Building comprehensive benefits to drive appreciation
The benefits landscape is complex. It used to be that organizations could prioritize just those benefits that work for the majority of the workforce, but there are lots of levels and types of employees and they are increasingly expecting benefits that work for their unique circumstances. Young salaried employees may be looking for fertility support to grow their family, whereas hourly employees may be looking for increased confidence they can pay their bills each month.
With so many populations to serve, how can you ensure you are building a benefits package that is comprehensive for all types of employee needs? At Edenred Benefits and Engagement, we have adopted a tried-and-true psychological framework to support employees – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy describes how we need to support the basis needs of people (e.g., can they feed their families) before we push up into more complex needs (e.g., do they feel that their work matters). If we adopt this for the workplace, we get the Total Employee Experience Pyramid.
Basic, physiological needs
Fair pay is an expectation from employees, but during times of economic uncertainty, anything businesses can do to help employees stretch their paycheck is hugely appreciated. Discounts programs, commuter benefits, etc. allow employees to support themselves – especially during more expense months like back-to-school or the holiday season. Consider if you are doing enough to support these basis needs first.
Safety and security needs
Next up, we need to consider physical and psychological safety and wellbeing benefits. Do employees have access to benefits and resources to support their wellbeing during routine times and times of stress?
Our employees have access to Unmind, where they can access therapy and coaching sessions to get personalized support. We also have a Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) where employees get pre-tax and/or subsidized funds they can use to buy what they want to take care of themselves – from a new pair of running shoes to painting lessons to craft supplies and beyond.
Wellbeing is increasingly important to the workforce and without these supports, higher level performance is harder to achieve.
Love and belonging needs
With more basic needs covered, it’s time to consider if you are creating a welcoming and supportive culture for employees. This is where businesses can start to compete for talent with their competitors. Is your onboarding consistent and comprehensive? Do you offer Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) – whether is it a women’s group, a running group, a parents group, etc. – so employees can be comfortable finding connection outside of just their department? While not a traditional benefit, your communication strategies are also crucial for creating a culture of belonging and support. Do people know what is going on and have the information they need to do their jobs?
Self-esteem needs
Finally, are you making sure your employees know their work matters and they make a difference? Are your training and development resources easy to find? Do employees know what their career next steps might be? Do you have a program that supports consistent and frequent recognition of employee milestones and performance? Do managers know about these programs and discuss them with their teams?
If you are confident your employees basic needs are met you can then really build out these benefits to support their higher-level needs.
To build out your Total Employee Experience, consider each level and ask yourself:
1. What does the company already do that contributes to employee needs at this level?
2. Are there any groups of employees for whom this type of need requires increased focus (e.g. call center reps, drivers, supervisors, etc.)?
3. What benefits or supports could you promote better or add to strengthen how you support this level of need for employees?
Learn more about how Edenred Benefits can support your organization’s employee experience with commuter benefits and lifestyle spending accounts.
