The past few years have thrown employees through one disruption after another, COVID, inflation, the end of remote-work defaults, and now a resumption of student loan payments. In a new piece, PTO Exchange's Rob Whalen lays out five trends he expects will shape how HR teams support their people in 2026.

Rising healthcare costs top the list, 2026 is set to bring the largest single-year cost increase in over a decade, pushing many employees toward high-deductible plans that leave them more exposed financially. That compounds an already-deepening financial anxiety: 86% of employees worry about their finances at work, and total household debt has climbed near $18.6 trillion. Whalen argues this makes holistic financial wellness benefits, help with budgeting, debt reduction, and emergency savings, a must, not a nice-to-have, especially since 81% of employees say they're more likely to stay with employers offering this kind of support.

The remaining trends focus on flexibility. Just 22% of employees use all their available PTO, part of a broader work-life balance crisis fueled by financial stress and anxiety over AI-driven job displacement. Whalen's answer is giving employees real ownership over their benefits, convertible PTO that lets them redirect unused time toward retirement or HSAs, earned wage access to avoid costly emergency borrowing, and more personalized options like mentoring and upskilling support.

Read the full piece here: Five Trends That Will Define 2026 for HR Teams

Learn more today on how PTO Exchange can help your employees access their unused vacation safely and responsibly.