Empleados boomerang, consejos de jubilación, la IA acelera el estatus de trabajador independiente

Hey everybody, it's Gene Marks, and welcome to this week's episode of the Paychex Thrive Week in Review. This is where we take a few items from the news that impacts your small business and mine, and we talk about them just a little bit.

So … the first item of news comes to a recent report that was also reported on Yahoo Finance. It's about boomeranging and how it's making a comeback. As hiring remains challenging and companies seek proven talent, boomerang employee workers – these are the people that return to a former employer – are becoming increasingly common.

According to new data, 35% of new hires in March 2026 were returning employees, up from 31% a year earlier. Employers are discovering that former workers require less onboarding, of course, already understand the company culture, and often return with valuable new skills and experiences gained elsewhere. For employees, returning can, of course, offer greater flexibility, better compensation or career advancement that's unavailable during their previous year tenure.

Experts say the growing trend reflects a more fluid labor market and when leaving a company is no longer viewed negatively. Instead, maintaining good relationships when employees depart has become a strategic talent management practice, allowing organizations to tap a trusted pool of experienced workers when hiring needs arise.

So, a few things on this. First of all, when an employee leaves your company, you want to make sure that you do your best, and hopefully the employee does their best to make sure that the leave is amicable, no bridges are burnt. You wish them well, they move on to wherever they're planning on going … because you're gonna be seeing that employee again.

I mean, you know, we live in a you know, our world is actually smaller than most people think, particularly if that employee stays in that same industry. I'm sure you're gonna be bumping into him or her elsewhere, and there is still the shot that that employee may come back sometime in the future. It could be months, it could be years.

But here's one thing that's for sure: If an employee is interested in coming back to work for you, not only will they bring new experiences and knowledge from working at other places, but it also shows that they've been out in the world, they see the other options that are available to them, and then they actually choose to come back and work for you again. That's like a really big deal.

And in fact, that really does say that, you know, retainage of that employee will likely be a lot, lot longer than a lot of other employees because, you know, it is all about not only attracting and recruiting but also retaining good workers. And people go out, they see the outside world, and then they start thinking to themselves, huh, you know what? This company that I work for was actually pretty good. I want to come back to it again. It will it will help them stay at their job that much longer.

So, boomerang employees I think are a good thing. You know, unless somebody really leaves under awkward or bad circumstances, leave the door opens, you know, it will cut down on your onboarding time, and also I think it will increase retainage if that employee does want to come back and work for you, assuming that the employee is valuable and will provide ROI for your business.

So, boomerang employees are on the rise. I think that's probably pretty good for a lot of small businesses.

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Okay, let's get back to the news, shall we?

The next bit of news comes from a site called plansponsor.com, which really interested me. The story is about how employees prefer to lean on their employers when it comes to retirement planning. This is a new survey that was done.

So, this new survey found that employees increasingly expect their employers to play a larger role in helping them prepare financially for retirement. Many workers trust employer-sponsored retirement plans or financial advisors that value access to one-on-one guidance more than digital tools or generic educational resources.

However, while confidence in employer-provided advice is high, actual retirement readiness remains low as inflation, healthcare costs, and other financial pressures limit workers' ability to save. The findings suggest employers have an opportunity to improve employee financial wellness by expanding retirement education, offering personalized planning sessions, and making retirement benefits easier to understand and use.

The report also concludes that engagement, not trust, is the biggest obstacle, and employers that provide accessible financial guidance may improve both employee satisfaction and long-term retirement outcomes.

Now, first of all, this is not just for retirement. If you're an employee of a company, I mean, let's face it, there's a lot to know about your finances, right?

• Are you putting enough money away for retirement, of course?
• Are you saving up for your kids' college education?
• Are you spending on the right health care plan?
• Are you paying your taxes appropriately?
• Can you afford to buy a house or do you have to continue to rent?
• Should you buy a car or should you lease a car? (Never lease a car, by the way, but that's a whole other topic.)

These are all like personal financial issues that come up all the time. And yeah, I think there's a lot of resources online that can help people make those decisions, particularly AI, but nothing comes close to a good human advisor for you, which is why a lot of my clients are retaining financial experts, retirement experts, healthcare experts, CPAs to be available for their employees so that when employees do have these kinds of questions, they can ask AI and then come to a human who knows more about them potentially and get advice from them, as well. It's a great benefit to provide.

And as found by this survey on plansponsor.com, clearly, many, many employees are looking for help, particularly for retirement. And it is a challenge for a lot of people to decide to put money away for retirement given inflation and higher costs and other things that money can be spent on.

So, it's really, really a great benefit and super important if you can help your employees make good financial decisions. The better financial decisions they make, the better and happier they will be, and that's good for your workforce. So, listen to that survey. Your employees help with retirement planning and all other aspects of their personal finances, consider providing somebody on retainer, a financial expert, to help your employees as part of a human you know resources benefit.

Okay, in this week's AI news, I want to talk about a new survey that came out from a firm called Upwork. It's called their Future Workforce Index, and how AI is impacting freelancers. Upwork's 2026 Future Workforce Index concludes that AI is accelerating, not replacing, the shift towards highly skilled freelance work.

Let me repeat that. More people are becoming freelancers because of AI. Demand is growing fastest for professionals who combine industry expertise with AI tools, creating a new category that Upwork is calling the AI orchestrator – workers who integrate AI with human judgment to solve complex business problems.

Freelancers performing AI-enhanced high-value work saw earnings increase approximately 45% year over year, while AI augmented professional services grew 72% in volume. The report argues that routine work is increasingly automated but businesses continue to pay a premium for experts who can oversee AI, validate outputs, and translate AI capabilities into business results.

Rather than eliminate skilled knowledge work, AI is reshaping it, according to the study. It's rewarding professionals who develop complementary AI skills while reinforcing the importance of human expertise, creativity, and decision making.

AI is causing a boom in freelancers and experts and consultants, and you know why? Well, I can give you my own example. I mean, my firm, I'm a consulting firm. I work with a lot of businesses around the country on their financial management. I use AI all the time to help me when questions come up or do come up with research and data for providing better advice and services for my clients.

Now, can my clients do that on their own? Sure. Many don't have the time, many don't have the resources, and honestly, many don't have the, I don't know, the financial acumen. I mean, they're they're familiar with what they're doing in their business, (but) they might not be so up to speed on the finances of their business or things that I'm more expert in. So, I can use AI for my questions, get results, and then turn to my clients and better communicate to them what AI is saying, as well as my own advice to help them run their business better.

In other words, AI is an augmented tool. It's a complementary tool that good consultants and freelancers can use to provide an even higher level of service to their clients, and their clients really do appreciate it.

So, the 2026 Upwork Future Workforce Survey really did prove to me, I mean it sort of underscores what I'm seeing in the market, is that AI is accelerating more freelancers going into the market and equipping them to be a better service provider than ever before.

My name is Gene Marks, and you have been watching and or listening to this week's episode of the Paychex Thrive Week in Review.

Listen, if you need any help or advice or tips in running your business, sign up for our Paychex Thrive newsletter. Go to paychex.com/thrive. Please subscribe to this podcast on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. And also, if you are looking help with for your payroll, because it's costing you a lot – according to Paychex, it can be as much as $24,000 a year – reach out to Paychex. Go to paychex.com/meetpaychex and ask them how they can help you with pay with your payroll and how much money you can potentially save.

Thanks again for watching and listening. My name is Gene Marks. This has been the Paychex Thrive Week in Review and we will see you again next week. Take care.

My name is Gene Marks, and you've been watching or listening to the Paychex Thrive Week in Review podcast. A few things to take away. First of all, if you are in need of HR or payroll help in your business, consider Paychex. Go to paychex.com/meetpaychex. That's P-A-Y-C-H-E-X.com forward slash M-E-E-T-P-A-Y-C-H-E-X. Please follow this podcast on your podcast platform or on YouTube if you are enjoying the content so you stay up to date on our latest episodes.

And if you need help or advice or tips in running your business, get our Paychex Thrive newsletter. Go to paychex.com/thrive and sign up for it there.

Hope you found this information helpful. I'll be back with you next week with more news that impacts your small business and mine. My name is Gene Marks. Thanks so much for watching or listening. Take care.

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