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Intentional Resilience: Building a 2026 Workplace that is Ready for Anything
By Allison Ebner Let’s be honest: nobody has a crystal ball for 2026. Economic forecasters are hedging their bets, headlines contradict each other daily, and your leadership team is probably asking “what should we plan for?” Interest rates, tariffs, labor markets, healthcare costs—pick your uncertainty. It’s enough to make anyone want to just freeze and…
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Start Strong! 6 Priorities That Position HR for a High-Impact 2026
By Pam Thornton, Director of Strategic HR Services, EANE As we step into a new year, HR leaders are balancing the immediate demands of today with the strategic imperatives of tomorrow. Q1 is always an inflection point but this year, it’s more than a reset. It’s an opportunity to lay the foundation for a stronger,…
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The Intentional Leader: Why 2026 Demands More Than Good Intentions
By Gary Dawson We’re drowning in leadership paradoxes. Companies are throwing money at the problem—56% of organizations have increased their budgets for leadership development in the past year—yet somehow, 77% of organizations still lack sufficient leadership depth across all levels. Even more troubling? Trust in managers has absolutely cratered, falling from 46% in 2022 to…
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2026 PCORI Fee Announced: Key Takeaways for Employers
By Mark Adams Under the Internal Revenue Service’s recently released Notice 2025‑61, the PCORI fee applicable to health‑plan years ending on or after October 1, 2025 and before October 1, 2026 has been set at $3.84 per covered life. For plan years ending in the earlier part of 2025 (January through September), the rate remains $3.47 per covered life. Importantly,…
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IRS New Tax Guidance to Impact Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Programs and Employers
By Mark Adams On Jan. 15, 2025, the IRS issued Revenue Ruling 2025-4, clarifying the federal income and employment tax treatment of contributions to, and benefits paid under, state paid family and medical leave (PFML) programs—plus related reporting. The IRS provided transition relief for calendar year 2025 for certain withholding, payment, and information-reporting requirements for…
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The Future of HR Belongs to the Bold. Are You One of Them?
By Pam Thornton Measure Yourself Against the Future Ready HR Competencies and See Where You Stand. Let’s be honest, HR is changing faster than most organizations realize. Employees are requiring personalization on every front, flexibility, AND emotional support. HR is the one expected to implement, coach, mediate, analyze data, manage risks, and still smile on…
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Radical Kindness: Leading the Way to Better Workplaces
By Allison Ebner I recently had the opportunity to travel to Denver, CO for a conference. I’m usually ‘all business’ with these trips, rushing out and back to make sure we stay on track with all the happenings at EANE. This year, however, I went out a couple days early with my daughter and we…
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Transform Your Leadership Journey: Two Game-Changing Programs Arrive January 2026
By Gary Dawson The Learning and Development team at the Employers Association of the NorthEast is thrilled to unveil completely revitalized versions of our two core leadership certificate programs, launching January 2026. In response to the seismic shifts in how effective leadership operates today, we’ve rebuilt these programs from the ground up with fresh content,…