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With so much of 2025 still ahead of us, it's not too late to revisit your benefits education strategy and ensure employees are engaged. While often overlooked, workplace benefits are a powerful way to help your employees take advantage of their financial future, and in turn help your company recruit, retain and motivate talent. Our research shows that workplace benefits are a key driver of employee satisfaction and retention: 89% of employees would feel more invested in staying at their company if it provided financial benefits that meet specific needs, and 94% of employers consider re-evaluating their financial benefits package to be a priority this year.
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To make the most of the year ahead, here are three ways to better engage employees through workplace financial benefits:
1. Create an education strategy inclusive of all employees
According to our research, 85% of employees feel that their company needs to do a better job helping them understand how to maximize their financial benefits. And with five generations of employees in the workforce, it's important to implement a thoughtful education program tailored to help employees at all professional levels and life stages pursue their personal financial goals.
For example, while older employees are likely focused on planning for retirement spending, younger employees may be navigating benefit elections for the very first time. Meanwhile, the fastest growing employee segment, the sandwich generation of caretakers, likely needs additional support: The DuPage Senior Citizens Council reports that roughly 11 million employees between ages 30-50 are supporting aging parents and growing children simultaneously.
With such a wide range of employee needs, it's important to have both an effective offering and an engaging education program around it to help employees understand how their workplace benefits can help them address various financial challenges. By diversifying your communication strategy, you're likely to connect with each generation more easily. For example, data from Metlife shows that baby boomers tend to prefer learning about benefits through in-person conversations, Gen X employees look to online resources, millennials prefer video and podcast content and Gen Z employees turn to social media. And of course there are folks who bridge these generational divides — the key is to have multiple channels in order to meet your participants where they are.
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Additionally, employee feedback can inform gaps in your coverage, engagement trends or technological issues — and thus provide opportunities to better support company goals. Check in with your employees throughout the year to gather feedback on their user experience and create a safe space for them to ask questions. Our research shows that a third of employees have never thought to reach out to their employer for help.
Keep in mind that too much content can be overwhelming, so try to maintain a thoughtful cadence of communication throughout the year. Utilize various channels such as SMS text, chats, webinars, conference calls and virtual meetings. Create a library of educational content such as articles, on-demand videos and virtual classes on your employee intranet, so that employees can easily locate what's relevant to them.
2. Utilize equity compensation as a recruitment tool
According to our research, most employees (80%) and employers (95%) agree that equity compensation remains perhaps the most powerful tool to build a culture of ownership and loyalty. By offering equity compensation, your employees can benefit from the company's success and potentially increase their net worth. Access to company stock plans gives employees true ownership in their companies, which can translate to increased job performance and commitment to the organization.
Equity compensation can be a powerful tool for building a motivated, engaged and loyal workforce. Offering equity can encourage employees to become invested in the success of the company — and in turn, can support business goals such as recruiting top executives, retaining leaders to hit a specific target or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. What's more, equity compensation is growing in popularity: Three in four HR leaders (76%) reported that their companies are offering some form of equity compensation, up four percentage points year-over-year and 11% since 2021.
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3. Build a culture of support and inclusion
As we look at the year ahead, your employees may need additional guidance; life can be unpredictable and it's important to help support your employees along the way. Ensuring your company's financial benefits and related educational programs are inclusive for all employees can help drive a more engaged and financially savvy workforce.
To help your employees more easily engage in their workplace benefits, look for opportunities to provide support for a range of financial needs. For example, benefits such as student loan repayment or return-to-work programs can help support education needs, while retirement benefits like a 401(k)-employer match can help employees reach their long-term retirement goals. Our research shows that nearly 9 in 10 HR leaders offer financial wellness programs to help counterbalance work-life stressors.
For additional financial support, consider connecting your employees to personal financial coaching or a financial advisor who can better help them navigate both their benefits and the complexities of their financial lives.
As we continue to build for the year ahead, keep in mind that creating a supportive environment for your employees doesn't happen overnight. What matters most is being a resource for your employees as they work towards their financial goals and tackle challenges along the way.
