Navigate Client Community

2026 Product Roadmap: What's next for Navigate Wellbeing

Navigate team — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 20:09:41 GMT

Thank you for trusting us as your wellbeing partner. We are committed to supporting you, your people, and your community, and working with you to create experiences that help everyone improve their health and wellbeing.

Your partnership plays a direct role in shaping what comes next. The insights you share, the challenges you need solutioned, and the outcomes you are driving toward continue to inform how we evolve and where we focus our efforts to support your ongoing success.

At our March Client Community event, Jeremy Knipper, Chief Technology Officer, and Jenn Lowry, Vice President of Product and Strategy, shared a retrospective of 2025 and previewed our 2026 product roadmap.

In this replay, you will see what’s coming next: personalized journeys, expanded clinical wellbeing support, and a more connected platform. We’re adding mobile app improvements, expanding AI guidance, preventive and condition-specific care, women’s health coaching, and more social support to name a few. Each update is designed to help people make meaningful progress in their health and wellbeing.

These updates continue to support an actionable, connected, and impactful wellbeing program.

On-demand access to the webinar replay, slides, and additional content →

For more info

Interested to learn more about the enhancements, products, and solutions featured in our webinar?

Explore our Product Launch Site (password: 26Navigate) where you'll find the latest on our platform and pharmacist-led coaching additions and solution enhancements.

Findhelp Expansion

Navigate team — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:58:52 GMT

Navigate Wellbeing Solutions today announced the launch of a new social determinants of health (SDOH) assessment as part of its community support solution. This initiative advances its mission to promote health equity by helping employers, health systems, health plans, and PBMs address social factors such as food insecurity, unsafe living conditions, caregiving challenges, and other wellbeing barriers.

The SDOH assessment enables employees and members to confidentially identify challenges and quickly connect with relevant local support.

Navigate’s wellbeing platform includes access to the findhelp social care network at no additional cost to clients. This network connects individuals to more than 970,000 verified community programs across all 50 states. These programs offer food assistance, housing support, caregiving services, legal assistance, transportation resources, and more available by ZIP code.

Together, the SDOH screening and findhelp social care network provides employees and members with confidential, personalized recommendations in one place, simplifying access to trusted community support.

Read the press release for additional details and insights, then connect with your Client Success Manager to discuss next steps →

Additional resources:

What are the Social Determinants of Health?

Navigate team — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:28:25 GMT

Consider, for example, a parent on your team who skips meals so their child can eat. They might rely on break-room coffee to get through the day, hoping things will improve next week.

An employee checks their banking app, deciding which bills can wait—gas or food, rent or childcare. Something is always postponed.

Another team member may not openly share their challenges. They fulfill their responsibilities and appear positive, but stressors like unstable housing and unreliable transportation remain ever-present.

These situations can be hard to notice, but they’re common. Nearly half of adults—including workers—say at least one basic need isn’t met, affecting their energy, focus, health, and engagement at work.

Understanding the social determinants of health

Many believe having a job meets basic needs, but for many employees, additional factors, also known as social determinants of health (SDOH), play a significant role.

The social determinants of health (SDOH) are the social, economic, and environmental conditions that influence almost every aspect of an individual’s care, impacting both health status and health outcomes across a broad spectrum of conditions. SDOH conditions can drive as much as up to 80% of health outcomes – factors largely outside of the traditional healthcare system.

Social determinants of health fall into five categories:

Economic stability
Education access and quality
Healthcare access and quality
Neighborhood and built environment
Social and community context

Together, these factors create a clear connection between environments and conditions in which people live, health equity, and employee wellbeing.

What impact do unmet needs have on your workplace?

Addressing essential needs is an overlooked workplace issue

When essential needs go unmet, employees face barriers to care. They may delay doctor visits, skip medications, or struggle to manage chronic conditions. Over time, these challenges create health gaps across the workforce.

Even among employees with commercial insurance, these barriers are common. The study, Social Determinants of Health Challenges Are Prevalent Among Commercially Insured Populations, found that:

27% of commercially insured individuals live in ZIP codes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level
55% report cost as a major barrier to care
26% say family, school, or work responsibilities make it difficult to address their health needs

These challenges don’t just affect employee wellbeing. They also affect employers.

In the face of rising healthcare trends, cost-containment measures have become paramount. However, employers reducing funding for crucial services can exacerbate existing disparities, impacting short-term and long-term costs. Research estimates that health inequities and barriers to care drive roughly $320 billion in healthcare spending each year in the United States, and those costs could exceed $1 trillion annually by 2040 if underlying issues remain unaddressed.

For employers and HR professionals, this raises an important question: Are we seeing the barriers employees quietly navigate?

The real-life experiences of people with unmet needs

Discussing food, housing, or transportation issues may seem abstract. Yet, as HR professionals, you witness these challenges every day as they impact your teams.

Kayla rarely misses a shift. Her supervisor calls her dependable—the kind of employee who jumps in when things get busy. She also has diabetes. Insulin is costly, and the nearest clinic requires two bus transfers, meaning she will be late to work. Kayla sometimes skips doses or delays refills to make her medication last.

Kayla’s story highlights transportation and health barriers. Mark’s experience further shows how personal struggles can persist beneath the surface.

Like Kayla, Mark is dedicated to his job. A top sales manager known for closing tough deals, his life changed last year when his young daughter was diagnosed with cancer. He took a lot of time off for treatments and hospital visits. Most of his family’s support came from colleagues and friends while he was away, but now that he is back at work, he doesn’t have the same support. Mark spends a lot of his time trying to figure out how to pay the families monthly expenses in between sales calls.

Just as Mark leads under strain, Luis faces his own silent challenges while staying committed to his work. Luis also shows a strong commitment at work. He works early shifts and rarely calls in sick. His coworkers see him as someone who shows up, works hard, and keeps things running when it gets busy.

But lately, he’s been skipping lunch. After rent, childcare, and gas to get to work, there isn’t always much left for groceries. Some weeks, he stretches meals, so his kids have enough to eat, even if it means he goes without.

Luis’s quiet perseverance reflects many employees’ experiences. His story, like Kayla’s and Mark’s, shows how unmet needs can silently affect work.

These examples reveal a workplace reality: When employee needs go unmet, the impact ripples by showing up in absenteeism, healthcare use, productivity, and health outcomes.

What does it look like for employers to address social determinants of health?

Taking action: How employers can help with social determinants of health

Addressing SDOH is not about replacing community resources or taking on social service provider roles. Often, employees struggle not from lack of resources, but from trouble finding or using benefits or community support. HR leaders can focus on building systems that connect employees with available support.

An employer with a comprehensive wellbeing solution might:

Screen for social needs like food insecurity, housing instability, transportation challenges, caregiving duties, and financial stress
Provide tailored recommendations for local community resources
Offer access to thousands of verified programs that support essential needs
Help employees find support on their own, quickly and privately.
Analyze the connections between employees’ essential needs, health outcomes, and workforce performance to inform HR and benefits strategies and targeted interventions

In practical terms, that support might look like:

An employee finds food assistance within minutes, rather than spending hours searching or going without
A caregiver identifies transportation options to get a family member to an appointment
A worker navigating housing instability discovering nearby support programs

The social determinants of health don't just shape clinical outcomes; they shape the daily reality of your workforce, including employee mental health.

Building health equity by strengthening community

To address employees’ social determinants of health, Navigate partnered with the findhelp social care network in 2022. This partnership brings a robust community resource network directly into wellbeing programs at no additional cost to HR teams.

With this integration, employees can connect to free or low-cost services in their communities by zip code, including:

Food assistance
Housing support
Childcare resources
Transportation services
Health-related programs

To further our clients’ missions to advance health equity, organizations can now also incorporate a social determinants of health assessment into their Navigate wellbeing platform.

With Navigate's findhelp assessment, employees start their care journey with a questionnaire in support of their essential needs. Based on the results, participants will receive findhelp social care network recommendations to connect with relevant local resources from over 970,000 verified programs spanning every zip code in the U.S. states and territories.

Read the press release for additional details and insights, then connect with your Client Success Manager to discuss next steps →

Human support matters too

Adding health coaching to workplace wellbeing is another strong way to promote health equity. Health coaching ads a personal layer of support, helping employees navigate complex and often emotional challenges.

Health coaches can:

Assess social and environmental needs
Spot barriers affecting employee health and wellbeing
Connect employees to employer benefits and local community programs using tools like findhelp
Help employees prioritize next steps and navigate available local assistance programs
Offering ongoing virtual support and accountability as employees work toward health and wellbeing goals

Combining digital tools and human support creates a care system that meets employees where they are.

Strengthening communities to advance health equity

Improving health equity starts by recognizing that health is shaped beyond clinics. Access to food, housing, transportation, and community is key. Helping meet basic needs improves health, reduces absenteeism, boosts morale, and lowers costs.

By addressing social determinants of health, HR leaders make a strategic investment in workforce strength and organizational success.

Explore how Navigate addresses the social determinants of health to drive better outcomes for your employees and your organization.

5 Tips for Supporting Employee Mental Health during Stress Awareness Month

Navigate team — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:15:01 GMT

Stress Awareness Month creates a natural moment to reflect on how workplace conditions influence mental, physical, and financial wellbeing. But awareness alone rarely changes outcomes. The organizations that see measurable impact treat April as a launch point for sustained action, not a standalone campaign.

Supporting employees through stress is not about adding another resource to an already crowded benefits landscape. It is about building a connected strategy that makes support visible, accessible, and relevant throughout the year.

When stress management becomes part of everyday culture, engagment improves, and risk begins to decline.

Why stress continues to challenge modern workplaces

Stress shows up differently across organizations, but its drivers tend to follow familiar patterns. Workload uncertainty, competing priorities, financial pressure, caregiving responsibilities, and constant change all shape how employees experience their day.

What makes stress difficult to address is not a lack of solutions. Most organizations already offer multiple programs designed to help. The challenge is fragmentation.

Employees often do not know where to start, which benefit applies to their situation, or whether support is confidential and easy to access. When navigation feels complicated, utilization drops, and stress persists even when strong resources exist.

Leadership visibility plays a central role in reducing stress

One of the strongest signals an organization can send during Stress Awareness Month is that stress management is a shared responsibility, not an individual burden.

Employees notice when leaders:

Acknowledge competing priorities openly
Normalize conversations about mental health
Reinforce flexibility where possible
Participate in wellbeing initiatives themselves
Communicate how support resources connect together

When leaders visibly participate in wellbeing efforts and speak openly about mental health, it signals that using support resources is both accepted and encouraged, which helps reduce stigma and makes employees more comfortable seeking help earlier.

Stress decreases when people believe their organization understands what they are navigating and is actively working to support them.

Personalized support improves engagement with stress resources

Stress is rarely caused by one factor alone. It often reflects a combination of physical health concerns, financial pressure, workload demands, and personal responsibilities outside work.

Because of this complexity, one-size-fits-all campaigns rarely reach the employees who need support most.

Personalized guidance helps employees:

Identify their highest-priority wellbeing risks
Choose the right starting point
Move forward at a comfortable pace
Stay engaged as needs change over time

Navigate’s Total Health's readiness to change platform helps make this level of personalization possible by giving employees a clearer picture of how different factors across their physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing connect to their overall stress experience. Instead of asking employees to sort through multiple disconnected resources on their own, Total Health guides them toward the next most relevant step, whether that means coaching, education, or benefits support.

Communication consistency matters more than campaign intensity

Sustained communication creates familiarity and trust with wellbeing programs. Monthly newsletters, short educational messages, and reminders tied to incentive opportunities help employees stay connected to available resources without feeling overwhelmed.

Consistency also helps employees recognize that support is ongoing rather than temporary. When communication occurs only during awareness months, employees may interpret wellbeing as a short-term initiative rather than a reliable part of their workplace experience. Regular visibility reinforces the message that support is always available, not just when stress levels peak or campaigns are active.

Equally important, consistent messaging helps employees understand how resources connect to each other. Instead of encountering isolated announcements about individual programs, they begin to see a coordinated support system that evolves with their needs over time. This clarity reduces decision fatigue and increases the likelihood that employees take the next step when they need help.

Over time, this steady visibility improves utilization across multiple areas of wellbeing, not just stress management. It also strengthens trust in the broader wellbeing strategy by showing that support is intentional, coordinated, and designed to meet employees where they are throughout the year.

Measuring progress strengthens the impact of stress initiatives

Stress Awareness Month often begins with good intentions. The organizations that achieve lasting results take the additional step of measuring the changes that follow.

Tracking engagement trends, participation patterns, and shifts in risk indicators helps clarify:

Which resources are employees using
Where awareness is improving access
Which groups may need additional support
How programs connect to broader workforce outcomes

Measurement transforms stress initiatives from awareness campaigns into strategy components that can evolve and improve over time. Your admin dashboard and monthly meetings with your Client Success Manager can help you understand how balance, mindfulness, and stress support strategies are influencing engagement and population trends.

This visibility helps teams identify where additional outreach is needed and ensures Stress Awareness Month initiatives contribute to a continuous improvement cycle rather than a one-time campaign.

Stress support works best when benefits feel connected

Employees rarely experience stress in isolated categories. A connected approach helps employees move smoothly between resources, whether they need coaching, learning opportunities, benefits guidance, or condition-specific support. It also reduces the confusion that often prevents employees from taking the first step.

Your Navigate platform acts as a centralized hub to consolidate your existing benefits alongside wellbeing program in one connected experience. By simplifying how employees discover and move between coaching, learning opportunities, and condition-specific support, it reduces the uncertainty that often prevents people from taking the first step when stress begins to build. Inquire with your Client Success Manager to learn how to integrate resources and programming into your current wellbeing program.

Turning Stress Awareness Month into lasting progress

Awareness creates momentum. Strategy creates results.

Organizations that focus on year-round communication, improve navigation, expand personalized support, and leadership visibility often see engagement leading to impact. Over time, these small shifts build a workplace environment where employees feel supported before stress reaches a critical level.

Stress Awareness Month is not just a reminder to talk about stress. It is an opportunity to make support easier to find, easier to use, and easier to sustain across the entire year.

Looking for practical ways to reduce stress across your workforce and strengthen engagement with existing support resources? Our Mental Health Toolkit provides articles on preventing burnout, managing employee mental health during times of change, emotionally intelligent leaders, how to tackle mental health stigma in the workplace, and more.

Get Ready for Segmentation: Guidance for a Strong Start

Navigate team — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:49:43 GMT

Coming Soon: Segmentation is on its way and will be ready for use in May 2026. Check out this sneak peek of how it works, so you can start planning now.

Segmentation is a frequent client request for customizing wellbeing programs. We’re pleased to introduce this feature, ready for use in May 2026, and support you in using it effectively.

With segmentation, the goal is to make the experience simpler and more relevant by tailoring content, challenges, and resources for specific sub-populations within your participant base. While segmentation can add value in certain situations, it is not necessary for every program. These best practices, along with recommendations from your Client Success Manager, will ensure your program supports meaningful engagement without adding unnecessary complexity.

This guide will help you prepare, understand segmentation, and use it to strengthen your program.

Best practices and guidance for segmentation:

What segmentation is (and how it works)
Best practices for using segmentation effectively
How to use segmentation strategically to achieve your program goals

What Segmentation Is (and How It Works)

Segmentation shows or hides content, resources, or challenges for specific participant groups using your eligibility data file. This ensures participants see only relevant content, reducing clutter and confusion.

Segmentation can be applied to several platform features:

Resource Posts: This is our most common segmentation request. Your Client Success Manager can create up to three targeted versions of each resource post for different groups.

- Example: A medical benefit resource post to show for enrolled members only.

Group Challenges: A single standard group challenge can be adapted into up to three segmented challenges, each operating independently. Groups join versions tailored to their needs without launching separate initiatives.
- Example: Offer different group challenges to different work locations, or employees vs. spouses.

Personal Challenges and Video Courses: Capabilities allow up to three different segments. Due to the interconnectedness of health and wellbeing, segmentation is reserved for situations where it clearly improves program relevance or outcomes. Otherwise, keeping a shared experience helps maintain simplicity and a stronger sense of connection across your population.

Your Client Success Manager will guide you through the process of deciding and implementing segmentation based on your specific program needs and goals. You can request custom segmentation beyond the standard limit of three. Your Client Success Manage will provide a quote tailored to your needs.

Best Practices for Using Segmentation Effectively

Segmentation works best when it enhances relevance while keeping the overall experience simple and connected. The goal is to use it intentionally, so participants see what matters most to them, while still feeling part of a shared program.

Your Client Success Manager will provide guidance and recommendations tailored to your population, goals, and program design. This helps you apply segmentation effectively without unnecessary complexity.

Below are a few ways to approach segmentation to maximize its value.

1. Build a strong shared foundation

Start with a core experience designed for everyone. Use segmentation to enhance it, adding targeted communications to support sustained engagement.

This approach keeps your program cohesive and supports company-wide connection, while allowing you to tailor select elements for specific groups.

Where segmentation adds value:

Tailoring challenges by location or role
Aligning resources to specific benefits or eligibility
Highlighting content that is especially relevant to certain groups

What to keep in mind: Segmentation is most effective when it’s used to enhance clarity and connection, not replace it. A thoughtful approach helps participants find relevant content and feel included.

Keep a strong sense of community by maintaining opportunities for company-wide participation and connection
Ensure participants can quickly access resources without having to navigate multiple versions
Consider how segments may impact locations or spouses, so information remains visible to those who need it - for example, segmenting resources by gender could unintentionally exclude information relevant to covered spouses

2. Using segmentation to deepen insights and keep data trends clear

Maintain shared program elements to track overall engagement. Use segmentation to study patterns in specific groups. This balance helps you see the full population and targeting opportunities to drive strong results.

Where segmentation adds value:

Exploring how distinct groups respond to challenges (e.g., do different generations prefer different types of challenges?)
Testing whether certain resources resonate more with specific locations or populations
Identifying opportunities to refine and improve future programming

What to Keep in Mind: Balance learning from your full population with insights from smaller groups. Use segmentation to add detail without impacting overall trends.

3. Meeting people where they are vs. guiding actions based on risk only

Health and wellbeing are personal. One participant’s motivation might come from a health concern, while another individual may be driven by financial stress or life circumstances. A thoughtful approach to segmentation helps highlight what’s most relevant, without limiting access to broader support.

Where segmentation adds value:

Meeting participants where they are by surfacing resources that address varied needs - not just risks
Supporting different motivations for engagement, including physical, mental, financial, social wellbeing, and more
Guide next steps by relevance by maintaining flexibility so people can explore other interests
Make experiences personal based on the full individual, not just one data point

Segmentation guides action but works best with flexibility. Let participants explore and access many resources to meet needs and grow engagement.

4. Maintaining compliance with segmented program elements

Design segmented experiences so that all participants can engage equitably, regardless of how the content changes. Good design allows for diverse experiences while providing equal opportunities to participate, complete activities, and earn credit.

Where segmentation adds value:

Adapting programs to reflect different populations, roles, or regions
Aligning experiences with varying benefit structures or eligibility requirements
Supporting global populations with flexibility to meet local needs and regulations

What to keep in mind: For each group receiving a segmented experience, offer an equivalent option for others. This keeps program requirements consistent and supports fair access to participation and rewards. Thoughtful design also helps meet compliance standards by ensuring reasonable alternatives and equal opportunity for engagement.

How to Use Segmentation Strategically

Segmentation is most valuable when you can answer “yes” to these questions:

Does it simplify information? Segment resources by plan type, employment status, or other key factors to remove clutter.
Does the data show a need? Identify trends that reveal clear differences between sub-populations, such as health risks, engagement, or preferences.
Will segmentation let you collect useful new data? Evaluate challenges or courses with specific groups before broader rollout.
Can segmentation resolve known sticking points? Use it to deliver slimmed-down programming, tailored resources, or simplified information.
Does segmentation support existing programming differences? Streamline content for groups with distinct program needs, like employees vs. spouses.

Separately, features such as Coaching programs and the Rewards Page will now adapt automatically based on specified eligibility criteria. This will allow participants to see only programs or rewards for which they are eligible, simplifying their experience without introducing unnecessary complexity. Simply let your CSM know which eligibility criteria to use and Navigate will manage the rest!

Your Client Success Manager will collaborate with you to decide if segmentation fits your program. Focus on meaningful segments, rely on accurate data, and apply segmentation selectively for outcomes.

Learn more about Navigate's 2026 Product Roadmap and watch the replay here →

Q2 2026 Wellbeing Calendar

Navigate team — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:48:46 GMT

Our Q2 2026 Employee Wellbeing Calendar is here - filled with simple, practical ways to support your workforce through spring and into summer. From financial wellbeing and preventive care to mental health, movement, and team connection, it’s everything you need to keep momentum going all quarter long.

At a glance:

April: Reset & Reconnect
Financial literacy, public health awareness, and small habits that build energy, gratitude, and team connection

May: Awareness into Action
Mental health, women’s health, and everyday behavior shifts—like better sleep, nutrition, and preventive care

June: Sustain & Celebrate
Men’s health, brain health, and recognizing progress—helping employees reflect, recharge, and carry momentum forward

Plus, all quarter long:

Simple, daily actions to support physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing
Moments to recognize employees, celebrate milestones, and strengthen culture
Easy ways to connect employees to your wellbeing platform, resources, and benefits
Reflection prompts to reinforce progress and build healthy habits that last beyond the quarter

Let’s keep your workforce supported, connected, and engaged.

Download your copy here →

Winter 2026 Launch

Navigate team — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:06:28 GMT

Our Latest Enhancements

In our Winter 2026 launch, we are enhancing personalization and introducing new engagement and education experiences. We’re expanding coaching and strengthening device integration and our partner ecosystem. Together, these enhancements help every participant navigate their health and wellbeing journey with greater clarity and confidence.

Here’s what’s new

Personalization that brings clarity
Always-on content, engagement, and education
Health coaching solutions
Integrated devices and partner ecosystem

Personalization that brings clarity

At Navigate, we believe prevention is the most powerful lever in health and wellbeing. When participants understand their health and see what's relevant to them, engagement strengthens and risk can be addressed earlier, supporting healthier employees and more sustainable outcomes for your organization.

With this launch, we’re introducing:

A Wellbeing Score that gives employees one simple, personal number to understand where they’re thriving and where to focus.
Biometric Risk Ranges that combine multiple data points into a clear, early picture of health risk.
Claims- and biometric-driven personalization that automatically surfaces the most relevant benefits, content, and actions.
Navigate’s new people-first AI Assistant, providing instant, self-service answers within the portal to remove barriers and support participation.

Always-on content, engagement, and education experiences

Quarter One is all about starting the year with confidence. Sustained engagement is what turns strategy into impact. When health and wellbeing stays visible, relevant, and easy to act on, participation deepens and healthy behaviors become part of everyday. Now available:

- New Content Resources to be added 3/31:
  - Personal Challenge: Confidence Comeback
  4 week personal challenge full of reflections and actions to build up your confidence, stop comparison, improve self-talk, and leave you feeling empowered by who you are right now.
  - Video Course: Confident Decisions - Event When Other's Don't Agree
  Learn how to stop people-pleasing habits, set boundaries, stop seeking validation or trusting the approval of others over yourself.
  - Video Course: Conversation Tips When You're Shy or Anxious
  Discover easy tools and strategies to make conversations feel more comfortable and approachable.
  - Video Course: Handling Rejection Without Losing Confidence
  Rejection is a part of life, but it shouldn't shake your sense of self. Learn how to bounce back, change your perspective, and re-gain your confidence after failure.
All new content will be loaded to platforms with content features on March 31, 2026. Reach out to your Client Success Manager with any questions or concerns. An ad-hoc communication is available for participants to promote this new content - reach out to your Client Success Manager for details.
- 2026 Engagement Series: A year-round communication cadence of targeted onboarding, newsletters, nudges, and re-engagement emails designed to drive enrollment, sustain participation, and keep wellbeing top of mind across your population.
- Wellbeing Webinars: Turnkey, expert-led virtual sessions created specifically for your program and benefits, designed to educate, motivate, and active employees. Even better? Navigate manages this end-to-end from promotion, delivering, and reporting to maximize impact and minimize lift for your team.

Pharmacist-led coaching for overall health and wellbeing

Reach more of your workforce through preventive and condition-specific care. When it comes to coaching, we put your people first so they can achieve their personal goals. This improves their health and wellbeing, including their mental health. Now, more of your people can access care easily:

Mental health, lifestyle, and condition management coaching delivered by certified health coaches, dietians, and pharmacist-coaches.
Support for GLP-1s, metabolic conditions, diabetes prevention, weight management, stress, sleep, resilience, and more.
Specialized coaching options including tobacco cessation, mental health, weight loss, and GLP-1s.
New coaching offerings included career coaching and diabetes prevention coaching.

Coaching is fully integrated into the platform experience, helping turn insights into sustained behavior change. Pharmacist-led coaching is used by client's to support targeted populations, including:

Those with identifiable risk signals but no diagnosis yet.
Those with chronic conditions who are not achieving control.
Those not engaging with digital-only or condition-specific point solutions.
Those using or considering GLP-1 medications who need clinical oversight and behavior support.

Strengthening device integration and partner ecosystem

We continue to grow our device integrations and partner ecosystem so your people can find the right support for their journey, all in one place. New this launch includes:

- Integrating Oura Ring device: Partipants can now sync their Oura Ring accounts to track daily healthy habits, expanding device options, and making it easier to complete healthy activities such as group challenges
- The Mayo Clinic Diet: Clinically proven digital weight loss powered by the Mayo Clinic, delivered via your Navigate platform as a personalized wellbeing recommendation.
- Homethrive: Homethrive’s 24/7 digital platform and live team of credentialed social workers provide proactive guidance, coaching, and emotional support for caregivers. Whether it’s understanding Medicare benefits, making medical decisions for an aging parent, or securing reliable backup childcare, Homethrive offers unlimited 1:1 access to caregiving experts.

For more info

For questions or more information, please feel free to reach out to your Client Success Manager.

Explore our Product Launches & Enhancements (password: 26Navigate) where you'll find the latest on our platfor additions and solution enhancements throughout the year.

And, join us live on Thursday, March 26 at 1pm CT for exclusive Client Community look at what to expect for the full year. Save your spot here >

Thank you for trusting Navigate as your wellbeing partner. We’re excited to continue building what’s next, together.

Do good things,

Your Navigate Team

HR and Wellbeing Conferences to Attend in 2026

Navigate team — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:20:04 GMT

The 2026 HR conference calendar is out, and it’s shaping up to be a busy year. Whether you’re looking to attend an industry staple, a specialized event, or a virtual option with no travel requirements, there’s plenty to choose from.

Before booking your ticket, it’s worth thinking about what you’re hoping to get out of the experience. If you’re looking to connect with as many of your peers as possible, a big event makes sense. But if you’re keen to focus on a single topic, like meeting peers in your regional location or action planning, a smaller, more specialized event might be the answer.

We’ve gathered the HR conferences and events worth adding to your calendar.

How to Choose the Right HR Conference

Choosing the right HR conference isn’t just about picking an event with the best advertising or the biggest names. The best choice is a conference that directly supports your team’s goals while also matching your budget and time constraints. Here’s how to narrow it down.

Start with what your team actually needs

Before you book a ticket for the hottest HR conference of the year, check how each event on your shortlist aligns with your team’s current goals. Key words to look for based on your needs:

If one of your main goals is improving health outcomes, prioritize conferences that focus on digital + human support, behavior change and measurable impact - not just point solutions or engagement trends.
If your OKRs center on increasing engagement or reducing point solution fatigue, look for sessions on personalization, activation strategies, and how to unify point solutions into a seamless experience.
If you're focused on culture and retention, choose events that address frontline workforce wellbeing, mental health, women's health, or equitable access to care - and how wellbeing connects to performance.
If your challenge is preventive care, GLP-1 strategy, or aligning wellbeing with medical and pharmacy benefits, seek out programming focused on rising healthcare spend.
If you're focused on culture and retention, choose events that address frontline workforce wellbeing, mental health, women’s health, SDoH, or equitable access to care — and how wellbeing connects to performance.
If are looking to network with peers like you, look for industry specific events such as SALGBA, focused on Public Sector, or local events such as Iowa's Healthiest State Conference.
Before you book, a quick alignment check helps ensure the event will yield actionable insights rather than interesting but disconnected or hard to action takeaways. Have questions? Ask your Client Success Manager, we have events experts on team to assist!

Consider the real ROI: cost, time, and connections

Conference ROI goes beyond the ticket price. Instead, it’s worth looking at the full investment and what you get back in return:

Budget: In addition to the cost of tickets, consider how many people will attend, plus any travel, accommodation, and expense requirements. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of any time spent away from the office and what you will want to bring back after the event.
Time: Multi-day events can offer a lot of depth, but single-day and hybrid formats also offer value with less disruption to day-to-day work - consider both!
Networking: Some events prioritize peer connections, vendor meetings, and roundtable discussions. Others focus on content, rather than connection. If networking is a key goal, decide what type you’re looking for and choose a conference that offers those opportunities.

Choose a format that fits your needs

Not every conference has the same format, so choose one that works for your team and your goals.

Local events are great for building regional relationships, tapping into local talent market trends, and keeping travel costs to a minimum.
National conferences typically offer access to broader market perspectives, high-profile speakers, and plenty of networking opportunities and usually come with bigger time and budget commitments.
Virtual options are great for flexibility, sharing sessions across a team, or when travel isn’t practical. They’re also a good way to explore hybrid conferences for the first time before committing to in-person attendance.

The best format is the one that your team will actually benefit from. To make that choice a little easier, here’s our roundup of the HR conferences worth bookmarking for 2026.

Top HR Conferences in 2026

The Conference Board East - New York

When: March 17 - 18, 2026

Where: New York City

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and total rewards leaders focused on improving health outcomes while managing rising health risks and costs.

The Conference Board New York > focuses on the strategy of employee health and wellbeing. Sessions dive into benefits design, workforce health, and data-driven decision-making, with practical insights from employers navigating cost pressure, complexity, and outcomes accountability.

Attending Conference Board East? Navigate will be there! Join Stephanie John, Prisma Health's Director of Team Member Well-being and Matt Percia, Strategic Advisor at Navigate for our speaking session on Wed, March 18 at 11:20 ET. We also have an event booth and special surprises throughout the conference. Let your Client Success Manager know if you are attending so we can connect!

The Conference Board West - San Diego

When: April 16 - 17, 2026

Where: San Diego

Tickets: $2895 - Navigate client's can get complimentary passes until April 3, 2026. Ask your Client Success Manager for details!

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and total rewards leaders focused on improving health outcomes while managing rising health risks and costs.

The Conference Board West > focuses on the strategy of employee health and wellbeing. Sessions dive into benefits design, workforce health, and data-driven decision-making, with practical insights from employers navigating cost pressure, complexity, and outcomes accountability.

Attending Conference Board East? Navigate will be there! We also have an event booth and special surprises throughout the conference. Let your Client Success Manager know if you are attending so we can connect!

Healthiest State Conference - Iowa

When: April 22, 2026

Where: Des Moines

Registration: Opens March 9th

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and wellbeing leaders committed to strengthening workplace health, advancing prevention, supporting mental health, and building cultures where employees can thrive. .

Healthiest State Conference - Iowa > brings together employers, public health experts, and community leaders to advance practical, evidence-based approaches to workforce wellbeing. Sessions focus on real-world strategies to prevent chronic disease, address mental health, support caregivers, and reduce health disparities - all within the context of workplace impact. Attendees gain actionable tools to improve engagement, foster healthier cultures, and align wellbeing initiatives with broader organizational goals. The event is especially valuable for leaders who want to move beyond surface-level wellness programming and toward integrated, sustainable health strategies that support both employees and long-term business performance.

Attending Healthiest State Conference? Navigate will be there! Join Lindsay Waechter, Wellness Coordinator at Waukee Community Schools and Jim Barclay, EVP Client Experience at Navigate for their breakout session, Elevating Education by Investing in Employee Wellbeing. Let your Client Success Manager know if you are attending so we can connect!

Business Group on Health 2026 Annual Conference

When: April 22 - 24, 2026

Where: New Orleans

Registration: Now open here

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and health strategy leaders at large employers who are responsible for shaping workforce health and benefits strategy, managing cost pressures, and driving measurable organizational impact.

Business Group on Health > influential annual conference equips large employer leaders with deep insights into the evolving healthcare landscape and the most pressing cost, delivery, and wellbeing challenges facing today’s workforce. Over three days of curated sessions and peer discussions, attendees explore innovative solutions to optimize benefits strategy, improve health outcomes, reimagine vendor relationships, and leverage data and industry trends to strengthen workforce wellbeing and financial performance. Sessions emphasize actionable approaches for confronting rising costs, enhancing care quality, supporting mental and chronic health needs, and aligning benefits design with long-term organizational goals, giving HR and benefits teams the tools to drive strategic, evidence-based improvements in employer-sponsored health systems.

State and Local Government Benefits Association (SALGBA) - SALGBA 2026 National Conference

When: May 4 - 7, 2026

Where: Providence

Registration: Now open here for Public Sector attendees

Ideal for: Public Sector HR, benefits, and wellbeing leaders focused on employee benefits strategy, health plan design, and workforce wellbeing.

SALGBA > brings together public sector benefits professionals from states, cities, counties, school districts, and related entities for education, networking, and strategic insight. Sessions emphasize real-world approaches to benefit design, health cost management, policy trends, and strategies for improving the health and wellbeing of public sector workforces. With focused content tailored to this unique audience, attendees can benchmark with peers, explore practical innovations, and strengthen their benefits leadership toolkit.

Attending SALGBA? Navigate will be there! Let your Client Success Manager know if you are attending so we can connect!

Midwest Business Group on Health - MBGH 46th Annual Conference

When: May 5 - 6, 2026

Where: Chicago

Registration: Requires MBGH membership, learn more here >

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and health strategy leaders working to improve workforce health and wellbeing, strengthen benefits value, and drive systemic change in healthcare delivery and transparency.

Midwest Business Group on Health > equips employers with a practical blueprint for action - from leveraging data and employer influence to demanding transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes in health and wellbeing benefits. Sessions highlight real-world strategies for shifting beyond short-term cost cutting toward long-term investment in prevention, chronic condition management, and employee wellbeing. Attendees gain tools to strengthen vendor partnerships, drive innovation, and accelerate meaningful change in employer-sponsored health systems.

Attending MBGH? Navigate will be there! Let your Client Success Manager know if you are attending so we can connect!

Amercian Society for Health Care Human Resource Administration (ASHHRA) - ASHHRA26: Savannah

When: May 17 - 19, 2026

Where: Savannah

Registration: Healthcare and Health System Leaders open here

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and health strategy leaders in healthcare systems and organizations who are focused on workforce health, talent strategy, organizational culture, and HR excellence in complex care environments.

ASHHRA > delivers healthcare-specific HR strategy, practical workforce solutions, and peer insights tailored to hospitals and health systems. Attendees gain actionable ideas to strengthen recruitment and retention, support employee resilience and wellbeing, and align HR strategy with organizational performance all within the unique realities of healthcare delivery.

From Day One

When: Throughout 2026

Where: Across the US

From Day One >’s event series hits major US cities across 2026, aiming to unite HR professionals for insightful conversations and actionable ideas. This year’s main theme covers how HR leaders can make technology empowering, and the series features location-specific speakers across a broad range of themes.

SHRM26

When: June 16 - 17, 2026

Where: Orlando

Registration: Open here >

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and wellbeing leaders who want a comprehensive, strategic view of HR from workforce health and engagement to benefits, talent, compliance, culture, and the future of work alongside peers from across industries and around the world.

SHRM > Annual Conference & Expo is the world’s largest HR event, offering hundreds of expert-led sessions, immersive learning tracks and a massive solutions expo that together help HR leaders stay ahead of emerging trends and translate insight into action. With content spanning health and wellbeing, talent strategy, legal and compliance, technology, culture and more, attendees walk away with practical strategies to strengthen benefits value, improve employee experience, and align HR initiatives with long-term organizational goals.

Wellness Alliance Annual Wellness Summit

When: July 28 - 30, 2026

Where: Nashville

Registration: Open here >

Ideal for: HR, benefits, and wellbeing leaders focused on advancing workplace health, behavior change, resilience, and population wellbeing through evidence-informed wellness strategies that strengthen employee engagement, culture, and organizational impact.

Annual Wellness Summit > brings together wellness and interdisciplinary professionals to explore current trends, best practices, and practical solutions that support individual and organizational health. Attendees gain actionable strategies to improve employee wellbeing, enhance engagement through experiential learning, apply data-driven approaches, and build community with like-minded professionals — all through expert keynotes, breakout sessions, and high-quality networking opportunities designed for real workplace impact.

Additional Conferences releasing information in the summer:

DFW Business Group on Health >

Wellness Council of Wisconsin >

Northeast Business Group on Health >

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Conferences

Attending a conference is only part of the work. The real value comes from planning how to make the most of your time and budget. Here’s what that can look like:

Plan ahead. Review the agenda and highlight any relevant sessions. If there are speakers, meetings, roundtables, or networking events you’d like to attend, book these in advance to avoid missing out.
Make the most of post-event content. Many conferences provide post-event content, including session recordings, slide decks, and summaries. Share these with your team to spark discussion and get the most value from each conference.
Encourage cross-functional attendance. Sometimes, the best insights happen when you involve other teams. For example, your chief financial officer might benefit from a session on compensation, or legal teams can help interpret compliance updates.

With a bit of planning, conferences can offer a real return on your investment. And if you’re ready to put that planning into action, here’s where you can meet your Navigate team in 2026.

Grow Your Network and Career with Navigate

Conferences are a wonderful way to connect with your HR, benefits, and wellbeing community! Are you attending or speaking at a conference in 2026?

Let us know and we'll update this post for our April Client Community Newsletter.

Send the event information you will be attending to clientcommunity@navigatewell.com

Brewing a Culture of Impact with Standard Beverage

Navigate team — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:18:32 GMT

At our first Client Community Virtual Event of 2026, Ali Lesher, Marketing Manager at Standard Beverage Company, shared how their 75-year old family-founded organization developed a wellbeing program grounded in culture, accountability, and community impact. In conversation with Navigate’s Team Lead of Client Success for our manfuacturing vertical, Jad Khalil, Ali discussed the challenges they faced and the practical ways they aligned their wellbeing strategy with their company identity.

Watch the replay featuring Ali and Jad →

Initial Challenge: Low Engagement

When Standard Beverage launched its wellbeing program, engagement was highest among desk-based employees. Values felt like posters, participation spiked early but declined, and managers did not consistently sustain momentum. They sought an authentic, sustainable approach.

Turning Point: Aligning Values with the Portal

The breakthrough came when they invited employees to help name the portal. The winning name, SBC Impact, revealed a disconnect: their existing values (Integrity, Progress, Agility, Community, Team) spelled “IPACT,” which did not match the new portal name. Initially, they added “Me” at the end to emphasize personal wellbeing and create “IMPACT.” However, because the name “Impact” resonated deeply with employees, they ultimately revised their values themselves in 2024. The updated corporate values became Integrity, Meaning, Accountability, Community, and Team — aligning the values acronym directly with the portal’s name.

“That was definitely a pivotal moment… it made us decide to change our values,” Ali shared.The portal not only reflected their culture but reshaped it.

Culture in Action: Translating Values into Behaviors

Once aligned, they operationalized their values inside the platform. “Team” was paired with giving kudos on the portal’s social wall. “Progress” (later Accountability) is linked to their Bright Ideas program, in which employees submit suggestions for leadership review. Community involvement, including logging volunteer hours for points and service anniversaries, was routed through the portal.

“Don’t let your values just be on the wall. Ingrain them in every aspect of your company,” Ali emphasized. The program evolved from a list of activities into a reflection of daily behaviors.

Recognition Reinforces Culture

Standard Beverage introduced a three-tier Impact Award system:

$25 Impact Awards - spontaneous recognition
Monthly Make the Impact Award - peer-nominated recognition.
Team Member of the Year - company-wide celebration

They also introduced quarterly, value-based programming called Ignite Impact, pairing each quarter’s core value with a wellbeing focus. For example, in January, “Team” combined physical wellbeing with a “Walk of Fame” step challenge leading to the annual awards ceremony. Each quarter features values-in-action challenges, journal prompts, and activities that bring the theme to life.

“We’re really competing against ourselves, assessing what worked, what didn’t, and why,” Ali noted.

Meeting Employees Where They Are

With many employees in warehouses, on the road, or in the field, email alone was insufficient. The team used department shoutouts, hydration stations linked to challenges, printed bookmarks and magnets, and visible manager encouragement. One Night Operations Manager challenged his team to reach 100% participation, which immediately boosted social wall engagement and challenge submissions.

“It proves that manager-level engagement makes a huge difference,” Ali said.

Jad shared additional creative ideas, including QR codes and air fresheners for transportation vehicles.

Maximizing Impact with a Small Team

Standard Beverage’s program is managed by a small team combining marketing and HR, making integration essential. The portal serves as a one-stop shop, not an add-on. Portal challenges connect to major milestones such as the 75th anniversary step challenge, centralized rewards for service anniversaries, Bright Ideas submissions, volunteerism, and social media engagement—all in one place.

After restructuring, Standard Beverage employees report the platform feels authentic, recognition supports desired behaviors, engagement has improved, and the program runs year-round rather than peaking once annually.

Looking Ahead

Standard Beverage plans to expand mental health resources, grow its Impact Awards, strengthen its Impact Committee, and continue evolving quarterly campaigns.

As Ali shared, “Let your values be your guiding force,” and importantly, “What can we do to be better? What else can we add in here?”

This continuous-improvement mindset keeps their wellbeing strategy aligned, authentic, and sustainable.

Watch the full replay to learn more about Standard Beverage's success

Continue your journey with a values-driven wellbeing strategy, connect with your Client Success Manager.

March 2026 Wellbeing Calendar

Navigate team — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:52:06 GMT

Our March 2026 Employee Wellbeing Calendar is here - filled with simple, practical ideas to support nutrition, celebrate International Women’s Day, strengthen team connection, and build healthy momentum into the next quarter. Everything you need to keep your workforce healthy, connected, and engaged.

At a glance:

- Nutrition & mindful fueling habits
- Ways to celebrate International Women’s Day
- Simple habits to improve sleep, movement, and mindful eating
- Ideas to strengthen team connection and social wellbeing
- Reflection prompts to build healthy momentum into next quarter

Let's keep your workforce happy, healthy, and engaged together.