How HR benefits technologies build a culture of inclusivity

Who doesn’t love personalisation?

From tailored suits to tailored benefits, we can all appreciate something designed with us in mind.

And it’s true what they say, no two people are the same. Whether your financially savvy or living in the moment, we all have our own way of approaching life’s journey. So why should your employee benefit offering be any different?

At Zest, personalisation is our middle name (Ok, not literally, but you get the gist). We’re on a mission to make HR benefits management a breeze while supercharging employee engagement. And to do that we want businesses to tailor their offering to meet the ever-changing needs of their employees.

First, we need to address the elephant in the room.

We’re not afraid to say it, employee benefits and companies in general have struggled to keep up with the demands of the workplace. Gone are the days of the bog standard, one-size-fits-all approach. Now employees are demanding tailored solutions to match their unique needs.

In fact, attracting, winning and retaining top talent requires more than a bumper salary. Our research has found that 46% of employees want an employee benefits package as part of their overall offering, with a huge 68% wanting more personalised benefits that are relevant to them and their situation.

To quote our values, it’s time to start being effortlessly exceptional, reassuringly reliable, cheerfully collaborative and distinctly different. By offering colleagues tailored solutions through your HR benefits technology, you’re giving them the power to make a positive impact on the things that matter most in their life.

We’re all about keeping things real and personalised. That’s why we’ve developed our offering to go beyond the basics and deliver personalised solutions tailored to your company’s unique needs. Think targeted communication, dynamic content creation, insightful reporting, and unravelling those complex benefits puzzles – all tailored to your needs.

These alone can be worth their weight in gold to any business. Employee benefits and personalisation are like two peas in a pod, and while not wanting to get carried away with idioms, it’s the perfect way to hit the nail on the head when it comes to perfecting your benefits strategy. Personalised benefits are a sure-fire way to increase employee engagement and happiness, which ultimately has a positive impact on your company culture.

Targeted communication

It’s farewell to generic company emails and hello to personalised communications.

From Preston to Portsmouth and everywhere in between, communicate your benefits platform with those that matter most. Craft and deliver engaging, internal communications that drive awareness of your employee benefits technology. Start the conversation and get your people to take action from the moment their platform is available. Our handy stock market approach may be your best bet.

Dynamic content creation

You can also design your platform to look as good as it makes employees feel.

• Create pages using our easy-to-use editing tool
• Customise images, add video, change fonts and add logos
• Manage different employer brands from one single system

Our content pages can also support dynamic employee attributes/data. This results in some of our clients using this capability to produce pay review letters and bonus and compensation reviews. Ultimately, there’s a plethora of employee information that can be accessed and it’s all effective dated.

Insightful reporting & unravelling complex benefit puzzles

We’re not quite your best mate texting you all the latest gossip, but we’ll certainly be keeping you in the loop with every minor aspect of your employee benefits scheme. Our benefits system is updated in real-time, so your benefits data can be communicated to you accurately and up to date.

Our reporting capability has it all. With intuitive navigation, users can effortlessly extract data, transforming complex data into actionable insights. Our platform’s intelligent effective data ensures that reports reflect the most accurate, up-to-date information, giving a reliable basis for decision making and for sharing benefit information with providers and payroll.

What’s more, the repeatability of report generation is a game-changer. You can run the same reports consistently, ensuring continuity and comparability over time. But why stop there? Our platform also offers automated scheduling. This means reports can be run at regular intervals, reducing the administration on your end and freeing you up to focus on more important matters.

In essence, our reporting tool is designed to streamline your workflow, offering a seamless, efficient, and reliable reporting experience that stands out in the realm of employee benefits management.

Where do we even begin. We don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket, but employee benefits are the definition of brilliance.

They’re the Barbie to our Ken, the Donkey to our Shrek. To put it plainly, they’re our bread and butter. Here are just a handful of flexible benefits that can be personalised to help tailor your employee benefit solution:

• Holiday Buy/Sell
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Private Medical Insurance
• Pension
• Dental Insurance

But how can benefits be personalised we hear you ask? Flexible benefits let your employees tailor selections to the things that matter most. Whether they’re social butterflies, family focused or saving for a rainy day, they decide how much they want to spend and on what.

Flexible benefits do exactly what they say on the tin. They provide flexibility and save your most valued assets money. While certain benefits are regarded as a core offering, flexible options mean you can negotiate more competitive deals for your workforce, reducing admin.

Our Ultimate guide to benefits is the perfect read for those interested in learning more on how flexible/personalised benefits can help your workplace.

Despite the clear business advantages to building a more inclusive workforce, employers are often struggling to make their Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives deliver.

An effective DEI strategy must be wide ranging and touch every aspect of the business. The right benefit programme can support your strategy, providing a total reward package that is relevant to people from all backgrounds. This can only have an impact if employers use the right employee benefits technology that ensures benefits can be tailored, delivered and updated quickly.

Delivering a benefit programme that is more relevant and agile may mean needing to change benefit platform. Many HR teams will associate this with a long, time-consuming and labour-intensive process.

That’s where we can help!

It’s important to put the power in the hands of your employees. Ultimately, by adding a personal touch and going one step beyond your competitors, you’ll inevitably increase employee satisfaction. And as we all know, increased employee satisfaction leads to improved talent retention/attraction.

Our goal is to redefine how employers of all sizes deliver their employee proposition. Our platform prioritises wellbeing and engagement, helping to build that all-important inclusive culture.

By treating each employee as an individual, you’ll unlock their full potential and build a deeper level of engagement. Zest helps you to engage and empower employees to make informed decisions about their benefits, leading to higher retention and engagement rates. ​

Creating a positive and lasting impact that fosters loyalty and inclusivity. Whether it’s through our platform, user-friendly app, dedicated customer service or extensive partner network, we ensure our customers have access to a friendly and approachable solution.

Our CEO, Matt Russell, believes flexibility and personalisation is vital for keeping a healthy, inclusive and engaged workplace.

“There’s no doubt that it’s an employees’ market out there right now and more than ever employers need to work to understand candidates’ unique needs in the race to recruit, motivate and retain great talent.

‘As candidates demand more flexibility in their working lives, employers must rise to that challenge by offering working arrangements and benefits that are also sufficiently flexible and personalised. When it comes to benefits, employers should prioritise packages that can be individually tailored.

‘Even the most cost-effective rewards can be incredibly successful if it effectively meets the needs of employees on a personal level.’