| There's a hopeful feeling in the air. Perhaps it's faint now, but it's growing. A COVID-19 vaccine is almost within reach. The new year is in sight and better days are ahead. In the workplace, planning for 2021 is underway, as employers conduct open enrollments and roll out innovative benefits programs for beleaguered workforces. Read on for a deep dive into these and other critical workplace wellness initiatives.—The Ragan Team TOP READS Innovative, inclusive, interactive: Top employee-benefits trends for 2021. Companies keen on recruiting and retaining top talent should plan for perks that workers crave in these stressful times. Read on for pivotal engagement ammunition.  Student-loan repayment programs rise as organizations seek to appeal to millennials. Here’s a primer on what to consider when implementing a program, and why you should. Curating the week in wellness: Recalibrating perks for remote workers, well-being tactics that work, and more. The week’s essential content and fresh industry pickings for those dedicated to employee well-being. Building a strategy around long-term change on DE&I. The co-founders of a diversity-assessment agency share guidance on how to achieve organizational progress on a pervasive problem. RESEARCH Report: Employees like working from home and don’t want to go back to an office. 2020 has upended workers’ expectations and how they evaluate companies. A survey illustrates how much things have changed.
STAT OF THE WEEK  The workplace revolution of 2020 has its roots in digital transformation, as illustrated in this IBM research. There's no longer a separation between digital natives and analog workers. We've all been forced to develop digital proficiency. ESPN floods the zone with wellness programming as pandemic persists. Engagement remains high across a slew of activities as the company sets a tone where employees feel supported, reassured and connected.
RESOURCES OF THE WEEK Want to know what really enhances job satisfaction—with data that executives can’t ignore? Check out Ragan's Salary & Workplace Culture Survey, 2020 Edition, and learn whether your salary structure is within the norm and whether you're doing all you can to foster workplace happiness and optimize the employee experience.
Are you ready for your workforce to come back to the office? Communications will be at the heart of any successful effort to reboard your employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s how to plan for a changed business world. | 
