How CBIZ's new handbook is helping organizations choose the right benefits

Organizations are desperate to keep current employees loyal and attract prospective candidates, and this organization just published a step-by-step blueprint to help them do it. 

In an effort to help organizations rethink their approach to employee experience, benefits and insurance services platform CBIZ recently launched their Employee Experience Guide. The employer-facing handbook aims to provide necessary insight and information on how different workplace aspects such as culture, benefits and compensation can be improved upon to meet the current workforce's demands. 

"Employee experience in an organization doesn't fall on just one person or decision — it's recruiting, benefits, insurance, culture and compensation," says Polly Thomas, COO of CBIZ. "We thought if we could pull all these pieces together, it would serve as a nice roadmap for companies." 

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The guide, which can be downloaded for free from the CBIZ website, is completely interactive. Organizations can not only search for the areas they are most interested in, but they can also combine and compare data from other areas to get a better understanding of how they work together. For example, for those interested in training and engagement or growth and culture, the guide connects them with an expert who can provide more information on how to successfully navigate and develop those areas.  

Benefit selection and allocation makes up a large part of CBIZ's guide. Specifically, the manual walks organizations through how they can ensure that their offerings are meeting the needs of employees, which have changed significantly over the years.  

"A one-size-fits-all approach for benefits no longer works," Thomas says. "Each person in the workforce is going to value your benefits differently, so having a menu of options that meet people where they are is more important than it was historically."

Go beyond traditional benefits

The guide emphasizes the need for "phase of life" benefits, which include traditional benefits such as retirement and healthcare plans, but also focuses on more progressive and tailored benefits like caregiving support, student loan repayment and family planning. Another focal point is introducing benefits that help employees grow professionally within the workplace, as well. This means investing in benefits such as recognition rewards and performance-based bonuses, as well as training and mentoring opportunities. 

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"Employees are seeking more stability and a more clear definition around what their growth trajectory looks like in and out of the organization," Thomas says. "Components of a total rewards program that maybe didn't need as much time and attention before are more important now than they have ever been." 

As employees' demands continue to evolve, so will the guide, according to Thomas. The goal is to remain a reliable resource for organizations so they can build long-lasting employee-experience strategies that keep employees happy and engaged at work. 

"Your people are your company's largest investment and the cost of turnover for employees is really high," Thomas says. "Organizations need to be able to recruit and retain, and honing in on the areas that maybe they haven't thought through or spent as much time on could become their competitive differentiator."