Connecting with coworkers has changed over the years. We can remember (thanks to Mad Men) the male-dominated whiskey and cigar rooms and golf courses. In more recent years, team bonding has been more inclusive, at happy hour or book club or on the pickleball court.

But even those are now activities of the olden days. Enter…Botox, the stuff that prevents your colleagues from ever knowing your thoughts (or your age). The beauty maintenance appointment that was once hush-hush has come to the forefront as a new way to bond with colleagues. One HR leader shared with us why some employees may opt for Botox over books or beer, and how to support new ways of connecting.

Botox with coworkers? As the popularity of aesthetic injectables has grown—these, along with other treatments, are expected to add $830 billion to the beauty market by 2030, McKinsey estimated—so too has the trend of Botox during a lunch break or instead of a happy hour, according to some reports. And there are more ridiculous activities employees could do together: remember surfing to land business deals and team-building with archery? Botox can be done one-on-one or with a group, according to sources who spoke with HR Brew, allowing employees to check something off their to-do lists while getting to know their colleagues.

Part of a wider trend. Many employees are still looking for connection after Covid-19, and some are finding it through work-life integration, Jenna Young, senior client partner at Korn Ferry told HR Brew.

For more on the benefits of bonding over botox, keep reading here.—KP

Here’s this week’s edition of our Business of Benefits series, where we spotlight benefits that are driving value for HR leaders, digging into their design and ROI.

If you’re interested in talking about a workplace benefit you love for an upcoming edition, click here to get in touch. You can also reach out directly to HR Brew’s total rewards reporter, Courtney Vinopal: vinopal@morningbrew.com

Koch Industries employs 60,000 workers across the US, and most are “around that age range where people are growing their families,” between about 30 and 40 years old, according to Courtney Goershel, a senior benefits analyst with the conglomerate.

After noticing high rates of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions and cesarean deliveries among its health plan members, Koch decided to partner with Pomelo, a point solution focused in part on virtual maternity care. Since 2022, all employees enrolled in Koch’s medical plan have had access to Pomelo, and more than 3,000 of these employees and their family members have enrolled.

The result? NICU admissions decreased by 8% among participants, while the length of NICU stays went down by 31%, according to figures shared by Koch and Pomelo. Cesarean deliveries also decreased by 7%.

Encouraged by these results, Koch recently started to expand its Pomelo benefit to include in-person doula support, as well as menopause care. Goershel told us more about the partnership.

For more on enhanced maternity benefits at Koch, keep reading here.—CV

We haaaaaate to add to the list of things keeping you up at night, but have you ever considered adding healthcare costs to the nightmare rotation?

Plenty of other CFOs have, according to a recent survey from Mercer, a global professional services firm.

Approximately three-quarters of the finance executives who responded said healthcare costs ranked among their companies’ top five operating expense concerns, per the survey, which was fielded during February 2026 and polled 161 organizations.

A third of the CFOs said it was an even higher concern—in their top three. Back in the relative calm of 2024, only 19% ranked health benefit costs as a top three concern, the survey noted.

For more on the rising healthcare costs keeping execs up at night, keep reading on CFO Brew.—NP

Hiring at scale isn’t just about speed. It’s about what slips through the cracks. On May 13, learn how screening risk quietly builds across processes, vendors, and teams—and what HR leaders are doing to keep things consistent, compliant, and moving without surprises.

More focus, less fluff. CollabWORK filters out the noise and delivers jobs that actually match what HR Brew readers are looking for. Click here to see the full board of curated roles.