Question: What happens if an employee misses open enrollment?

Winter presents both attraction and retention challenges as well as unique opportunities for employers. For some industries, recruiting often slows during the winter months—especially after the winter holidays. However, winter is also when many job candidates are making plans for the coming year, which may include searching for new jobs and opportunities. Simultaneously, many employers struggle to keep employees engaged during winter.

2026 Minimum Wage Rates by State – The minimum wage rate is expected to change in 2026 in about half of the states in the U.S. Our HR Compliance Overview provides a summary of the upcoming changes.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII). Title VII requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s and applicant’s sincerely held religious beliefs. Failure to provide reasonable accommodations can have significant consequences for employers, including costly litigation and claims, and decreased employee morale.

When employees are injured or become ill on the job, they may be covered by various laws. For example, workers’ compensation is a form of insurance that provides financial assistance, medical care and other benefits for employees who are injured or disabled on the job. Also, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year for various reasons, including medical leave when an employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition. A workers’ compensation injury that requires hospitalization or incapacitates an employee for more than three days and requires continuing treatment by a health care provider generally qualifies as a serious health condition under the FMLA.

We recently released our HR Compliance Calendar to help your business stay on track with key employment-related deadlines throughout the year. HR compliance can be complex and involves many moving parts. Keeping track of deadlines during 2026 can help your business stay organized and avoid the penalties or workplace disruption that may be triggered by noncompliance.

Health care costs have been growing at an alarming rate in recent years, and they’re not slowing down. Surveys project that U.S. health care costs are likely to increase in many cases over 10% in 2026. Regardless of the exact figure, employers can expect their health care costs to continue to skyrocket throughout 2026.

Delaware Enacts Pay Transparency Law – On Sept. 26, 2025, Delaware enacted a law requiring employers to include salary or wage ranges and benefits information in job postings. The law takes effect on Sept. 26, 2027, and applies to employers with 26 or more employees.

During the fall and winter months, respiratory viruses tend to spread more widely. Common respiratory viruses include the common cold, influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19. Although some people have mild symptoms when they catch a virus, others get sick enough to be hospitalized, especially older or higher-risk adults.