AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asure Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASUR), a provider of payroll and HR solutions for employers and enterprise payroll tax and treasury infrastructure, will highlight employee retention as an increasingly important growth strategy for small and mid-sized businesses at the second annual Asure50 Awards on September 3 in Austin. The invitation-only event comes as the U.S. economy confronts an unusual combination: continued economic growth, historically weak job creation and a tightening supply of available workers.
The Asure50 keynote speaker Danny Goldberg, founder of Groundwork, will present ‘The Retention Advantage: Building a Workplace People Never Want to Leave.’
Goldberg’s message comes at a critical moment for employers. U.S. employers have added only about 60,000 net jobs since May, while the foreign-born U.S. labor force has declined by approximately 550,000 workers over the past year. More broadly, more than 1.3 million people have exited the U.S. labor force over the past year, according to recent government data.
At the same time, the economy continues to expand. Employers face a stark challenge: More business. Fewer available workers. Time to retain people already on the job, or face harsh consequences.
“For years, businesses could think about turnover primarily as an HR cost. I think that equation is changing,” said Pat Goepel, Chairman and CEO of Asure. “When the economy is growing but the supply of workers isn’t keeping pace, retaining a productive employee becomes a growth issue. You can’t serve another customer, open another location or increase production if you can’t keep enough great people to do the work. For America’s small businesses, retention is becoming Job #1.”
The Retention Advantage
Goldberg’s keynote argues that companies cannot solve retention simply via pay, benefits or recruiting.
Employees make repeated decisions about whether they want to remain with an organization based on their everyday experiences—including whether they feel understood by their managers, whether their contributions are valued and whether they see a future with the company.
“People don’t decide to stay once. They decide to stay over and over again,” said Danny Goldberg, founder of Groundwork and keynote speaker at the 2026 Asure50 Awards. “Retention is won or lost in the everyday experience of work. The companies that build environments where people feel safe, understood, valued and connected aren’t just creating better cultures. They’re creating an advantage that competitors can’t easily replicate.”
Goldberg speaks from experience as both an entrepreneur and workplace performance strategist. Before becoming a keynote speaker, he built an eight-figure global manufacturing business working with brands including Peloton, Traeger and Gravity Blankets. He subsequently interviewed hundreds of executives, managers and frontline employees to study what makes people stay and perform at their best.
His conclusion has particular implications for small and mid-sized businesses, where the loss of even a handful of experienced employees can have an outsized impact.
A 25-person employer losing five employees doesn’t simply experience 20% turnover. It potentially loses one-fifth of the experience, customer relationships, institutional knowledge and productive capacity represented by its workforce.
From HR Metric to Economic Advantage
Demographic trends could make that challenge more persistent.
Reduced immigration, Baby Boomer retirements, slower population growth and changing labor-force participation are constraining the supply of workers. Estimates of the number of new jobs the U.S. economy needs each month simply to absorb labor-force growth have consequently fallen sharply from levels seen just several years ago.
That creates a potentially important change in the economics of human capital. In a labor-surplus economy, employers can replace people. In a labor-constrained economy, employers have to retain them.
“Technology and AI are going to make every employee more productive, but that makes great employees more valuable, not less,” Goepel said. “The winners will be employers that combine technology with cultures that keep talented people engaged, productive and committed. That’s a powerful message for the Asure50 companies because many of them are already demonstrating exactly that kind of leadership.”
The 2026 Asure50 Awards recognize 50 organizations across 13 industries, 20 U.S. states and one Canadian province for excellence in growth, workplace culture and community impact. The honorees average 41 employees, with roughly three-quarters employing fewer than 50 people.
For these businesses, Goldberg said retention can become more than an HR objective.
“The question isn’t simply, ‘How do we stop people from leaving?’” Goldberg said. “The better question is, ‘What kind of workplace would make our best people want to keep choosing us?’ When leaders solve that problem, retention, engagement and performance start reinforcing each other. That’s the retention advantage.”
About Danny Goldberg
Danny Goldberg is a keynote speaker, entrepreneur and founder of Groundwork who helps organizations build stronger leaders, retain great people and create high-performing teams. Goldberg previously built an eight-figure global manufacturing business serving brands including Peloton, Traeger and Gravity Blankets. His work draws on firsthand operating experience, years of research and interviews with hundreds of executives, managers and frontline employees.
About the Asure50
The annual Asure50 Awards recognize outstanding small and mid-sized organizations demonstrating excellence in growth, workplace culture and community impact. The 2026 Asure50 class includes 50 organizations representing 13 industries, 20 U.S. states and one Canadian province.
About Asure Software
Asure (Nasdaq: ASUR) provides payroll and HR solutions for employers and enterprise payroll tax and treasury infrastructure for large organizations. For employers, Asure's platform covers payroll, HR, recruiting, time and attendance, benefits, and compliance — delivered through AsureCentral, its connected platform, or through AsureWorks, its managed services offering for employers who prefer to outsource the work entirely. For large enterprises, Asure's payroll tax and treasury infrastructure handles multi-jurisdiction tax filing, funding, and money movement, integrating with platforms including Workday, Oracle, and SAP. For more information, visit www.asuresoftware.com.
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