HR.com has announced the formation of its 2026 Advisory Board on Employee Retention, a group of senior HR executives and talent experts tasked with shaping new research and a virtual event focused on improving employee retention, increasing performance, and driving organizational success. The board's insights will directly inform the 2026 HR Research Institute survey and virtual event programming.
“The organizations that retain top talent are those that continuously adapt to the changing needs of their workforce,” said Debbie McGrath, CEO of HR.com. “We're excited to bring together this exceptional group of advisors to share their expertise and help HR leaders build more effective retention strategies.”
The virtual event, scheduled for November 10, 2026, will explore today's biggest retention challenges, emerging workplace trends, and practical strategies for reducing turnover. Attendees will gain research-backed insights into topics such as organizational culture, employee well-being, leadership, benefits, flexible work, AI, and the proven practices of organizations that excel at retaining talent.
The newly formed 2026 State of Employee Retention Advisory Board features distinguished experts including Douglas Brown, Founder of Manage2Retain; Mary Damas, VP of Recruiting and Employee Engagement at ServiceLink; Dick Finnegan, CEO of C-Suite Analytics; Teri Frangie, Chief Human Potential Officer at Frangie-Young Solutions; Barrie Goodman, HR Consultant & Founder of FelbarrsHR; Andy Hall, Founder of Andy Hall Coaching LLC; Larren Oliver, VP of Human Resources, Talent & Retention at Excalibur Data Driven Performance Management; Lisa Reinhardt, Senior Manager of Learning & OD at The CCS Companies; Sonja Talley, President of CORE HR Solutions, LLC; and Natalie Wintermark, Chief People & Culture Officer.
The HR Research Institute releases annual “State of the Industry” reports across a variety of HR topic areas, including last year's HR.com's State of Employee Retention 2025-26 report on this topic. This and other free research reports and infographics can be downloaded at hr.com/researchinstitute.
The implications of this announcement are significant for HR professionals and organizations struggling with turnover. By leveraging the expertise of the advisory board, HR.com aims to provide actionable, research-backed strategies that can help companies retain top talent in a rapidly changing work environment. The focus on emerging trends like AI and flexible work underscores the need for adaptive retention strategies. For the industry, this initiative highlights the growing importance of employee retention as a strategic priority, with potential impacts on productivity, cost savings, and competitive advantage.
