Why Workplaces Need to Think Differently About Psychological Safety
Kathryn Mayer, SHRM
Psychological safety has become a familiar term in workplace conversations. But according to leadership consultant and behavioral scientist Steve Robbins, many organizations may still not be taking it seriously enough — or, perhaps, may not be thinking about it in the right way. “Psychological safety sits underneath a lot of the things organizations say they care about,” said Robbins, founder of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based consulting and training firm S.L. Robbins & Associates. “It influences whether people can participate, whether they feel connected, whether they believe they have value, and ultimately how much of themselves they can bring to the work asked of them.”
But there are many challenges in addressing this properly, Robbins said. Part of the challenge, he explained, is that psychological safety is difficult to see. Unlike a physical safety concern, its effects can be largely invisible — even as they influence how employees think, participate, and perform. When employees don’t feel psychologically safe, some of that mental capacity may be redirected toward monitoring the environment, second-guessing themselves, avoiding blame, or determining what is safe to say. Robbins describes this as “distracted working,” akin to “distracted driving.”
2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey
KFF
This is the 28th annual Employer Health Benefits Survey. As in years past, the survey examines trends in employer-sponsored health coverage, including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, offer rates, and employer practices. This year we asked employers detailed questions about satisfaction with their health plans; coverage for GLP-1 agonists and IVF; actions taken in response to projected cost increases; and firms’ ability to obtain information about health care costs and utilization. The 2026 survey includes 1,937 interviews with non-federal public and private firms.
Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $28,303 this year, 5% higher than in 2025. On average, covered workers contributed $7,471 toward the cost of family coverage. The average deductible among covered workers in a plan with a general annual deductible was $1,955 for single coverage.
Survey results are published as a full report with downloadable tables on a variety of topics, as well as an abbreviated summary of findings.
Related: High health Costs Squeeze Workers, Even if You Have Good Insurance Through a Job
Your Workplace Policies Are Only as Strong as the Managers Applying Them
7 Strategies to Build Manager Readiness
Casey Heck, HR Morning
A manager’s everyday conversations with employees are where an organization’s policies are tested, especially in difficult scenarios that test manager readiness.
An employee may ask why they earn less than a colleague, say a coworker’s comment made them uncomfortable, or request flexibility because of a health issue. No one is fully prepared for these moments, but each one gives a manager a chance to demonstrate how the organization’s commitments to fairness, respect, and support play out in practice.In these situations, a manager’s first instinct is often to be “human,” and that instinct matters. It helps employees feel heard and be more at ease. But empathy alone isn’t enough. How a manager responds also depends on understanding the policies behind the conversation and the proper next step.
Title VII and ADA Claims Led the EEOC’s 97 Merit Lawsuits in FY2026
Jill Barth, HR Executive
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed 97 merit lawsuits in FY2026, a 4% increase from the 93 filings in FY2025, according to an analysis by Seyfarth Shaw.
The total is among the lowest annual counts of the past decade, “but there are lessons in those numbers,” say the attorneys. “While overall filing numbers remain relatively subdued, the composition of these filings reveals a great deal about the EEOC’s evolving priorities.”
4 Must-Haves for Your Workplace Accommodation Policy
Robin E. Shea, Employment & Labor Insider
A good reasonable accommodation policy for our modern era should address each of the following:
No. 1: Accommodations for employees with disabilities.
No. 2: Accommodations for employees who are pregnant or who have pregnancy-related conditions.
No. 3: Accommodations for nursing mothers, who need to express milk during the work day.
No. 4: Accommodations for employees with religious needs.And those are just under federal law. You may need to cover other accommodations based on applicable state or local laws.
I’ll talk about each of these four separately, but in all cases your policy should (1) explain generally when the accommodation might apply, (2) provide some examples, and (3) tell employees how to make a request. This last should include the job title of the contact and, ideally, that contact’s phone number and email address (or a link).
HR News Roundup: Quick Takes
- Election 2026: Employers’ State and Local Obligations for Employee Voting Time Off
- Employee Benefits Seem to Satisfy Workers, but Gaps Persist
- 5 Common ADA and FMLA Questions Employers Should Be Ready to Answer
- Dealing With Students’ Mental Health Is Exacerbating Teachers’ Own Challenges
- Are You For Real? Increase in AI Deepfakes Raises ‘Red Flags’ for U.S. Employers
- The Social Security COLA for 2027 Is Set. Here’s What Experts Say You Need to Know
- 3 Costly Wage Risks Facing Healthcare Employers
- A Hiring Manager Screamed at a Young Candidate. The Bigger Red Flag Wasn’t His Temper
- Hiring a Waitress? Hire a Server Instead.
- Stop Treating FMLA Certifications as If They are a Hard Cap on Leave!
- EEOC Moves to Rescind 2012 Guidance on Use of Criminal Records in Hiring
- Employers’ Confidence in Higher Education Undaunted by AI
- Your Chatbot Can’t Keep a Secret: Why Employers Still Need Lawyers (For Now)
- 5 Things To Praise Coworkers For and 5 Ways NOT to Praise Employees and Coworkers
HR News: From the Lighter Side …
OK, as might be expected give the time of year, our “lighter side” selections feature a Halloween theme.
- You might missed the goings-on at one of new York City’s famous Halloween dog parades a few weeks ago, but you can find some pictures of dogs in disguise here, or check this Instagram for pictures and short videos of doggie winners.
- Check out Google’s spooky Frightgeist featuring Halloween search trends – don’t miss the trending lists for costume searches.
- What kind of candy do you give out on Halloween? Instacart’s 2026 report reveals America’s Most Popular Halloween Candy. But if you are nostalgic for the candies of yesteryear, check out this article on what the popular Halloween candy was in the year you were born – at least if you were born between 1960 and 2002.
- With Halloween just around the corner, you may want to sneak away of the weekend … why not head to one of the 12 most haunted US hotels? Or if you prefer the great outdoors, maybe these famous National Park ghost stories might inspire you.
- For some truly harrowing stories HR-style, turn to the lawyers. Here are a few cautionary tales
—Halloween Tips for Employers: How to Avoid the Scary Consequences of Halloween Costumes
—The Spooky Consequences of Halloween Celebrations in the Workplace
—Halloween’s Bubbling Cauldron of Litigation
HR News – Blog posts you may have missed!