Over the past several years, we’ve seen a wide range of how companies approach their employee benefits strategy. And as such, we often get asked by new and potential customers, “What are some common programs and spending accounts that you see?”
While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach — since every workforce has different needs and challenges — we have seen a consistent shift towards employers giving employees more freedom and flexibility to choose health and wellness benefits that fit their uniquely individual lifestyles.
As such, we’ve rounded up four spending accounts that cater to personalized, employee-directed benefits. We’ve outlined why each of these accounts should be taken into consideration and highlighted the average amount that our customers typically allocate for employees with each type of spending account.
Wellness
Program Design:
Everyone has a different definition of fitness and wellness. Gym goers, mountain bikers, and mindfulness practitioners all have drastically different needs. Take care of employee wellbeing with a holistic approach that empowers employees to obtain resources in order to improve their physical, mental, and even financial wellness.
Recommendation:*
- $50–$100 per employee per month.
- Eligible expenses: gym, fitness studio, digital health apps, wearables, and wellness coaching.
Family Support
Program Design:
Be there for your employees at meaningful moments in their lives. Becoming a parent is a life-changing experience, and it can become even more overwhelming without support. This type of account aims at providing resources for new parents to help them through the journey and transition back into work.
Recommendation:
- $500-$1,000 per new parent as a one-time gift.
- Eligible expenses: parental coaching, baby accessories, childcare services, and childcare services.
Lifestyle
Program Design:
Make your benefits offerings as diverse as your workforce. This is designed for companies that are looking to provide a one-account-fits-all approach to benefits to create equality among the global employee base.
Recommendation:
- $200-$300 per employee per month.
- Eligible expenses: a wide range of lifestyle benefits, included but not limited to childcare services, personal enrichment, fitness &wellness, etc.
Rewards & Recognition
Program Design:
Incorporate your organization’s cultural values into the custom rewards and recognition program, such as work anniversaries, annual wellness bonuses, etc. Reward employees for their hard work and see detailed analytics on interactions and usage.
Recommendation:
- The amount depends on the program type. $30-$100 per employee per month.
- Program types: peer-to-peer, manager-to-peer, anniversary, birthday, and spot bonus.
These are just a few of the common solutions we are seeing companies use. We also help clients set up custom and company-unique programs. Some very creative examples include:
- EV Charging Account that incentivizes employees to switch to electric vehicles and decrease their carbon footprint
- Work-From-Home Account that allows employees to design their own home workstation — a timely perk with remote work becoming the norm in recent months.
- Family Equality Account that blends fertility treatment, family support, new parent coaching, return to work support, and even pet support into the mix to create an equal environment for families of all types.
As you can see, the world of employee-directed benefits is just at the beginning of what’s possible and we’re very excited about its robust and evolving future. We’re always looking to support a wider range of benefits within our own platform to customers, so let us know if you’ve thought of or heard about another creative benefit that you’d like to see implemented by more companies across the globe!
* Recommendations based on empirical data, essentially the proven sweet spot that shows better engagement and higher satisfaction amongst employees.
