hiring) that would deliver the most impact for the business.

For more from our conversation with Walsh, keep reading here.—AD

With so many CEOs doubling down on AI initiatives, AI is poised for a consequential year in 2026. So consequential, in fact, that half of CEOs, according to the Boston Consulting Group’s January 2026 AI Radar survey, believe that their jobs are dependend on “getting AI right.”

But studies provide conflicting data about the ROI of AI.

A December 2025 EY pulse survey of 500 business leaders, for instance, found that 96% of organizations have seen productivity gains from AI, with more than half of respondents (57%) describing the gains as “significant.” But more than half of the 4,454 global CEOs in a survey fielded by PwC in fall 2025 said that AI hasn’t either lowered costs or increased revenues.

One method of tracking AI’s impact on productivity is in terms of time savings.

For more on how to measure the ROI of AI, keep reading on CFO Brew.—CV

Burnout and fatigue are on the rise as workers feel stalled in their careers amid a slower job market. Here's why feeling “stuck” is dragging down morale, what HR teams can do to offer growth without promotions, and how transparency and skill-building can help employees push through the pause.

Everyone has a feeling about productivity. Sam Naficy, CEO of Prodoscore, has the data. Learn how people analytics can separate real performance from calendar noise and help leaders make smarter decisions without turning work into surveillance theater. Grab a ticket now to our first HR Brew Summit.