The make-up and needs of our workforces are changing, so as employers, we should constantly be re-visiting our employer value proposition to ensure that what we are offering drives the best possible engagement. That includes benefits, as well as the breadth of other plans and programmes that make up the financial and non-financial package.
While it’s nice to offer something for everyone, and flex does offer that choice, it’s about more than that. It’s about ensuring that we have a clear purpose and sense of direction about what sets our organisation apart from competitors.
Flexible benefits technology has dramatically improved since its inception. While providers respond to their client’s needs, only those which can offer better value for money with superior technology can hope to survive.
Certainly at Misys, we naturally expect that the technology we use internally keeps up with the level of service we provide to our own clients. We understand this is what will enable us to continue to be so successful.
As many commentators have said, the war for talent has gone ‘GloCal’, that is, think global, act local. Considering the hefty investments organisations make on benefits, we have to ensure we are getting a real return on our investment.
I am yet to be convinced that flex is over. Consider your own organisation. If your flex take-up isn’t what was anticipated, it’s best to first explore why. Do employees have difficulty understanding everything on offer? Can communications be handled in a different way? Are your communications trying to be a ‘one size fits all’? That would be quite ironic, considering the whole premise of flex is to think of employees as a diverse group.
Flex isn’t the answer to the engagement ‘secret’, but it certainly helps engage employees to make the choices that are right for them.
Anne Teggart is global head of benefits at Misys
