Issue #18 • Oct 22, 2025
Welcome Back, Future of Work By HR Stacks!
We cut through the noise to bring you the most important updates in HR Tech, AI, and the changing world of work. From new AI colleagues clocking in to shifts in workforce strategy, here’s what you need to know this week.
If you haven’t yet, subscribe to the weekly HRstacks newsletter and keep us in your primary inbox.
In Today’s Edition:
Benefits Reboot: Why Clarity Now Wins Over Coverage Alone
AI’s Silent Divide: Leaders Innovate, Employees Wait
Rising Awareness: Inside Japan’s Workplace Well-Being Trend
xAI’s New Coding Agent: Musk’s “grok-code-fast-1” enters the dev space
Tools Spotlight: 7 HR Tech platforms driving workforce agility
✨ Helpful HR Tech Resources
Our List of top HR software solutions: 60+ options included.
A complete resource to find top Employer of Record solutions.
A list of top HR CRM solutions to manage your employees.
Employee Benefits 2025: Cost Pressure Meets Care-First Design
Nearly every U.S. employer offers health coverage (97%), yet rising costs, projected at 5.8% for 2025, are forcing trade-offs in plan design and funding. That makes benefit clarity and usability more important than ever: employees care less about having choices on paper than about benefits they can actually use.
FSAs are fading (about 60% of employers now offer them) while HSAs and GLP-1 coverage (~23%) gain ground. Mental-health visibility, straightforward benefits education, predictable hybrid schedules, and stronger onboarding are proving to be the most reliable retention levers.
When benefits are easy to understand and delivered with visible care, employees stay and perform better.
Practical, People-First Steps For HR:
Simplify enrollment: remove jargon, give examples, and send short, timed reminders.
Publish clear GLP-1 and utilization rules so employees know what to expect.
Fund targeted HSA contributions where they increase uptake, and phase out low-use FSAs.
Make mental-health support visible: leaders should model use and communicate access.
Lock in predictable hybrid rhythms and strengthen onboarding to convert benefits into belonging.
Measure outcomes (uptake, retention, NPS), not just the number of offerings.
When benefits are tangible, accessible, and clearly communicated, they act as retention currency, not just another line item.
Key Employee Benefit Statistics At A Glance:
97% of employers offer some form of health coverage.
5.8% projected rise in employer health benefit costs for 2025.
60% of employers offer FSAs (down from 68% in 2021).
23% cover GLP-1 weight-loss/diabetes medications.
3 in 10 employees say senior leaders don’t prioritize mental health.
Employees who feel cared for are 1.3× more likely to stay and 1.2× more productive.
60% of remote-capable workers prefer hybrid schedules; three-day hybrids are common among Fortune 100.
Paid family leave can reduce turnover by up to 70%.
Replacing an employee typically costs 33% of annual salary (range 0.5–2×).
TRENDING NEWS
1. Leaders Risk Leaving Employees Behind In The AI Boom.
Reports from Perceptyx and The Predictive Index show executives embrace AI, but only 35% of frontline workers use it; most feel unheard and untrained. Seven in ten question HR’s fairness in AI rollout. Read More
What for HR leaders: Bridge the trust gap with transparency, inclusive upskilling, and open communication on AI’s role and impact.
2. Workplace Well-Being Awareness Is Growing In Japan.
Persol reports a 27.1% awareness rate, up 11.2% from 2023, though overall happiness at work has declined to 40.8%, down 3.1 points since 2020. Despite rising awareness, satisfaction, and engagement factors continue to trend downward. Read More
What for HR leaders: Awareness alone isn’t enough; prioritize meaningful well-being programs, recognition, and fair evaluation to translate awareness into genuine happiness.
3. The Future Workforce Will Blend Humans And AI.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicts “digital humans” will be hired, licensed, and onboarded like employees, as the agentic AI labor market grows into trillions. Salesforce’s Marc Benioff and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei foresee similar shifts toward mixed human-AI teams. Read More
What for HR leaders: Prepare for hybrid workforces, redefine onboarding, upskill staff, and develop frameworks for managing and integrating AI employees effectively.
4. All IT Work Will Involve AI By 2030.
Gartner forecasts 75% of IT tasks augmented by humans and 25% handled solely by AI; few organizations are prepared for this shift. Read More
What for CIOs: Focus on both AI readiness and human readiness, transform workforces, build new skills, and implement AI thoughtfully to capture and sustain long-term value.
USEFUL TOOLS
Use RemoFirst as your international HR solution; onboard full-time employees from anywhere in the world and streamline payroll, taxes and compliance policies.
Hire, pay, and manage teams globally with Oyster. Streamline payroll, ensure compliance, and simplify HR in +180 countries, all on one platform.
Hire and manage international employees with ease using Multiplier's global employment solutions. Expand globally smoothly and compliantly.
Hire, pay, and manage teams in 150+ countries with Deel. Run global payroll, ensure compliance, and streamline HR operations, all on one powerful platform.
Streamline HR, payroll & IT with HiBob. Automate processes, boost efficiency, and make smarter decisions to grow your business.
IMPORTANT STATS
