A quick summary:
Most companies invest in employee benefits with good intentions - to support health, boost productivity, and improve retention. But the reality? A large chunk of that money goes to waste.
Here’s how, and why it happens.
1. You’re still using one-size-fits-all benefits
People don’t work the same, live the same, or need the same support. So why are benefits still designed like they do? Trying to meet everyone’s needs with a generic benefits package often means meeting no one’s needs fully.
2. Benefits are scattered across platforms
Access to mental health support in one place. Gym discounts in an app. Financial coaching in a random email. When benefits live in silos, employees don’t see how they connect - and often don’t use them at all. Fragmented access = fragmented impact.
3. If they’re hard to find, they’re not being used
It sounds simple, but it’s overlooked: if your team can’t easily access their benefits, they won’t. Hidden in clunky intranets, buried in HR emails, or only mentioned during onboarding?
4. You’re adding more instead of making what you have work
In an effort to offer “more,” companies pile on new benefits without reviewing usage, overlap, or actual impact. But more isn’t better - better is better. Without integration or strategy, benefits become a patchwork of underused tools and wasted spend.
5. You’re measuring what’s easy, not what matters
Engagement, absenteeism, retention, productivity - these are the metrics that reflect real impact. But many benefit programs only track logins or attendance. If you can’t see outcomes, how can you justify the investment?
6. You’re spending money trying to meet every need
The truth: it’s impossible to cater to every single benefit request. What you can do is give employees the freedom to choose what matters to them. That shift from “we choose” to “you choose” is often the difference between value and waste.
7. Legacy solutions haven’t kept up with how people work
Today’s workforce is remote, hybrid, global, and always changing. Benefits built for a 9-to-5, office-centric model can’t keep up. They might look like support on paper but they often don’t translate to real-life help. It is vital to create flexible working environments that truly support your workforce.
The cost of misaligned benefits
Every underused benefit, every app no one opens, every forgotten login; it adds up. Companies are wasting thousands every year not because they don’t care, but because their benefits strategy hasn’t evolved.
The better way? Personalised, accessible, connected
Employee wellbeing doesn’t live in a silo. It’s mental, physical, emotional, financial - and different for everyone. Support should reflect that. When employees are empowered to choose what works for them, the impact is immediate: better outcomes, lower costs, and a workforce that actually uses what you offer.
Don’t just offer benefits. Make them count. Heka brings everything together - and makes employee benefits work. Get in touch to simplify your benefits with Heka.
