A quick summary:
We're halfway through the year. By now, most People teams have launched their initiatives, rolled out new benefits, shared plenty of internal comms and hopefully celebrated a few dates on the wellbeing calendar.
But here's the question that matters: Is any of it actually working?
It's easy to mistake activity for progress. Another awareness week. Another app. Another new peer support group. The real measure is whether your people feel healthier, more supported and better able to perform.
So before the second half of the year races away, here's a quick check in. How many of these boxes can you honestly tick?
Do your people actually know what benefits they have?
This sounds obvious, but it's one of the biggest reasons benefits fail.
If employees don't know what's available, they can't use it. And if they don't use it, your investment delivers little return.
Our 2026 Employee Benefits Report found that 21% of employees are unaware of key benefits available to them. Financial wellbeing support has an awareness gap of 30%, while Employee Assistance Programmes sit at 29%. This lack of awareness can cost more than £1,000 per employee in lost productivity every year.
Ask yourself:
- Could every employee name three benefits available to them?
- Are benefits something people regularly talk about, do employees remember when HR send benefits comms?
- When was the last time you promoted an existing benefit instead of launching a new one?
If you're relying on one email from six months ago, it's probably time for a refresh.
You're measuring engagement, not just what's available
Having lots of benefits doesn't automatically make your strategy successful. In fact, UK employers are estimated to lose £15 billion every year on benefits that don't resonate and don't get used.
The real question isn't what you offer. It's what people actually use. That's where the truth about your benefits strategy lives. Usage tells you far more than a brochure ever will.
You're not making assumptions about your workforce
Gen Z wants this. Parents need that. Older employees only care about pensions.
These assumptions are everywhere, but they're rarely accurate.
Our report found remarkably similar benefit preferences across different ages and genders. People are far more individual than demographic labels suggest. Instead of asking what a generation wants, ask whether every employee has the flexibility to choose what's right for them. That's where meaningful engagement starts.
Do your benefits solve real problems?
Think about what's keeping your employees awake at night.
Financial pressure?
Burnout?
Looking after children or ageing parents?
Managing ADHD?
Trying to stay healthy before problems become bigger?
The strongest benefits strategies don't chase trends. They remove everyday barriers that stop people performing at their best. Our report highlights four areas employers simply can't ignore:
- Family and reproductive health support
- Neurodiversity support
- Holistic weight management
- Financial wellbeing
The question isn't whether you've bought a solution for every category. It's whether your people can access support when they actually need it.
Your technology helps people, not just HR
Benefits technology should make life easier for everyone. Not become another portal nobody logs into. The best platforms personalise recommendations, improve awareness and make it simple for employees to take action. Because engagement doesn't start with information. It starts with experience.
You're focused on outcomes, not trends
Every year there's another must-have benefit. Every year there's another list of predictions.
The reality is that healthy, high-performing teams have always needed the same things:
- Support that's easy to access
- Benefits people genuinely value
- A strategy that adapts to individual needs instead of chasing headlines.
- That's why our biggest prediction for 2026 wasn't another trend.
It’s that organisations getting benefits right will stop following trends altogether. They'll build strategies that are flexible enough to evolve with their people.
Your mid-year score
How many boxes did you tick?
If you found yourself answering "not quite" more than you'd like, don't worry. The second half of the year is the perfect time to reset. Instead of adding another benefit, ask yourself one simple question: Will this genuinely help someone feel healthier and perform better? If the answer is yes, you're moving in the right direction; if not, it might be time to rethink your strategy before next year's trends start arriving.
Ready to get more from your benefits budget? The best benefits strategies aren't about offering more. They're about helping more people use the support that's already available. Speak to our team to see how Heka helps organisations build healthier, higher-performing teams.
