That shift sits at the centre of Benifex’s latest global research report, Energizing Reward and Benefits: How HR, Reward and Benefits leaders can tackle the big five challenges of today.

Conducted by Insight Avenue in February and March 2026, the research combines 600 interviews with HR, Reward and Benefits professionals alongside 7,000 employee interviews across multiple international markets.

Across the research, five themes point to how quickly the expectations placed on HR, Reward and Benefits leaders are changing.

Join us live on June 24th to unpack the 5 key trends from the research!

1. Employees still don’t fully understand the value of their benefits

One of the clearest findings in the research is the growing disconnect between employer investment in benefits and employee perception of value.

While 64% of employers say they have introduced or expanded benefits over the past year, only 32% of employees believe their benefits offering has improved.

The issue is not necessarily the quality of benefits being offered. In many organizations, employees simply struggle to navigate fragmented systems, inconsistent communication, and complex information spread across multiple platforms.

That matters because benefits are increasingly expected to support retention, engagement, wellbeing, and financial resilience. When employees cannot easily see or access what is available, the perceived value of those benefits drops significantly.

2. HR leaders are under growing pressure to prove commercial value

Employees are not the only stakeholders struggling to see the value of reward and benefits investment. HR, Reward and Benefits leaders are facing increasing scrutiny from CEOs, CFOs, and Boards, who are demanding clearer evidence that people-related investments deliver measurable business impact.

The scale of this shift is clear. 98% of HR, Reward and Benefits leaders say that pressure to justify the value of HR has increased over the past two years. While 63% of organizations report that business cases for benefits and HR technology fail because the value of people initiatives is not expressed in metrics that senior leaders prioritize.

Breaking this cycle requires a shift in how value is defined, measured, and communicated. Organizations that succeed are those that explicitly connect people investment to workforce outcomes and, in turn, to business performance.

3. AI is changing expectations of HR itself

More than half of HR, Reward and Benefits leaders (51%) report increasing concern about their own job security, with AI cited as a core driver. At the same time, the research shows clear recognition of AI’s potential Employer perspective as an enabler rather than a threat.

As expectations rise, AI-enabled benefits technology is becoming a strategic tool for workforce planning, investment decisions, and risk management. Many HR and Reward teams now have faster access to workforce insight that previously required specialist analysis. Modern platforms can now forecast demand, model future spend, and test the impact of different benefits strategies in real time. That is changing how organizations build business cases for investment.

Instead of relying on retrospective data, leaders can use AI-driven insight to link benefits engagement to productivity, forecast costs, and model financial outcomes in ways that align more closely with Board and CFO priorities.

4. AI and the rising strategic importance of benefits

The research indicates that in organizations where wellbeing is prioritized, the productivity and performance gains associated with AI adoption are significantly higher (by as much as 15%), compared to environments where AI is implemented without parallel investment in employee support.

This suggests that wellbeing acts as a force multiplier for AI. When employees are supported to cope with increasing complexity, change, and performance expectations, organizations are better able to realize the full value of their AI investments.

However, 64% of HR, Reward and Benefits leaders say decisions around AI focus more on productivity gains. For HR leaders, this reinforces the growing importance of positioning wellbeing and benefits technology not as standalone initiatives, but as part of the infrastructure supporting workforce resilience, performance, and long-term organizational change.

5. Pay transparency is becoming a cultural challenge

The final major trend emerging from the research is the growing impact of pay transparency. Driven by legislation including the EU Pay Transparency Directive, organizations are facing increasing pressure to explain how pay and reward decisions are made.

Many employers acknowledge they are not fully prepared. Only 37% of organizations surveyed say they are ready to explain and justify differences in total reward. This is one reason total reward statements and benefits technology are becoming more valuable. By bringing together salary, pensions, benefits, and wellbeing support into a single view, organizations can help employees better understand the full value of their overall reward package.

Handled well, transparency can strengthen trust and engagement. Handled badly, it risks exposing inconsistencies organizations are not prepared to explain.

A more strategic role for Reward and Benefits

The five challenges explored in this new research highlight just how quickly the world of reward and benefits is changing. They also present a clear opportunity: organizations that can connect benefits, wellbeing, technology, and data – and translate that into meaningful outcomes for both employees and the business – will be best placed to lead in the next era of work.

For HR, Reward and Benefits leaders this represents an opportunity to move beyond administration, demonstrate real impact, and play a defining role in shaping how organizations navigate the next phase of work.

Read the full Benifex research report, Energizing Reward and Benefits for deeper insight into the trends reshaping Reward and Benefits.

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Hosted by Adam Mason, Chief Strategy Officer at Benifex, the evening explored how allowances are evolving from an admin-heavy tool into a central pillar of modern, personalised reward strategies. Here’s what came out of the room.

The backdrop: benefits matter more than ever

The conversation opened with data from Benifex’s Big Benefits Report. In Ireland, 81% of employees say benefits matter when choosing an employer, and 83% say they influence whether they stay. Yet despite 89% of employers globally increasing their benefits spend, only 69% of employees feel that spend is delivering value.

For the reward and benefits professionals around the table, this gap was familiar. Benefits investment is growing, but employee appreciation of that investment isn’t always keeping pace.

Allowances are already widespread – but delivery hasn’t kept up

One of the clearest themes of the evening was how prevalent allowances already are. From lifestyle funds and wellness budgets to remote working support and flexible pots, allowances exist in many forms across many geographies. The room confirmed that this is an established reality, not an emerging trend.

What is still developing, however, is the infrastructure to deliver them well. The traditional model – employees pay upfront, submit invoices, wait for approval, then wait again for payroll reimbursement – creates friction on both sides. Employees are effectively funding the benefit themselves in the interim, while HR and reward teams carry the manual burden of claim reviews, eligibility checks and reconciliation.

The central question the group explored was one many in the industry are working through: how do you achieve the flexibility that allowances offer, without the operational overhead that has historically come with them? The answer, the discussion made clear, lies in technology.

Card-based allowances: compliance by design

A key theme was the role of card-based delivery in resolving the tension between control and flexibility. Rather than reducing governance, smart card infrastructure strengthens it, shifting compliance from a retrospective audit process to something that happens in real time, at the point of sale.

This is where the investment of major payments networks is particularly relevant. Alex Mifsud, Co-founder and CEO of Weavr, outlined how Visa and Mastercard are investing significantly in this space. Beyond merchant category controls and spend limits, the technology is advancing to a point where cards can identify not just where money is spent, but what is being purchased at the SKU level. In markets like Germany, where specific product categories are and aren’t permissible under tax reliefs, this level of granularity is becoming increasingly important for compliance.

For employers, this means ineligible spend can be declined at point of sale – no retrospective claim review, no policy grey areas. Compliance is built into the process rather than layered on top of it.

Data insight and the importance of anonymisation

The group had a considered discussion about the data dimension of card-based allowances. Real-time transaction data offers reward leaders something genuinely new: visibility into when, where and how benefits are actually being used.

The group was clear, however, that this data needs to be handled responsibly. Employer insight into spend patterns is valuable for refining strategy and understanding what employees value – but this should be anonymised and viewed at an aggregated, population level rather than used to scrutinise individual behaviour.

On adoption, the picture was unambiguous. Where friction is removed, employees engage. The concern that card-based models might see lower uptake compared to traditional vouchers or reimbursement is not reflected in practice. Adoption rates are high, and the data doesn’t show engagement as a barrier to card-based allowances – far from it.

A clear opportunity in the Irish market

One of the more notable moments of the evening came when the group turned to the Irish context. Approximately half of those in the room were currently making use of the Small Benefits Exemption – which allows employers to provide up to five non-cash benefits per year, with a combined value of up to €1,500, fully exempt from PAYE, USC and PRSI.

Amongst those already using it, approaches varied considerably – different amounts, different timings, and different levels of integration with the broader reward strategy. For those not yet using it, the exemption remained largely untapped.

Prepaid cards qualify under the exemption, provided the benefit is non-cashable. Card-based allowances are therefore a natural vehicle for delivering SBE-compliant benefits, providing the closed-loop controls that meet the non-cash requirement while offering employees genuine flexibility in how they spend.

The opportunity to think more deliberately about how the Small Benefits Exemption sits within a broader, cohesive reward and benefits strategy – rather than as a standalone add-on – was a consistent thread through the final part of the discussion.

The direction of travel

What emerged from the evening was a group at different stages of the same journey. Allowances are growing in prevalence and strategic importance. The technology to deliver them well – with real-time controls, meaningful data and a consumer-grade employee experience – now exists and is continuing to mature.

The operational burden that has historically come with allowances no longer has to be the norm. And in Ireland, with the Small Benefits Exemption providing a clear fiscal lever, the case for approaching allowances with greater deliberation and ambition is particularly strong.

Interested in exploring how card-based allowances could work within your benefits strategy? Book a meeting with a member of the Benifex team.

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Bupa found itself at that point. Despite investing heavily in benefits, the organisation uncovered a clear imbalance in how that investment was distributed.

As Sheryl Lee, People Experience and Operations Director at Bupa, explained in our recent masterclass: “When it came to our benefits spend, the challenge we had was that we were spending 95% of our spend on 40% of our people.”

That left large parts of the workforce without the same level of support. “There were significant cohorts that weren’t getting the rich benefits support that we expect,” she added.

A turning point after Covid

The issue became more pressing in the period following Covid.

The contribution of frontline employees, particularly those working in care settings, had become much more visible across the organisation. Internally, this prompted a rethink. If Bupa’s purpose was centred on improving health, that needed to apply to its own workforce as well.

As Sheryl put it: “Bringing healthcare to all is our core mission at Bupa. To make that real, we had to start internally.”

What employees were actually experiencing

Like many large employers, Bupa had built up a wide range of benefits over time. The issue was not a lack of provision, but how those benefits were organised and accessed.

Reflecting on this, Sheryl said: “At Bupa, we really care about benefits, but they were previously not very well organised or accessible to our people. It became apparent that our huge investment into benefits was not being maximised.”

Employee feedback reinforced that view. Some people were unclear on what was available, while others found it difficult to engage with what was on offer. For those in non-desk-based roles, the gap was even more noticeable.

Making the case for change

Improving the experience meant rethinking how benefits were delivered. It also meant making a stronger case at senior level.

The conversation shifted from adding something new to making better use of what already existed. As part of that discussion, technology was positioned as a way to unlock value from existing spend.

Sheryl described that moment clearly: “When pitching benefits technology to the CPO, we explained that, actually, we’re not going to get the return on investment from that existing big investment into benefits if we don’t do something like this.”

What resonated most was the idea of making benefits more accessible and relevant across the workforce: “Technology levels the playing field: it’s accessible to everyone and personalised to the individual.”

Linking benefits to business outcomes

At the same time, the organisation was preparing for a period of significant growth. There was a clear need to ensure employees felt supported during that transition.

Sheryl explained the thinking: “We wanted them to feel that their deal was fair.”

To support that, the team connected their approach to outcomes that mattered to the business, including retention, engagement, performance and customer impact.

As she summarised: “We framed it around business benefit – being commercial about it – but also in terms of supporting our people to live healthier lives.”

Why stories mattered as much as data

Even with a strong case, progress was not immediate.

Like many organisations, Bupa had to navigate competing priorities and questions about further investment. Data helped, but it did not always land on its own.

What made a difference was how the case was brought to life.

Sheryl acknowledged the challenge: “It’s no denying that we’re asking for a leap of faith, but we really believed it was the right thing to do.”

Alongside the numbers, the team shared real examples of how benefits had supported employees. This helped shift the discussion towards tangible impact.

Gethin Nadin, Chief Innovation Officer at Benifex, reflected on this during the session:
“It’s really difficult to say no to a group of people who are really passionate about doing the right thing for their people.”

From imbalance to broader access

The changes that followed focused on making benefits easier to access and more relevant to a wider group of employees.

Over time, this led to a more balanced approach. Support was no longer concentrated in the same way, and more employees were able to engage with what was available, including those in frontline roles.

Employee feedback reflected that shift, with improvements in how people viewed the support available to them.

What this shows in practice

Bupa’s experience highlights a few important points.

Clear intent matters. So does the ability to explain why change is needed in a way that resonates beyond HR.

At the same time, evidence alone is not always enough. Bringing in the lived experience of employees can make the difference when building support for change.

As Sheryl emphasised: “The people story is absolutely the most critical point in all this.”

In this case, those stories helped move the conversation forward and ultimately supported a shift towards a more inclusive and effective benefits experience.

Missed the live masterclass? Catch up on the session here.

The post How Bupa connected purpose, people and performance to unlock benefits tech investment appeared first on Benifex.

That was the focus of the “Putting people first” session at our 2025 Launchpad event. The conversation was led by our Chief Strategy Officer, Adam Mason, and the panel included Katie Duxbury, Head of Pay & Benefits at Bupa, and Renu Birla, Senior Reward & Benefits Advisor at Severn Trent. Together, they explored how benefits strategies are evolving – and why the most effective programs are built around accessibility, flexibility, and relevance.

Benefits as a reflection of what matters

As Adam Mason described, benefits are one of the clearest ways an organization can demonstrate what it truly values. They’re not just a mechanism for supporting employees. They’re also a signal. A signal of what the business cares about, what kind of culture it wants to build, and how seriously it takes the idea of putting people first.

That’s why the conversation moved quickly beyond the traditional definition of benefits. Instead of focusing only on contractual offerings, both Bupa and Severn Trent shared how they are thinking more broadly – about wellbeing, life challenges, choice, and how benefits fit into the realities of modern work.

Bupa: making benefits feel personal and accessible

For Bupa , a major turning point came in 2022 with a renewed focus on customer journeys under a new CEO. That shift prompted an important internal question: if Bupa wanted employees to advocate for its products, how many employees actually had access to them?

The answer was surprisingly low. Only around 40% of employees had access to Bupa products. That gap mattered, particularly because many of the employees delivering care on the front line didn’t feel the existing offer had been designed with them in mind. Bupa responded by listening closely to employees, running surveys, and designing a package around real-life needs – such as getting quick healthcare support when a child is ill or accessing help with everyday pressures.

But even after doing the research and designing what seemed like the right solution, uptake was lower than expected. The reason turned out not to be the offer itself, but how people perceived it.

Some employees saw healthcare benefits and assumed they were “for office people,” not for them. In other words, Bupa was facing an inclusion challenge as much as a benefits challenge. That insight changed the strategy’s direction. It became less about simply offering a benefit and more about putting it directly into people’s hands in a way that felt clearly relevant and personal.

For a workforce of around 11,000 people in care homes and 7,000 in dental practices, many of whom are not desk-based and don’t use company systems all day, that meant rethinking access entirely. Email and posters in staff rooms were not enough. Benefits had to be visible, available 24/7, and presented in a way that felt personalized. If a benefit appeared in someone’s app, it needed to feel unmistakably theirs.

Another strong theme across Bupa’s story was flexibility. Katie described how the team has been exploring new models, including wallet-based approaches, to create more personalized experiences and solve problems that traditional pay mechanisms often can’t. As Katie put it, the aim is to give people agency without overreaching – to empower employees with more choice, not overwhelm them with complexity.

Severn Trent: embedding wellbeing into business strategy

Severn Trent’s journey began from a slightly different starting point but reached a similar conclusion. For Severn Trent, wellbeing isn’t a standalone initiative – it’s a business outcome.

The organization’s view is that how employees are treated has a direct impact on safety, resilience, performance, and ultimately the trust communities place in the business. That matters in a company responsible for one of life’s essentials: water.

With a workforce that ranges from head office employees to rangers, van and tanker drivers, treatment center teams, and visitor center staff, the challenge is not just offering support – it’s making that support visible, relevant, and easy to access.

That’s why Severn Trent focused on building a joined-up experience – implementing a benefits platform designed as a one-stop shop for total reward, bringing together core benefits, recognition, pay slips, and wellbeing support in one place.

Communication matters as much as the offer itself

One of the clearest messages from the session was that even the strongest benefits package has limited value if people don’t know about it at the right time. Both speakers stressed that communication has to be ongoing, multi-channel, and grounded in how people actually work.

At Severn Trent, this means using everything from webinars and roadshows to on-site services and internal podcasts. For example, rather than simply offering free physio and expecting operational employees to find time to book and attend appointments, the company brought physio therapists directly to the site. Similar thinking has shaped how other services are delivered too: making support easier to access in the flow of life, rather than harder.

Bupa has taken a similarly practical approach, especially for its unwired workforce. The focus is on reducing friction, making access simple, and ensuring benefits feel relevant in the moments that matter. This is where technology becomes an enabler. Not because the tech itself is the goal, but because it helps amplify relevance, accessibility, and personalization.

“Our wellbeing team spends most of their time on the road, visiting employees across the country – but because not everyone is there at the same time, we’re opening our diaries on our employee experience platform so people can book time with us directly. That’s been really popular.”
Katie Duxbury, Head of Pay & Benefits at Bupa

The impact: greater awareness, stronger inclusion, better engagement

What happens when benefits are made easier to access, understand, and more relevant to real life? At Bupa, the answer is clear. More people know about the benefits package now.

“We’ve seen a 22% increase in awareness of our benefits package, which is amazing. And over 80% of employees are either happy or very happy with their benefits – that’s phenomenal. When we started, around 52% of people said the benefits were just okay.”
Katie Duxbury, Head of Pay & Benefits at Bupa

But the impact goes beyond survey scores. Katie described a noticeable shift in sentiment among frontline workers. Instead of assuming benefits were not for them, employees are now actively asking questions and seeking support. That shift matters, particularly in roles where people deliver clinical care, administer medication, support vulnerable individuals, or make important care decisions. Bupa wants those employees at their best – not distracted by unresolved life pressures or struggling to access support.

Severn Trent has seen similar momentum, including steady increases in take-up despite a difficult economic climate. The company has also continued to invest in core security benefits – including group life insurance, group income protection, pension, share save, employee assistance support, virtual GP access, and eldercare.

“We ensure that these foundations are already in place and funded, giving people peace of mind. When life challenges arise, they know they can access that support.”
Renu Birla, Senior Reward & Benefits Advisor, Severn Trent

A more human view of benefits

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the conversation was this: employees don’t experience benefits in silos.

“Someone said earlier this morning that employees don’t see benefits as separate. They see them as a combined offering. That insight has really shaped how we approach our communication strategy.”
Renu Birla, Senior Reward & Benefits Advisor at Severn Trent

That means the benefits strategy must become more human, reflecting different life stages, working patterns, pressures, and definitions of value. It must reach employees whether they’re at a desk, on the road, in a care home, or working a night shift. And it has to help people not just during annual enrolment, but in the moments when support matters most.

Watch the Launchpad session on demand

Benefits are no longer just a list. They’re an experience. A communication tool. A culture signal. And increasingly, a way to help people perform at their best by feeling fully supported.
Want to watch Katie and Renu’s session in full? You can access the on-demand recording here.

The post Benefits are more than a list: how Bupa and Severn Trent use benefits to support performance, wellbeing, and belonging appeared first on Benifex.

For many HR and Reward leaders, one question keeps coming up: How can we communicate around life moments when we don’t actually know what our employees are going through?

Unlike age, tenure or role, life moments are rarely visible. People don’t formally announce that they’re under financial pressure, supporting a loved one, training for a personal goal, or quietly planning their future.

Because of this, organizations often fall back on familiar segmentation models – particularly generational groupings. But new research suggests those shortcuts may be missing the mark. Life moments, not age, are often the more meaningful way to connect.

The good news? You don’t need perfect insight into employees’ lives to communicate effectively. What matters is creating space for discovery – helping people recognise themselves and choose the support that fits.

Start with what you already know

You may not have a complete picture of every employee’s situation, but valuable insight already exists within your organization.

Line managers, employee networks, and internal communications teams regularly encounter real-life experiences that highlight where people need support. These insights don’t require personal disclosure to be useful; they reveal patterns.

For example, a manager supporting someone balancing work with a partner’s illness can highlight a broader theme: caring responsibilities. You don’t need to retell the individual story. Instead, you can design communication that reflects the wider experience, allowing others in similar situations to recognize themselves.

This becomes especially important in global organizations, where life moments are shaped by different cultural contexts. Focusing on shared themes, rather than specific narratives, creates communication that travels well and resonates widely.

Move from targeting people to highlighting needs

Life-moment communication isn’t about identifying or categorizing employees. It’s about making support visible at the moments it matters.

Instead of asking:

• Who are the parents?
• Which generation are we speaking to?

Shift the focus to:

• What challenges or priorities might employees be navigating right now?
• What support could help?
• How easy is it to find and act on that support?

This leads to a different style of messaging. One that invites, rather than labels:

• “If your finances are feeling stretched…”
• “If you’re thinking about what’s next…”
• “If caring for someone is part of your day-to-day…”

The relevance is determined by the employee rather than the employer.

Let stories do the work

People connect with experiences, not categories.

When communication reflects real-life scenarios – using natural language and relatable situations – employees are far more likely to engage. A story about managing unexpected costs, for example, could resonate with someone early in their career, a parent juggling expenses, or someone planning retirement.

This approach removes the need for assumptions. Instead of being told a benefit is “for them”, employees recognize it on their own terms.

Think beyond the platform

Benefits don’t exist in isolation, and neither should your communication.

To truly support employees through life moments, consider the full ecosystem: policies, workplace practices, and cultural support. A parental leave policy, for example, can be just as impactful as a formal benefit.

When communication reflects this broader picture, it strengthens your Employee Value Proposition and helps employees understand the full range of support available to them.

Design for continuous discovery

Life doesn’t follow a benefits calendar. That’s why communication shouldn’t be limited to enrolment windows.

An effective life-moment strategy is always on. It allows employees to explore support at any time, with clear explanations available when they need them, and gentle prompts that encourage re-engagement.

When benefits are positioned as an ongoing resource – rather than a once-a-year decision – employees are far more likely to engage when their circumstances change.

What this means for HR leaders

You don’t need full visibility into employees’ lives to create meaningful communication. What you need is the right conditions for relevance.

When your approach is:

• grounded in context, not demographics
• driven by stories, not labels
• informed by behavior, not assumptions

employees can find what matters to them, when it matters most.

It’s a shift away from trying to define who employees are – and toward supporting what they’re experiencing.

If designing around life moments feels like the right direction, you’re not alone.

Our latest research, exploring the views of 3,450 HR leaders and employees, looks at the decline of generational thinking and the rise of more flexible, personalized approaches to benefits. Get the report.

The post You don’t need to know their story to support them appeared first on Benifex.

In our Benefits communications masterclass webinar, Benifexers Jessica Bull, Global Communications Lead, Charlotte Read and Sara Atterton-Caine, Senior Communications Consultants, explored emerging trends, practical ideas, and real-world examples to help organizations cut through the noise and connect employees with the benefits that matter to them.
Below, we recap the key themes from the session and answer some of the most popular audience questions.

The value of collaboration

Benefits communications need to cater to a wide audience, often requiring engagement with multiple stakeholders beforehand. Whether working with internal teams or external providers, collaboration is key to achieving impact, avoiding overwhelm, and ensuring messages are useful, timely and human.

Some key takeaways on collaboration included:

• Right people at the right time – involving relevant teams from the outset helps avoid clashes with wider business activity and ensures a more aligned approach.
• Prepare Internal Communications team – briefing them early allows time to identify potential blockers, anticipate questions and plan resources.
• Align with Brand team – early alignment helps prevent last-minute campaign changes and delivery delays.

The webinar also features a case study on Danone’s wellbeing offering, delivered in partnership with Benifex, as an example of how collaboration can strengthen the impact of benefits communications. Read more about how Danone built a personalized employee experience to support wellbeing here.

Three trends shaping communications in 2026

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is a trend that’s evolving rapidly. It’s transforming how we communicate across the board and is also raising questions among employees about its impact in the workplace.

From a communications perspective, AI can help cut through the complexity often found in benefits programs, qualitative data, and employee feedback. The examples the webinar shared on Kantar’s approach also shows how AI is helping sharpen – rather than replace – the role of Internal Communications professionals.

2. Employee listening

Feeling heard and listened to by an employer has a significant impact. According to The Internal Communications Index 2025, 90% of employees who see their company ‘closing the loop’ on feedback would recommend their employer as a great place to work.

This is shaping employee expectations, and Internal Communications plays a vital role in demonstrating to employees how their voices are being heard. It can also help board members and senior leaders – who are often further removed from the day-to-day experiences of their teams – connect with employees in a more authentic and transparent way.

3. Value alignment

There’s been a shift in how people view the work they do and how the values their company demonstrates align with their own personal values.

Value alignment isn’t just a feel-good concept – it’s a strategic lever for retention and engagement. Benefits are no longer viewed simply as perks; they’re signals of what a company stands for.

Every benefit offered is an opportunity to say to employees: we see you and we value you. Internal Communications therefore has an important role to play in making those values visible and tangible through every message, every benefit, and every story.

Four key takeaways from our benefits communications masterclass:

1. Collaboration is key – engaging the right stakeholders at the right time is often the biggest factor in the success of any communications campaign.

2. AI isn’t going anywhere – it’s here to stay, and when used thoughtfully it can simplify complexity and improve employee understanding.

3. Listen. Act. Repeat – employees want to know their voices are heard. Closing the feedback loop builds trust and engagement.

4. Make your values visible – value alignment can make the difference between retaining talent and losing it to competitors. Bring those values to life through both your reward strategy and your communications.

Your employee communications questions answered

During our webinar, we received a range of thoughtful questions. We didn’t have time to cover them all, so here are some of the most common queries we received from HR and Reward professionals on the day.

What are ways we can gather employee feedback and insight?

Some of the main ways we can gather insight and feedback are:

• Employee surveys.
• Focus groups – for example, a select group of employees.
• Stakeholder workshops – those with a vested interest in the project.
• Internal collaboration – for example, exit interviews through your HR team might help identify trends in employee satisfaction.

I struggle to get sign off for communication plans from my internal comms team; do you have any tips?

Communications plans with clear measures and impacts of the deliverables help create stronger business cases.

To help break down those bigger costs and establish a clear rationale to non-comms team, you can:

• Present a baseline set of data showing current engagement levels and what you think projected engagement might be.
• Highlight return on investment figures looking at cost per employee vs overall savings.

When building out a communications plan, look at objectives, goals and include recommendations that form part of a wider strategy.

Getting sign off on bigger projects can be a challenge, so try taking one element of it to key stakeholders first. Focusing on a particular piece you know will resonate with employees or demonstrating the easy wins that don’t blow the budget, help stakeholders see clearly see the benefits to both employees and the business. The plan can always be revisited once proof of concept has been demonstrated.

How are you using AI in Benifex?

We’re exploring how AI can be relevant to different types of business activities, including:

• Process and efficiency: reducing admin burden so we can focus on strategy and creativity.
• Gamification and benefits quizzes: scenario-based questions to identify personality traits that align to customer values, pillars or benefit categories.

How can you increase engagement with communications when you have various working environments in the business – for example, office, field, factory-based etc.?

An up-to-date channel analysis is a key first step. A deeper understanding of existing and new opportunities for different channels helps identify which are most popular, and where new channels can be introduced with minimal obstacles for employees.

Channels for offline groups include:

• Team talks – using stakeholder communications to support on-site managers in distributing key messages.
• Digital or printed communications in communal areas.
• Printed communications only sent to home addresses of relevant groups, helping keep the associated costs low.

If you’d like to watch the webinar again, or share it with a colleague, you can access the on-demand recording here.

Looking for more support with your benefits communications?

Contact our team to learn how we can work with you to design and deliver informed campaigns that achieve real results.

The post Webinar recap: Benefits communications masterclass appeared first on Benifex.

These themes were explored in a recent masterclass, where Gethin Nadin, Chief Innovation Officer at Benifex, spoke with Konstantinos Karavidas, Global Head of Reward at Ingka Group (IKEA). The discussion offered a grounded look at how IKEA is approaching pay transparency in practice.

Rather than treating transparency as a compliance burden, IKEA’s experience shows how it can be introduced progressively: by strengthening foundations, improving communication, and building confidence across the organisation.

Crucially, the focus goes beyond regulation. When implemented well, pay transparency can strengthen trust, support career development, and foster a more open culture around reward.

Understanding the regulatory landscape

The , introduced in 2023, will come into force across Member States by June 2026. While it does not directly apply in the UK, its influence is already being felt.

Each country is implementing the Directive differently, creating a complex and evolving compliance picture for multinational organisations. As a result, many UK employers are proactively reviewing their approach, anticipating that similar expectations may emerge domestically.

Seven practical lessons from IKEA

1. Benefits are often where inconsistencies sit

One of IKEA’s early observations was that benefits—while highly valued—were the least consistent part of their reward offering. Managed locally rather than centrally, they were harder to compare across markets and often poorly understood by employees.

By bringing benefits into a broader total reward framework, IKEA is working to create greater consistency and visibility.

2. Managers play a critical role in pay transparency

IKEA placed managers at the centre of pay conversations, recognising that they are the primary point of contact for employees.

This meant investing in manager capability: helping them understand pay decisions, interpret data, and communicate clearly and confidently.

3. Simplicity strengthens understanding

Rather than relying on complex frameworks, IKEA focuses on two core factors:

• Competence
• Performance

This clarity makes it easier for employees to understand how pay decisions are made and reduces the risk of confusion.

4. Transparency requires context, not just visibility

Making pay visible is only part of the story. Employees also need to understand:

• The full value of their total reward
• Why decisions have been made
• How they can influence future outcomes

Without this context, transparency can create more questions than it answers.

5. Fairness is shaped by explanation

Greater transparency inevitably highlights differences in pay. What matters is whether those differences are clearly explained.

By linking pay to factors such as experience, capability and role scope, IKEA focuses on helping employees understand both the rationale and the pathway for progression.

6. This is about more than compliance

For IKEA, pay transparency is not simply about meeting regulatory requirements. It’s part of a broader ambition to improve fairness and employee experience.

Compliance sets the baseline but the real value lies in building trust and strengthening culture.

7. Progress matters more than perfection

Achieving full alignment across data, structures and markets is rarely realistic at the outset. IKEA’s approach acknowledges this.

Rather than waiting for perfect conditions, the focus has been on improving clarity and understanding over time, taking practical steps forward while continuing to evolve.

A practical path forward

Pay transparency can feel complex, particularly for UK organisations balancing EU-driven change with shifting local expectations. But IKEA’s experience highlights that much of the work builds on existing reward practices.

Clarifying pay philosophy, strengthening manager capability, and communicating total reward more effectively are all familiar priorities. The difference is the level of visibility and accountability required.

In this sense, pay transparency is less a transformation and more an evolution—one that, when approached thoughtfully, can deliver meaningful benefits for both employees and organisations.

The post What IKEA’s pay transparency journey can teach employers today appeared first on Benifex.

In today’s world, global benefits programmes can no longer rely on adhoc communications, or one-size-fits-all messaging. Employees value personalisation, clarity, and consistency – and most importantly, comms they can understand. Achieving this across multiple regions, languages, and cultures? It’s no small task.

The challenge is not the benefits themselves – it’s the experience employees have when trying to understand and access them. When communications feel inconsistent, rushed or overly complex, confusion replaces confidence and trust quickly erodes.

In The Big Benefits Report Report 2025/26 – a survey of 3,450 employees and HR/Reward leaders worldwide, a whopping 83% of employees said they were crying out for benefits that are easier to understand, access, and change. And we have just the tool for the job.

Why global benefits communications often miss the mark

Global organisations are under pressure to scale quickly, while still maintaining a positive employee experience. But as programmes expand, communications don’t always keep up. Local teams are left to interpret messaging on their own, timelines slip, and employees begin to compare experiences across borders – often unfavourably.

The result? Well-intentioned benefits programmes that fail to land, simply because their comms weren’t set up to succeed.

The fix: consistent, flexible communications at scale

This is where Global Communication Toolkits become not just helpful, but essential – especially when paired with a phased global rollout approach.

Global toolkits provide a consistent global narrative, ensuring that wherever a country goes live, the content, brand and tone remain aligned. Built with local considerations in mind, they enable teams to adapt key elements – such as countryspecific benefits, dates and language – while preserving the overarching message.

From emails and posters to stakeholder communications and social media posts, toolkits give teams everything they need to communicate confidently and consistently. They remove guesswork, reduce duplication and save valuable time – while strengthening engagement from day one.

A stronger employee experience, everywhere

Clear, cohesive communications reduce confusion, boost adoption and build trust. Employees can clearly see how their benefits support their wellbeing, finances and families – an increasingly important theme for today’s workforce.

When combined with a phased rollout, this approach becomes a powerhouse: structured enough to maintain global cohesion, flexible enough to meet local needs, and scalable enough to support organisational growth.

In a world where benefits are a make or break factor for employee experience, global toolkits make the difference between a programme that launches – and a programme that truly lands.

The post Want to ensure your employees engage with their benefits globally? Communicate smarter appeared first on Benifex.

This is more than just a day of content. It’s where strategy turns into momentum.

We run this event every year – and it’s one many attendees return to. As one previous guest put it:

“This event was one of the best, if not THE best, business event I have ever been to in my career.”

Across three focused streams – Scale, Deliver, and Power – you’ll explore how leading companies are navigating today’s biggest challenges, from AI-driven change to proving impact and engaging a global workforce.

From customer stories to expert insights, Energise is built to give you fresh perspective, practical ideas, and meaningful connections you can take back into your workplace.

Here are five reasons why Benifex Energise is unmissable:

1. Hear from leaders energising reward and benefits strategy at scale

Take your seat for real-world stories from leaders including BT, OneAdvanced, and Arabelle Solutions – alongside our customer keynote speaker, Arm. And don’t miss an opening session from Benifex Chief Innovation Officer, Gethin Nadin, on The AI workforce shake-up: Fewer people, bigger benefits, higher stakes.

From global transformation to local delivery, you’ll hear how leading companies are evolving their strategies to meet rising expectations – and turning insight into action.

2. Step inside the Power Hub

The Power Hub is where ideas, innovation, and conversation come together.

Speak 1:1 with our Ask Me Anything experts across DEI, wellbeing, Marketplace, pensions and more. Explore the latest Benifex product innovations with our specialists, and connect with partners including Alight, Tusker, Standard Life, Bupa, Hastee and Zellis.

And because this is Energise, you’ll also find a few ways to recharge – from matcha and oxygen bars to curated goodie bags designed to power your day.

3. Be the first to read our 2026 research report

We’ll be unveiling our 2026 research report, exploring how HR, Reward and Benefits leaders can tackle the biggest challenges facing the industry today.

Drawing on insights from 600 employers and 7,000 employees, the report explores how to improve employee understanding and engagement, prove impact and demonstrate value, navigate AI-driven change, and prepare for a more transparent future of reward.

You’ll gain practical guidance to help turn complexity into clarity – and strategy into action.

4. An unmissable keynote

Hear from 2025 Strictly winner and ex-Lioness Karen Carney OBE, sharing powerful lessons on teamwork, adaptability, and what it takes to perform at the highest level.

Drawing on her career as an elite athlete and leader, Karen will bring the Energise theme to life – showing how resilience, shared values, and the ability to evolve can drive performance.

5. Network with peers shaping the future

Connect with fellow Reward and Benefits leaders and exchange ideas with people facing the same challenges as you.

Whether it’s sharing ideas, comparing approaches, or simply expanding your network, Energise is designed to create conversations that continue long after the day ends.

And to close, join us for drinks on the roof terrace – the perfect setting to continue those conversations with peers while taking in views across the London skyline.

Ready to energise what’s next?

Seats for Benifex Energise 2026 are limited – and filling fast.

If you’re part of the Benifex Insider Community, now’s the time to and join the leaders shaping the future of reward and benefits.

We can’t wait to see you there!

The post 5 reasons you can’t miss Benifex Energise 2026 appeared first on Benifex.

In fact, ‘helping me understand the value of all the rewards and benefits I receive’ is the number one area for improvement in benefits provision, according to the Benifex Big Benefits Report 2025/26 – a survey of 3,450 interviews with employees and HR/Reward leaders worldwide.

From workers across all sectors and geographies comes the same message, loud and clear: help me understand the value. Help me understand.

But what does value really mean? Sure, there’s financial value: what do these benefits cost, how much would I be spending to have them elsewhere, etc. A benefits administration platform allows employees at the very least to see, take in, and interact with their offering in a simplified way – with numbers attached. You can build on this with a total reward statement – a personalized visualisation pulling in real-time salary, bonuses, stock options, core benefits and more, to provide a vivid picture of a single employee’s remuneration.

But that’s only the full story if the value of a benefit is explained purely by what it costs. It doesn’t on its own explain, for example, how voluntary benefit choices compare favourably with the open market. Nor does it highlight the more intangible value of benefits that provide peace of mind, comfort in hard times, or support for loved ones.

To truly help employees understand value requires not just the presence of benefits, not just the provision of a platform, but properly planned, creative communication, too.

With human-centred storytelling and testimonials, you can draw out far richer meaning behind benefits like Life, Critical Illness or Medical insurances that pull directly from real life in a way that genuinely builds understanding and appreciation – and ultimately shapes behaviour. Behaviour like logging in and making benefit selections, but also behaviour like fully engaging with work, or choosing not to leave for a competitor.

Because there are many elements of your employer offer – your EVP – that can’t be done justice by a simple numerical value. The feeling of being financially secure, of being cared about, of being given choice and flexibility. Feeling like you don’t have to switch employer if you want to start a family, or as you head towards menopause. As an employee, these considerations might not be top of mind right now, but knowing that support will be there when the time comes has a huge impact on wellbeing.

Yet research shows there remains a ‘value void’ in employee benefits – a gap between how highly HR/Reward leaders rate their schemes, and how warmly their employees actually perceive them. Only education can bridge the gap.

By using strategically planned, varied, regular and high-quality communication throughout the year to spotlight the impact not only of transactional benefits, but also wider policies and offers, you build deeper understanding across teams and life stages.

That drives value for employers, too – helping you to maximise your overall return on investment in benefits by boosting awareness, usage and value perception, as well as supercharging tax savings through voluntary selections.

But it’s more than that. You also communicate something important about your culture. By intentionally connecting campaign messages back to a central strategic narrative and a set of core values, you help your organisation say: ‘We care about these things – and this is how we demonstrate it every day’. Employees – who, research shows, now more highly than ever before – feel they’re working for the kind of organisation they want to be a part of long-term. That doesn’t only power immediate outcomes for Reward teams. It boosts wider employee engagement, retention, performance and productivity.

And that’s the kind of value that can see doors stop getting slammed, and start being opened.

The post How to help employees understand the value of benefits? Start by defining what ‘value’ really means appeared first on Benifex.