Ensuring benefits technology works for all generations in your workforce

Thankfully, the days of implementing a blanket approach to benefits and communications are behind us.  However, the concept of ‘flexible’ benefits has been around for years, but were they really that flexible?

Employees would like to think that they are in control of their benefits. The only downfall is that they then later discover that they can only select them once a year. Consequently, they start to lose interest very quickly when the process is very long winded and there are numerous restrictions in place. 

Today, employee expectations are high.  A positive user journey will go long way to advocate engagement amongst any workforce which in turn provides tangible evidence of return on investment for the employer.

Looking at my own team, which like many is diverse; it includes millennials and baby boomers, varying affluence levels, different cultures, lifestyles and requirements.  As a result, we all have different aspirations and today’s benefits technology should meet these needs, and there is a large task at hand!

Employee benefit platforms need to provide a ‘retail’ experience.  It should be personalised, intuitive, not reliant on consulting a user guide or calling a helpline.  Most people want to make their benefit choices in the same way they would choose their everyday online shopping – simplicity works best.

Initially there will be lots to take on board and bombarding employees with technical information and jargon will be a hard sell and may result in a low engagement rate.   Just the mention of the Lifetime Allowance and salary exchange is daunting (and perhaps dull!) for many.  The way forward includes signposting employees to the benefits they should be thinking about, making suggestions and giving examples of other people they can relate to – which all makes for a positive experience.  It works along the lines of the ‘Amazon purchase experience’, which will be familiar to many which suggests that retail is important for many.  This is exactly why a blanket approach does not work, we cannot communicate to millennials and baby boomers in the same way or assume they have the same needs when it comes to benefits.

Technology has dictated that four out of five adults in the UK now have a smartphone, so expectation suggests that benefits platforms will be moved to this method which will enable easy access on personal devices anytime, anywhere.

Want further inside into generational attitudes to workplace savings? Download a copy of our insightful 'Generation Why?' survey below.