For years, organizations have made critical decisions about pay, benefits, flexibility, and culture based on assumptions, proxies, or partial data. But the workforce has changed, expectations have shifted, and many of the old signals no longer tell the full story.

In this session, WorldatWork and the International Thought Leaders Network will introduce a new research initiative designed to better understand what truly drives attraction, engagement, satisfaction, and retention in today’s workforce. This study intentionally captures two perspectives that are rarely examined together. The lived experiences of employees across the full lifecycle, and the perceptions held by managers and HR leaders about what they believe employees value most.

We will share why this research matters now, what questions we are trying to answer, and how the findings will be used to inform more human centered, evidence based Total Rewards and people strategies. Attendees will also have dedicated time to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and engage in open dialogue about the gaps they see between intention and experience in their own organizations.

This session is designed for anyone who wants to move beyond guessing and contribute to insights that will shape how work is designed in 2026 and beyond.