Stayconomics Brief - Edition 11 (General)

19 OCTOBER 2026 · GENERAL EDITION

Would your team choose you again?

Staying is not always commitment. Three signals, and three small moves to try this week.

👋 Welcome

Still on the payroll. Not necessarily planning to stay. WTW's latest global research points to employees who remain for now, but would move for a better opportunity.^[1]

So, a question for this week: if your team had the choice today, would they choose you again?

Here are three signals worth noticing, and small changes you can actually try.
— Emma Olie

📊 This Week in Workplace Data

38% 🔮

The future feels uncertain.

Employees worry AI could seriously affect their job security. WTW surveyed 41,000 employees across 31 markets.^[1]

70% 🧩

Benefits are finding their fit.

Employees say their benefits meet their needs, up from roughly half in 2017. That measures perceived fit, not usage.^[1]

40% ⏱️

More output, same people?

Business leaders in Workday's global survey expect AI to help them get more from existing employees. An expectation, not a productivity result.^[2]

Sources: WTW, published 2 October; Workday, published 5 October.

🌍 Workplace Headlines

1Staying for now is not the same as staying by choice

WTW found that employees concerned about AI were three times as likely to be soft stayers: staying, but ready to move if something better appears.^[1]

💡 TRY THIS
Ask in your next one-to-one: "What would make staying here an easy yes?" Listen before explaining.

2Before adding AI, decide what comes off the plate

Workday's October report describes jobs changing as employers look for more output from existing teams.^[2] The useful question: does a new tool remove work, or add another expectation?

💡 TRY THIS
Pick one repetitive workflow. Test AI with human review, then measure the time actually recovered.

3Good benefits. Clear starting point?

WTW's findings show improving benefit fit.^[1] But a generous package can still be difficult to navigate.

💡 TRY THIS
Replace "Explore all your benefits" with three starting points: "Support my wellbeing", "Make my commute easier", "Help with everyday costs", using options your plan actually offers.

🌎 Around the World

🇺🇸 United States Planning reminder

Official 2027 HSA contribution limits are $4,500 self-only / $9,000 family; the excepted-benefit HRA limit is $2,250. These were published earlier this year, not this week.^[3]

Next step: Check open-enrolment materials and the calendar-year versus plan-year rules.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom Deadline approaching

For a 2025–26 PAYE Settlement Agreement, electronic payment must reach HMRC by 22 October.^{[4] [6]}

Next step: Confirm payment status and use the PSA reference, not the PAYE Accounts Office reference.

🌐 Global A reason to join, too

Job security ranks second only to pay in WTW's attraction and retention findings.^[1]

Next step: Give candidates an honest explanation of how roles, learning and support will evolve. No promises you cannot keep.

📚 Featured Articles

🎙 Podcast of the Week

The HR Technology Trends 2026: AI is Expanding Jobs, Not Replacing Them

This week's episode looks at why AI adoption in HR is correlating with workforce growth rather than cuts, and what that means for how HR teams plan headcount and skills for 2026.

🎧 Listen on Spotify →

📅 Events & Webinars

We have no events scheduled this week. Stay tuned — new webinars and meetups will be announced soon.

See all events & past webinars →

💡 Founders Perspective

"I want people to stay because they can see a future here, not because leaving feels risky. For me, that starts with listening, making support useful and showing what changes because people spoke up."

— Emma Olie

💜 ABOUT SIDEUP

Benefits people can choose. A programme HR can manage.

SideUp brings flexible benefits, reimbursements, employee feedback through eNPS and pulse surveys, recognition, and HR/payroll integrations into one platform.^[5] Make support more relevant, and see what people actually use.

Want to see how that could work for your team?

See SideUp in a demo →