July 2026 Newsletter

Jul 1, 2026

July 2026 News You Can Use

 

Events

 
Want to explore all of our upcoming events?
 
Check out our
event calendar!
 
 
 
 

July’s Featured Training Topic:

Keeping Your Team Motivated & Engaged
 
Whether it’s a new non-profit fiscal year, your busy patio season, time for benefits renewals, or a game of employee vacation Tetris, July comes with its own particular realities.
 
Here are some strong considerations for how to keep your team motivated and informed through the rest of the year:
 
#1: Make It More Than a Memo
New info or compliance reminders won’t reach your entire organization with just one email. Be sure to insert intentional communication in additional places, too, such as 1:1 check-ins, at the top of team meetings, and in other communication streams in your workplace.
 
#2: Lead By Example
Demonstrate what should be going on by modeling the proper actions.
 
“I’m headed to the break room for the benefits renewal meeting.”
 
“I’m checking in with Kate before she leaves for her vacation to make sure I can lend support while she is out. Want to join me?”
 
People are observing your actions and taking notes!
 
#3: Be Empathic and Kind
For whatever is true in your workplace this month (change, new team members/budget/policies, high volume, etc.), when employees know you care about them not just as an employee, but as a person, they not only stick around but also are more engaged and contribute more.
 
#4: Counsel or Remove Employees Who Erode Morale
This is vulnerable, but if your top salesperson is someone who offends everyone and brings negativity to your workplace, your culture and employee motivation may be at risk.
 
#5: Know What Employees Want
What are your employees’ professional goals? What kind of recognition do they prefer? Do they wish they checked in with you more often? And what can you do if you don’t know what they want? It’s simple: just ask, and deliver what’s within your reach.
 
Reach out to us to learn more about how we can support your team through continuous learning and development!
 
 
Reminder: New clients get $500 off a live, facilitated training when you book in the first six months!

 

 

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ON THE ONLINE COURSE LIBRARY

Courses to Help Prioritize the Employee Experience

 
When employees feel informed, motivated, and equipped to do their best work, it not only shows in their performance but also in their interactions with your customers!
 
This month, we’re highlighting three online courses designed to strengthen the foundation your team works from every day, with options for supervisors and employers, as well as for all staff members.
 
5 Star Customer Experience: Practical Strategies for Memorable Service
 
This course helps all team members…
  • Reflect on their role and touchpoints that impact how a customer views their experience.
  • Learn confident approaches to creating loyal customers and raving fans.
  • Understand that trust & relationships grow when we promptly and intentionally respond in our recovery efforts.
Eligible for 1 SHRM and 1 HRCI credit.
 
Enjoy 50% off our 5 Star Customer Experience course using code EXP50 at checkout, or by clicking the button below!
 
Get the course for $39.50 (normally $79.00).
Valid through July 31, 2026.
 
 
 
Communication Foundations
 
This course helps all team members…
  • Understand the foundations of effective communication.
  • Learn about diverse communication styles and preferences to build better connections with others.
  • Review what causes communication breakdowns.
  • Reflect on their role as an active sender and receiver of communication.
 
Eligible for 1 SHRM and 1 HRCI credit.
 
Click the button below to start our Communication Foundations course now!
 
 
Employee Motivations: Maintaining Loyalty & Engagement
 
This course helps supervisors and employers…
  • Understand workplace behaviors & workplace culture.
  • Learn about extrinsic & intrinsic motivating factors in the workplace.
  • Gain clarity in the role managers have in motivating employees to accomplish their best work.
 
Eligible for .5 SHRM and .5 HRCI credit.
 
Click the button below to start the Employee Motivations course today!
 

 

HR Annie Recruitment Highlight

 

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Your Benefits are a Recruiting Tool, But Only if Candidates Can See Them!

 
In a competitive hiring market, your compensation package is one of your strongest cards. But here’s the catch: it only helps you recruit if candidates actually understand what’s included.
 
Today’s job seekers weigh the whole picture: base pay (yes), but also employer-paid health insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off, flexible scheduling, and the perks that signal a company genuinely invests in its people.
 
When those details are missing from your job ad, candidates fill in the blanks themselves, and they rarely do so generously.
 

If you have great benefits, make sure you’re recruiting with them! Here are some of our top recommendations for how to do this:

 

  • Put it in the ad: Lead with your most meaningful benefits, not a vague “competitive package” line. Specifics build trust and help your role stand out.
  • Translate dollars into value: “We cover 100% of employee medical premiums” is far more compelling than “employer-sponsored health benefits.” Show candidates what the offer actually means for their life.
  • Connect benefits to culture: Health coverage, leave policies, and flexibility all signal something bigger: that you want to take good care of your employees.
 
A strong benefits story can also help you compete when your salary range isn’t the highest in the market. Candidates often trade a slightly lower base for security, flexibility, and a workplace that clearly values them, but only when those advantages are made visible.
 

Whether you’re actively hiring or planning ahead, HR Annie’s Recruitment team can help ensure your compensation story lands. We can:

 

  • Review and strengthen your job ads.
  • Benchmark your compensation against the market, so you know where you stand.
  • Review your talent acquisition strategy and offer actionable recommendations.
 
Not sure where to start? Reach out today for a no-pressure virtual coffee to learn how we can support your hiring initiatives! 
 

 

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Hiring? Check Out this All-Star Candidate!

 
Senior communications and external relations leader with 20+ years of experience building and leading high‑impact PR, media, digital, and advocacy communications programs for mission‑driven organizations.
 
Proven ability to launch and scale communications functions, manage complex, multi‑stakeholder initiatives, and serve as a trusted advisor to executives and boards.
 
Brings deep expertise in media relations, crisis communications, content strategy, and fundraising communications, with a strong track record of measurable results (audience growth, engagement, and revenue impact).
 
Known for sound judgment in sensitive environments, strong people leadership, and the ability to bridge communications strategy with program execution across domestic and international contexts.
 
Core Skills:
Communications & PR
Program & Initiative Leadership
Content
Digital Growth
People & Organizational Leadership
 
Previous Roles:
External Relations and Communications Manager
Strategic Communications Consultant
Digital Communications Special Advisor
Rights, Gender & Justice Special Advisor
Director of Content and Social Media
Communication Director
Sr. Communications Officer
 
Interested in getting in touch with this candidate? Reach out to us to schedule an introduction!
 

 

Consulting

 

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Are You Prepared for Benefits Renewal Season?

 
If you’re an employer, benefits season is coming, and the landscape looks different from what it did a few years ago.
 
For example, premiums are increasing, carrier options are shrinking, and employees are paying closer attention to what they’re being offered.
 
The employers who come out ahead are the ones who start planning before the pressure hits.
 
The good news is there’s more room to be creative than most people think. Getting an outside perspective early (before you’re locked into renewal conversations with your broker) can make a real difference in what you’re able to offer and what you’re spending to offer it.
 
 
How HR Annie Can Help
 
HR Annie isn’t a benefits broker, and we don’t replace yours. 
 
But what we can do is:
  • Sit alongside you and your broker as an HR resource, helping you ask the right questions, understand what you’re looking at, make decisions that actually fit your workforce, and handle the HR side of benefits admin once a plan is in place.
  • Help ensure employees understand and use what they have, since much of the value is lost there.
  • For smaller employers or those with a mixed workforce, we can also help identify options that don’t require a full traditional benefits package, such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).
    • EAPs are standalone programs that offer employees real support for mental health, financial stress, and personal crises.
    • We partner with Revive + Canopy and can connect you with preferred EAP pricing.
 
If your benefits process feels more stressful than it should, we’d love to help! Reach out to our team today to get started early.
 

 

 

Client & Partner Love

 

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THANK YOU to Wayfinder Beer & Fast Times Pizza!

 

We’re grateful for our friends over at Wayfinder Beer and Fast Times Pizza for joining us at our second Engagement Series session, A Conversation About Employee Motivation, earlier last month. 

A huge thank you to Wayfinder for providing their awesome beers and to Fast Times Pizza for their delicious slices for all of us to enjoy!

 

 

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Meet Zestia: A New Personalized Growth App

 

We love getting to shout out people in our network doing exciting work, and Lindsay is absolutely one of them!
 
Lindsay is a licensed therapist, EO member, and friend of HR Annie, who built Zestia, a personalized growth app.
 
Your path in the app is built around who you are and what matters most to you right now. Therapist-created exercises guide you through real-life situations, and quick daily reminders keep you practicing throughout your normal, busy day.
 
This is awesome for individuals, but we also think it’s worth a mention for all you HR folks and business owners reading this!
 
Meaningful wellness benefits don’t always have to come with a big price tag. Affordable tools like Zestia give your people something genuinely supportive for their growth and wellbeing, and tell them, ‘We see you as a whole person, not just a role.’
 

If this sounds like something you or your team would connect with, Zestia is available on the App Store and Google Play!

 

Explore Zestia

 

 

Pre-Employment Screening

 

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Give Your Screening Process a Mid-Year Look

 

We’re halfway through the year, which is a good time to check whether your pre-employment screening still aligns with how you actually hire.

Policies tend to drift. You add a role, switch a vendor, or start hiring in a new state, and the screening process quietly falls out of step.

 
A few things worth reviewing:
  • Are you running the same checks for the same role types every time? Consistency is your best protection against a discrimination claim.
  • Does your screening match the job? A driving record is very important for a delivery role, but matters far less for a desk job.
  • Are you following the rules in every state where you hire? Ban-the-box and pay-history laws vary widely.
  • Is your disclosure and authorization paperwork current and FCRA-compliant?

 

Thirty minutes now can save you a tangled cleanup later and keep your hiring fair and defensible heading into the back half of the year.

Not sure where your screening process stands? Click the button below to schedule a free 30-minute consult and walk through it with us!

 

 

Giving Back

 

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Join Our Blood Drive in July

 
HR Annie and the American Red Cross are hosting an upcoming blood drive on July 15th at our office.
 
The need for blood is constant, and only volunteer donors can meet it for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds, and most of us will need blood at some point in our lives.
 
Your donation can save lives!

 

Thank you so much for being a part of everything we do.

 

#HRisCool

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