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Beyond Renewal Season: Taking a Strategic Approach to Your Broker Relationship
By Terri Patnode For many employers, the broker relationship receives the most attention during renewal season. Rates arrive, options are evaluated, and decisions are made. Then the relationship largely goes into maintenance mode until next year. But today’s benefits environment is more complex than ever. Rising healthcare costs, increasing compliance obligations, expanding technology solutions, and…
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Beyond a Simple “Thanks”:What Gen Z Wants from Recognition
By Samantha Borsari Think back to the last time you truly thanked someone on your team. I don’t mean saying something like “Hey! Thanks for your work today” or “Great job on that project!” No. I mean you truly spent a moment to mention the person by name, acknowledge what they did, and explain why…
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Massachusetts PFML Gets Some Practical Updates
By Mark Adams The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) has rolled out a couple of practical improvements to the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) system—and has another potentially helpful development on the horizon for smaller employers. First, employers should see less confusion when reviewing partially approved PFML applications. The employer portal…
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Trust, But Verify: Building Smarter AI Training for Your Team
By Gary Dawson More people are using artificial intelligence at work than ever before, yet most of them are teaching themselves. According to American AI Sentiment in 2026, a report from Gallup and the Special Competitive Studies Project, 51% of U.S. adults now use AI at least sometimes at work, at school, or in their…
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From Aircraft Carriers to Dog Leashes: Murdock Webbing Weaves Safety into Everyday Life
Since 1936, Murdock Webbing Company, Inc. has been manufacturing narrow woven fabrics right here in the United States. Headquartered in Central Falls, Rhode Island, this family-owned company combines nearly 90 years of textile manufacturing experience with modern technology and innovation. Today, Murdock produces medium- to heavy-weight webbing for an impressive variety of industries, including military,…
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New Supervisor Training in New England: What to Cover and When
The people skills are the easy part. What separates a well-trained supervisor in New England is knowing what they’re responsible for under state law, and most national courses don’t cover that regional angle. Key takeaways Why Generic New Supervisor Training Falls Short Someone on your team just became a supervisor so you go looking for…
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Do You Need a Lawyer or an HR Consultant for a Pay Equity Audit in Massachusetts?
Key takeaways Either you’ve decided to look at whether people doing comparable work are paid comparably or you’ve been forced to look at it. The next question is who runs the audit. A lawyer? An HR consultant? A software platform? Here’s what Massachusetts law asks for, what each kind of help covers, and how to…
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Sexual Harassment Training Requirements in New England, State by State
Key takeaways “Do we have to train our people on harassment?” We pulled all the requirements for New England employers and employees in one place so you don’t have to search. Harassment training requirements in New England at a glance State Training required? Who, and by when Policy and notice rules that apply either way…