How Do You Incorporate Employee Feedback into the Development of a New Benefits Program?
In an era where employee satisfaction is more critical than ever, the way organizations listen to their workforce can make all the difference. HR professionals and CEOs share their strategies for incorporating employee feedback into developing new benefits programs. From launching pulse surveys to reflecting changes in benefits, discover the first and last of five expert insights. These practical tips can significantly enhance your approach to employee engagement and benefits planning.
- Launch a Pulse Survey
- Offer Financial Wellness Workshops
- Engage in Listening Sessions
- Reflect Changes in Benefits
- Utilize Informal Feedback
Launch a Pulse Survey
When redesigning our benefits program, we realized assumptions wouldn't cut it and that real employee input was needed. So, we launched a simple pulse survey asking our team what mattered most: flexible work hours, wellness programs, or professional development. The feedback revealed an unexpected trend: employees wanted tailored learning opportunities over traditional perks. Inspired, we introduced a "Learn-Your-Way" program, offering stipends for courses, certifications, and even niche learning resources like podcasts or workshops. Not only did this align with their needs, but it also boosted engagement and retention. Listening to employees was the best benefit we could offer.
Offer Financial Wellness Workshops
I work with a diverse group of employees, each with unique priorities, so I approached this feedback process with an open mind. What came up repeatedly was the desire for access to financial wellness workshops. We took that input seriously and set up quarterly workshops on topics like debt management and retirement planning. These benefits weren't just something I thought would be good, but exactly what my team asked for, and it's clear that meeting those needs has strengthened their engagement and commitment to our company.
Engage in Listening Sessions
1. Start by Actively Listening
We kicked off with listening sessions, meaning we offered employees a space to speak freely. Although there were helpful surveys we had done to get individual quantitative perspectives, true insight came here, in these candid conversations. This also made employees feel heard, and we were able to clearly identify some major gaps, such as a higher focus on mental health and family benefits.
2. Identify Trends
Looking for patterns of feedback is most useful. This included everything from a preference for flexibility with telehealth or remote-work support, and the need for space between work and home life. If we moved beyond individual reasons, we could begin to prioritize solutions that continued to address common human needs along with unique cases.
3. Staff as Co-Designers
Rather than dictating policies from the top-down, we invited our employees to help develop those policies. When we overhauled our wellness programs, employees sampled gym stipends and meditation apps. This feedback also helped us refine the final program to be more application-oriented and stimulating.
4. Iterate After Implementation
As the program was implemented, we created regular check-ins to measure its impact. We found that some benefits, such as a dependent care program, were not being utilized, not because they weren't needed by employees but rather because employees did not know how to access them. We saw a drastic improvement in utilization just by changing our communication strategy.
5. Create a Relationship of Transparency and Trust
We updated employees on how their input was driving decision-making at each step of the way. That kind of transparency helped create trust and demonstrated that their input directly shaped the benefit program.
If you are reinventing the benefits program, don't assume what employees want. Ask and engage with them. He then advised that the last key step in the process is tracking implementation and seeing if you achieved what you wanted and adjusting the working solution if not. When employees see their voices resulting in action, you are not creating a benefits program but rather a culture of trust and collaboration.
Reflect Changes in Benefits
My stance is that a company's benefits should reflect the changes that happen in the company, whether they're related to expansion, growth, or economic challenges, such as COVID-19 and inflation. To stay up-to-date, I always listen to my team's feedback to understand what is important and valuable to them. In our company's environment, we practice active listening, provide regular feedback to track changes and needs of a team, and link the feedback to business outcomes. This helps to understand what ways of working and benefits make team members empowered to achieve common goals (for example, full remote work or individual development plans backed up by learning programs).
Utilize Informal Feedback
At Spaciously, I've learned that informal chats during team-building events actually reveal the most honest feedback about benefits preferences. Last quarter, during a rock-climbing activity, several team members mentioned wanting more flexible wellness benefits, which led us to introduce a choose-your-own wellness stipend program. I'm excited to share that this approach has led to 89% utilization compared to our previous gym-only reimbursement plan, showing how casual conversations can spark meaningful changes.
