Welcome to Benefits Boosters

Benefits boosters newsletter – 3rd February

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I'm excited to introduce our new weekly newsletter, Benefits Boosters. As the landscape of employee benefits continues to evolve, it's more important than ever to stay informed and proactive. That's why I've decided to launch this newsletter – to provide you with the latest insights, strategies, and innovations in the world of employee benefits.

Each week, we'll explore a range of topics designed to help you maximise the value of your benefits programmes. From practical tips on implementing salary sacrifice schemes to in-depth analyses of global benefits trends, Benefits Boosters will be your go-to resource for staying ahead of the curve.

Our goal is to create a community where benefits leaders can share experiences, ask questions, and learn from one another. Whether you're looking to enhance your current benefits offerings or explore new ways to engage your employees, this newsletter will provide the tools and knowledge you need to succeed, so let’s go..!

Inspiring the next generation of reward and benefit leaders

Last week (in my capacity of Executive Fellow at King's College London King's Business School ) I was guest lecturing to CIPD HR Masters students in London.

After a 3am start in Stockholm (more on that visit soon!), I flew into London and straight to the Waterloo Campus. I spoke about the evolving and critical role benefits are playing in creating and maintaining a successful and profitable business.

The cost of living crisis and the shadow of the pandemic continue to drive significant expectations from employees over benefits. For almost a decade, employees report year on year that benefits are more important to them than they were the year before.

This data is one of the reasons why I am now writing this new, regular newsletter focussed just on benefits. The 2024 and 2025 data is very clear - benefits have never been so in demand among the workplace globally.

Benefits boosters content this week

As we gear up for our exclusive Benefits Boosters Breakfast in London on February 27th, it's the perfect time to focus on how we can enhance and maximise the value of employee benefits. This event will be a forum for benefits leaders to discuss strategies, ask questions, and share experiences. Benifex Global Benefits Director, Paul Andrews , and Chief Revenue Officer, Neil Ryland , will lead the discussion, focusing on delivering a return on benefits investment. Sign up here.

In line with our Benefits Boosters theme, check out our Benefits Boosters report, where we explore the boosters – like data management, integration, global experience, and employee support – that will help you get the retrun on benefits investment you're chasing. And why not play our Benefex Booster game to see if you can top the leaderboard!

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With employer National Insurance costs set to rise in the UK in 2025, salary sacrifice schemes are more important than ever for managing reward budgets while providing tailored benefits to employees. Join me, and Georgia Rule , Head of Total Reward at The AA , as we share practical strategies and real-world insights on implementing and optimising these schemes. Reserve your space.

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Choosing the right global benefits platform provider is another crucial aspect of boosting your benefits strategy. Our latest report, "5 questions to ask when choosing your global benefits platform provider," offers key considerations to ensure you select a scalable, configurable platform that meets your employees' needs. Download the report to learn more.

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Our recent Home webinar, featuring Gary Cann and Ron Jackson , highlighted how customers are using our Home platform to significantly increase benefits selections and logins. We've also introduced a new interface for greater personalisation, helping employees make more informed benefits choices. If you missed it, you can watch the on-demand recording here.

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Last month, we hosted a customer community roundtable event where senior Reward and Benefits leaders shared their pressing topics for our global research. This blog explores the questions, challenges, and priorities they are focused on tackling this year, all aimed at boosting the effectiveness of their benefits programmes.

We're also spotlighting employee benefits in Romania and South Korea. In Romania, employers are focusing on flexibility, innovation, and personalised benefits to meet the expectations of a dynamic workforce. In South Korea, benefits packages that emphasise health, family care, and professional development are becoming essential.

In our latest feature for REBA, Benefex’s Global EVP, Adam Mason, explores how global benefits technology can bring consistency across regions, better engage employees, support understanding, and communicate the value of benefits.

?Big changes are coming to pensions in Ireland this September. Join Cybill Watkins , Sean Murray , and Niall O'Callaghan for a Zellis webinar on Ireland’s upcoming pension auto-enrolment scheme. Find out more and sign up here.

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Finally, huge congratulations to Samantha Sergent and the 微软 team on the successful launch of MyBenefits! OneHub – branded MyBenefits – is now live in 8 countries, supporting over 13,000 employees with a unified benefits platform. Check out our post to how we've ‘made Microsoft’s international benefits dreams come true’!

As Samantha shared on LinkedIn:

?"It started with a lofty dream. It was approved in April 2024. And we went live with our first 8 countries in January. I couldn't be more grateful for the partners Benefex who have continued to go above and beyond to make this happen and to our Microsoft team for digging into the impossible and working through deep ambiguity with trust & hope in making this vision a reality."

Until next week...

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