Two major research reports came out this spring with remarkably consistent findings.
The Marsh McLennan Agency 2026 National Benefits Strategy Survey gathered responses from 616 employers across industries, and Goldman Sachs Key Workplace Benefit Trends 2026 drew on Fortune 500-heavy data collected during the 2026 open enrollment season.
Together, they point to the same conclusion: Benefits strategy is becoming more intentional, specialized, and consequential for retention. Here are five things the data says employers should do differently.
1. Start treating pharmacy costs as a strategy
Pharmacy costs are no longer a background expense.
Seventy-six percent of employers in the Marsh McLennan survey rated managing pharmacy costs as either "important" or "very important" over the next 12 months. GLP-1 medications drive much of that urgency.
The Goldman Sachs AYCO (financial resources) data is more specific: 54% of large employers now cover GLP-1 medications for weight loss, and 64% of those employers cite cost as their top coverage consideration.
51% of employers use what Goldman Sachs calls a "GLP-1 plus" approach, pairing eligibility with supportive requirements such as a weight-management or nutrition program. Pairing medication access with lifestyle support gives employees a better chance at lasting results.
What to do: If GLP-1s are covered or under consideration, look at whether the eligibility structure also includes meaningful support. It delivers better outcomes for employees and a more sustainable benefits budget model.
2. Treat family-building benefits as retention infrastructure
More than 80% of Fortune 500-level organizations now cover IVF and IUI, and over half offer dedicated menopause support. For mid and small employers, those numbers can feel distant.
The Marsh McLennan data points out that just 6% of all employers currently offer fertility and family planning benefits. For smaller organizations, the standard is moving in that direction, but the employers setting the talent expectations in your market are likely already there.
Menopause support deserves separate attention. Virginia has passed legislation prohibiting workplace discrimination related to menopause symptoms, and California and New York have similar bills pending, shifting this from a benefits conversation to a compliance one.
What to do: Understand what your current medical plan already covers. IVF and IUI are medical procedures that sometimes integrate into existing coverage without additional cost. Know where you stand before the conversation comes to you.
3. Benchmark parental leave and close the gap between categories
Parental leave has normalized: Ninety-five percent of large employers in the Goldman Sachs survey offer leave that doesn't differentiate between birthing, non-birthing, and adoptive parents.
But duration gaps persist down market in smaller companies:
- Non-birthing and adoptive parents receive five to eight weeks (32–33%).
- Birthing parents commonly receive nine to twelve weeks (15% of employers offer up to 21 weeks).
- Foster parents receive the least (35% of employers offer four weeks or less).
What to do: Compare current leave durations against these benchmarks. Closing the gap for non-birthing and adoptive parents to reach that five-to-eight-week range is a relatively low-cost change, and one employees notice when evaluating offers.
4. Close the communication gap on what your plan includes
Benefits communication leads to employee retention. Both communication and retention need to be in the same conversation, and employees need to understand what they actually have, yet the data shows a clear disconnect.
The Marsh McLennan data found only 40% of employers rate "effective communication and education of benefits" as "very important", even as employee retention ranks as the top HR priority at 50%, with engagement close behind at 46%.
The awareness gap is real. A Goldman Sachs webinar cited data showing roughly half of employees don't know whether their employer covers GLP-1 medications at all.
What to do: Audit how key benefits, especially GLP-1 coverage criteria, fertility benefits, and parental leave, are explained to employees. If the information isn't easy to find in plain language, it effectively doesn't exist from the employee's perspective.
5. Invest in retention differently than in years past
The Marsh McLennan survey shows a clear shift in what's working. Professional development and career advancement have moved to the top of the retention strategy list: 47% of employers focused on this in 2026, up from 41% in 2025 and 40% in 2024. Off-cycle salary increases also climbed, from 26% to 30%.
Compensation matters. But employees are also evaluating long-term trajectory, and employers who rely only on pay adjustments are leaving meaningful retention tools on the table.
What to do: Look at where professional development shows up consistently in the employee experience. Structured career conversations and accessible development resources cost far less than replacement, which, depending on the role, runs 50% to 200% of annual salary.
Make incremental changes and lean into retention
Employers who treat benefits as a compliance floor will keep losing ground to those who use benefits as a retention strategy. The two reports covered here make it easier to see exactly where that gap is opening and where relatively targeted adjustments can close it.
To stay competitive, you don’t have to change everything all at once. Steady, incremental changes will keep you positioned as an employer of choice. The good news is that most of what the data points to doesn't require a budget overhaul, but rather attention, intention, and a willingness to treat benefits as a reflection of what the organization values.
Content provided by Q4intelligence
Photo by Arif