Why Traditional Employee Benefits Aren’t Enough Anymore

Key takeaways:

• Traditional employee benefits may not fully address the diverse financial needs of the modern workforce. 
• Offering innovative solutions like on-demand pay can enhance financial wellness and support employees in managing unexpected expenses.
• Adapting benefits to current employee expectations can lead to increased satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty.

If you’re struggling to attract and retain talent, revamping your traditional employee benefits package is a great place to start. Employers winning the war for talent are getting creative in building an employee benefits package that supports a diverse workforce. Conventional employee benefits like paid time off and disability coverage are no longer enough if you want to stand out from your competitors.

Understanding the Deskless Workforce

Employees are referred to as deskless workers when they lack a set office or workspace. A staggering 2.7 billion people, or 80% of the global workforce, are deskless workers today.

They primarily work in sectors like:

• Healthcare
• Retail
• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Transportation
• Telecommunications

Employee engagement and satisfaction rates among this cohort remain a cause for concern:

• One in two deskless workers have thought about quitting their jobs in the past year due to low pay, stress, and irregular working hours.
• 29% expressed feeling undervalued by their employer as a reason for considering leaving their current positions.
• More than 80% are confident that they have other job opportunities that match their skills, even though they may or may not have considered quitting.

Gaps in Traditional Employee Benefits Packages

Traditional employee benefits offerings often  fail to address the unique needs of today’s deskless workforce. Common gaps include:

• Lack of Flexibility: Many traditional packages adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, which doesn’t cater to the varied preferences and lifestyles of deskless employees.
• Mental Health Support: Mental health benefits, such as counseling or therapy, are often overlooked despite their growing importance.
• Financial Wellness: Benefits like on-demand pay and financial planning support are rarely included but are highly valued by deskless employees.
• Work-Life Balance: Flexible work arrangements, such as flexible hours and scheduling arrangements, are often out of reach of deskless employees.

Get Noticed with These Non-Traditional Employee Benefits

Over the next few years, we can expect the number of deskless, freelance, gig, and or contract workers to rise, making flexible, personalized employee benefits packages essential. Here are the modern benefit options we recommend for staying ahead of the game.

1. Financial Well-being and Budgeting Tools

Given widespread concerns about inflation, more employers are trying to support their employees in reaching their financial goals. It’s important to note that economic well-being looks different for everyone.

Ideally, employers should offer financial benefits best suited to their particular workforce and assist employees at different life stages. Nearly 60% of employers plan to enhance their financial well-being programs in 2025, which includes expanding retirement benefits and offering tools for financial and budget planning. This reflects a growing trend of employees seeking more comprehensive support for their financial health and retirement planning.

The best financial wellness programs support workers with free financial tools like 1:1 financial coaching, smart budgeting tools, and discounts in one convenient location.

2. Earned Wage Access

Earned Wage Access (EWA) allows people to access wages they’ve already earned but have not yet been paid. EWA particularly appeals to hourly workers who work from paycheck to paycheck and often find themselves short on cash when unexpected expenses arise. EWA is the only alternative to high-interest and predatory payday loans.

Payactiv, the pioneer and leading provider of EWA, is the only certified B Corp in the industry. Payactiv’s EWA service goes further by allowing employees to use their earned wages to pay for services like Uber and Amazon and pay their bills directly in a mobile app. A recent survey by Payactiv shows that 81% of respondents were likely to stay in their role because of access to EWA, demonstrating the retention value of EWA.

3. Diversified Leave Options

Currently, the US is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t guarantee workers a single day of paid parental leave or sick leave. Many private-sector employees still lack access to paid leave, with disparities based on income and employment type. This leave gap disproportionately affects lower-wage workers, who are less likely to be granted such protections from their employers.

Compassionate employers are expanding the scope of their leave policies to give their deskless workforce the flexibility they need to handle whatever life hands them, from health challenges to family support.

4. Mental Health and Wellness

In a recent survey, 89% of employees reported experiencing a mental health challenge during the past year. As a result of work-related pressures like overwhelming workloads and staff shortages, stress and anxiety were prevalent. Additionally, 73% of these individuals felt their mental health struggles directly affected their work performance.

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a great way to support people’s mental health. Such programs help with non-medical issues (such as depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and more) that could impact an employee’s work and home life. Through EAP programs, workers can access confidential counseling and other resources to alleviate mental health conditions.

Other supplementary wellness benefits could include:

• Company gym memberships and yoga classes
• Free subscriptions to mental health events and apps
• Offices designated explicitly for mental health purposes
• Quarterly mental health PTO
• Financial wellness benefits or free 1:1 financial coaching

5. Reproductive/Fertility Care

Forward-looking businesses recognize that they can make their organizations more attractive to women by offering parenting/pediatric support, improving maternity and menopause support, and expanding employees’ fertility coverage through medical reimbursements. Some companies offer resources to support high-risk pregnancies, lactation, family planning, and pregnancy loss.

6. Legal Insurance

Many people don’t seek legal advice because it is expensive. Non-traditional employee benefits like legal Legal insurance benefits provide employers with a means to help their employees pay for day-to-day legal services such as:

• Traffic violations
• Estate planning
• Divorce
• Property/consumer protection
• Bankruptcy

7. Flexible Schedules

Employers are increasingly recognizing deskless workers’ desire for more flexibility in their work schedules and are exploring strategies to address it. These include:

• Introducing AI-driven scheduling tools.
• Offering deskless workers more personalized shift options.
• Enhancing team communication through digital platforms.

Systems like Payactiv Connect make it easy (and safe) for employers to schedule shifts using their smartphones. Employees can communicate with one another and easily swap shifts. Those seeking to pick up additional shifts from time to earn extra cash also see massive value in this benefit.

Modern Employee Perks Matter

Today’s talent expects more than a paycheck and standard workplace benefits. They’re seeking jobs with companies that take their quality of life seriously, help them support their families, and make them feel valued. To meet this demand, consider modernizing your benefits package to recruit and retain talent in 2025.