12 Steps HR Can Take to Create an Effective Employee Benefits Package
What if your benefits package could be the secret weapon to outshine your competition and keep your best talent loyal?
Employee benefits are HR game-changers, with the power to influence talent attraction and retention faster than you can say, “dental plan.”
Yet, designing a standout package in today’s evolving workplace is no easy feat. Nearly half of organizations reported struggling to craft standout offerings last year, with rising costs and evolving employee expectations adding to the challenge. HR leaders now face the crucial task of building a benefits package that not only fits the budget but also meets diverse employee needs. Every decision counts.
So, how do you create a benefits plan that covers all the bases?
Discover strategies to craft a package that supports employee health, promotes work-life wellness, and offers retirement peace of mind. Along the way, you’ll gain actionable tips to enhance retirement options, foster flexible work environments, and communicate benefits effectively for a multi-generational team.
Equip yourself to build a benefits package that drives engagement, boosts morale, and brings real value to your workplace. Let’s create benefits that help your team thrive!
Focus Area 1: Health and Wellbeing Support
Why These Benefits Matter:
Employees are clear that their wellbeing isn’t up for auction. Companies have to meet employee’s wellness expectations, and a health and wellness benefits package is the perfect way to do so.
Action Ideas:
If you don’t offer health insurance, it’s probably time to add that to your roster. And if you do already cover employee healthcare, it’s still worth your time to vet how comprehensive and affordable it is. Do you offer vision, dental, and therapy coverage? Not doing so is leaving employee satisfaction on the table.
It doesn’t matter if you offer the best healthcare plan in the world if your employees can’t afford to tap it when needed. Covering a high portion of premiums, contributing to employee HSAs, or hosting free flu clinics at the office are all examples of how you can decrease the stress health care places on an employee’s wallet.
Holistic wellness initiatives — such as fitness and nutrition programs, therapy and counseling services, and budgeting tools — are incredibly impactful. Such programs make your company’s dedication to workforce wellness clear and actionable. This can boost employee satisfaction while strengthening your company culture, easing recruitment, and upping retention. What’s not to love?
Focus Area 2: Time Autonomy
Why These Benefits Matter:
Not only do employees want to control their calendar, there are times they need it because life happens. Creating a work environment that enables them to focus on whatever matters most at the moment — whether that’s work or personal matters — fosters trust and work-life wellness.
Action Ideas:
Offering paid time off (PTO) gives employees latitude to decide when and how they will regenerate. The average U.S. employee starts with 11 vacation days, so offering a generous package with, say, 20 or more can help you really stand out from the crowd. This policy meets the need of employees to have the flexibility they need to care for their personal lives. At the same time, it decreases the likelihood employees will use more PTO than they’re given, avoiding the headache of unexpected absences. Such policies are particularly critical in industries that rely on shift work — like healthcare, hospitality, or manufacturing — that cannot offer other forms of autonomy like flex hours or remote work.
The 9-to-5 isn’t dead, but it’s also not the only way to work these days. A lot of desk based work, from travel agents to executive assistants, can be done in bursts around personal commitments. Letting employees start and end when it is most convenient for them gives them the power to make the most of their work hours while also picking up their children from school or going to the dentist.
Let’s be real: At the end of the day, do you care more about the fact your employees worked for 40 hours, or the fact they hit their OKRs? Likely, what you care about is achieving results. Shifting your focus from hours worked to results achieved encourages managers to set clear goals and measure performance based on outcomes rather than time spent at a desk. This approach can empower employees to manage their time more effectively and work when they are most productive.
Focus Area 3: Retirement Plans
Why These Benefits Matter:
Long-term financial security is a priority, especially for older employees. Enhancing retirement plans will address the more immediate needs of Gen X and Baby Boomer employees while also setting up Millennials and Gen Z to experience the financial wellness they crave.
Action Ideas:
Introduce more robust retirement plans and offer retirement planning seminars and financial counseling. Tailor these programs to different life stages to ensure relevance across generations, such as 401(K)s and pension plans.
Boost the company’s contributions to employee retirement plans. Matching a higher percentage of employee contributions will incentivize savings and demonstrate the company’s commitment to long-term employee wellbeing.
Quitting a paycheck cold turkey can be a scary thought, especially after decades of seeing that bi-weekly deposit hit your account. Offering flexible retirement options can help employees ease into retirement, which can also support smooth succession plans. You can consider phased retirement programs where employees gradually reduce their working hours, or the option to work part-time while drawing on retirement benefits for a set period of time.
Focus Area 4: Tailored Benefit Communications for Different Generations
Why These Benefits Matter:
Employees need different benefits and wellness support at different stages of their life. If you get really familiar with what different groups of employees want, you are better able to craft a benefits package that meets everyone’s needs. Plus, you may be more empowered to share how your current benefits plan meets their needs. All of this allows you to get the most out of your benefits package in a world where you are undoubtedly supporting a multi-generational workforce.
Action Ideas:
Consistent feedback will help you meet the evolving needs of different employee demographics. You can use surveys, focus groups, and suggestion boxes to gather insights from your employees through platforms like BambooHR. Analyzing this data for trends will help you identify priorities and find areas for improvement.
Only 34% of employees say their company does this annually, as uncovered in our recent State of Work-Life Wellness 2025 report, but it's not the best way to make sure your perks are dialed into what employees need at every stage of their careers. Fortunately, you’re equipped to do this thanks to all of that feedback you gathered!
Offering personalized benefits statements that detail the specific benefits each employee is eligible for. These can be distributed annually or made available through an online portal. These statements help employees see the full value of their benefits package and understand how it meets their individual needs.
Enhance Your Benefits with a Wellbeing Program
Employees today expect more than just traditional benefits — they’re seeking comprehensive support that addresses their health, work-life wellness, and long-term financial security. Crafting a benefits package that meets these needs can help HR leaders drive satisfaction, retention, and productivity, yet it remains a challenging goal.
Wellbeing programs, like Wellhub, make this task easier. Wellhub’s offerings align with key employee needs, from health and fitness resources to flexible wellbeing activities and financial wellness tools. With 99% of HR leaders citing improved productivity through wellbeing programs, you can create a healthier, more engaged workforce while controlling costs.
Speak with a Wellhub Wellbeing Specialist to start building a benefits package that truly supports your employees.
You May Also Like:
- The State of Work-Life Wellness 2025: Unleash the Power of Your Employee Benefits Package
- How to Maximize the Impact of Your Employee Benefits Package
- How to Optimize Your Employee Benefits Strategy
- How to Build a Competitive Benefits Package that Wins You Top Talent
References
- Aflac. (2023). The state of workplace benefits and enrollment. https://www.aflac.com/docs/awr/pdf/2023-trends-and-topics/2023-aflac-awr-the-state-of-workplace-benefits-and-enrollment.pdf
- Wellhub (2024, May 16). Return on Wellbeing 2024. https://wellhub.com/en-us/resources/research/return-on-wellbeing-2024/
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The Wellhub Editorial Team empowers HR leaders to support worker wellbeing. Our original research, trend analyses, and helpful how-tos provide the tools they need to improve workforce wellness in today's fast-shifting professional landscape.
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Our weekly newsletter is your source of education and inspiration to help you create a corporate wellness program that actually matters.
By subscribing you agree Wellhub may use the information to contact you regarding relevant products and services. Questions? See our Privacy Policy.