HR.com has announced the winners of its 2026 Employee Retention Awards, recognizing organizations and solution providers that are making a meaningful difference in how businesses attract, engage, and retain their people. The announcement arrives as workforce expectations continue to evolve and employee retention remains a critical priority for organizations looking to build engaged, productive, and resilient teams. This year's recipients are being recognized for contributions to advancing retention practices through innovative programs, people-focused strategies, and solutions that support stronger employee experiences.
For vendors selling into the HR technology and services market, the award selections offer a useful read on which retention narratives are gaining traction with buyers. Rather than rewarding broad engagement suites, HR.com singled out two distinct approaches: internal talent mobility and leadership behavior change grounded in neuroscience.
Fuel50 received the Best Employee Retention Solution award for its Talent Marketplace solution, which helps employers improve retention by giving employees visibility into personalized career paths, internal opportunities, skills development, mentorship, and growth pathways. The platform connects employee aspirations with business needs, making career growth actionable, strengthening engagement, and encouraging employees to build their futures within the organization. "When people can see a future for themselves where they work, they have a reason to stay," said Jo Mills, CEO at Fuel50. "This award means a great deal to us at Fuel50, and we share it with the customers who help their people see what's possible and give them a real chance to pursue it."
DX Learning Solutions won the Retention Excellence Award for its neuroscience-based CARE Model (Clarity, Autonomy, Relationships, and Equity), which is transforming workplace culture, strengthening leadership behaviors, and improving employee retention. Through experiential learning, coaching, and sustained reinforcement, the initiative has fostered psychological safety, engagement, and accountability while building lasting internal capabilities. "People don't leave jobs; they leave the absence of CARE: Clarity, Autonomy, Relationships, and Equity, usually without being able to name it that way. We are honored to win this award," stated Matthew Sandel, Director of Design at DX Learning Solutions. "It tells us DX Learning is truly helping leaders close that gap before it shows up as a resignation. That's the outcome we intentionally build into all of our portfolio offerings in order to consistently reproduce quality results."
The implications extend beyond the two winners. Debbie McGrath, CEO of HR.com, framed the awards around development as a retention lever. "Organizations that invest in helping people grow are better positioned to meet the challenges of a changing workplace," she said. "These award winners demonstrate how thoughtful career development strategies can create lasting value for both employees and businesses." That framing matters for HR vendors positioning products: career pathing, internal mobility, and manager capability are being presented as retention infrastructure rather than perks, and vendors may face buyer questions about measurable impact on turnover and internal mobility rates.
The awards also come at a time when employee retention is a top concern for many organizations. By highlighting effective strategies and solutions, HR.com aims to help HR professionals advance and build meaningful careers and find optimal solutions to enhance job performance. Over 2 million HR professionals rely on HR.com for career development, networking, and compliance. For more information on the awards, visit www.hr.com/awards. Additional details about HR.com can be found in the HR.com Newsroom.
