As our Benefits Technology Week, in association with Aon Employee Benefits, draws to a close, it is time to reflect on some of the trends and issues currently shaping this area of the benefits market.
The speed of technological evolution constantly seems to be accelerating. It is strange to think that many of the items we now take for granted in our daily lives are relatively new inventions. Smartphones, as we know them, for example, have only existed for around the last decade, while computers have only come into common usage during the last 30 to 40 years.
As new technologies have developed and been adopted into the mainstream, so too have the opportunities and choices available. Individuals now typically expect to access any products, services and information at the touch of a button, any time and anywhere. As a result, employers now have to ensure that their benefits schemes keep pace with such developments in order to remain competitive and continue to engage staff. Voluntary benefits schemes, for example, now have to compete with consumer deals sites such as Groupon and Wowcher.
Advancements in benefits technology, however, have also resulted in an increase in choice for employers in how they offer and communicate benefits to staff. The growth of mobile technology, for example, means it is now much easier to reach mobile employees or remote workers and enable them to take up benefits if working away from a central location.
Developments in benefits technology also mean employers have access to more data and management information than ever about their workforce and the benefits choices they make. This can then be analysed and used to formulate future benefits strategies linked to employee behaviours and business goals.
Whatever stage you are at and however you use technology in your organisation, Benefits Technology Week was designed to help you take this to the next level through exclusive insights and opinions uncovering best practice in this area. These included:
- How can data from benefits technology be used to inform benefits strategy?
- How will blockchain technology impact employee benefits?
- How to measure a return on investment on benefits technology
- Clare Sheridan: Do not make workers put away their everyday selves when it comes to benefits
- Arrow Global draws on data to shape its reward and benefits strategy
- Northumbrian Water uses online benefits portal to increase employee awareness
- Matthew Morris: Blockchain will have a major impact on employee benefits
- Edward Houghton: The best reward strategies are often data driven
- Infographic: What employers look for in benefits technology
- Infographic: How do employers measure engagement with online or flexible benefits portals?
- Benefits technology in numbers
Debbie Lovewell-Tuck
Editor
Tweet: @DebbieLovewell