Enhancing Employee Experience Through Digital Employee Total Rewards: A Q&A with Product
The employee experience is intrinsically tied to modern total rewards strategies, and for organizations holding on to static total rewards statements, the cumulative effects may be catching up. In this Q&A, Jason Avallone, senior product manager at Benefitfocus, shares his thoughts on the value of moving to digital employee total rewards strategies and why digital total rewards solutions are useful for helping HR teams take a proactive approach.
Q: First, can you talk about the difference between a static total rewards experience and a digital one?
A static total rewards experience often comes in the form of a yearly statement that shows the value of an employee’s compensation. It may be easily overlooked, fail to engage or inform employees in a meaningful way and may not include the value of other benefits outside of salary. Rather, a digital total rewards experience is meant to be up-to-date, personalized, interactive and comprehensive, helping employees clearly understand the full value of what they receive beyond salary. It’s accessible anytime, mobile-friendly and can even be aligned with what matters most to each individual. The difference is not just in presentation, but in how effectively the experience drives awareness, appreciation and retention.
Q: What are the major impacts on HR teams, employees, and employers in continuing to rely on static total rewards statements?
Relying on static, one-a-year total rewards statements tends to keep HR teams and employers, in general, in a reactive position. We know that half of U.S. employees are actively watching or looking for new job opportunities. So, that kind of outdated total rewards approach can make it harder to stay ahead of evolving workforce needs, address employee concerns in real time and/or clearly communicate the full value of what the organization has to offer. The result of which is likely missed opportunities when it comes to engagement, retention and staying competitive in the talent market. From the employee’s perspective, a strong total rewards experience can make a meaningful difference. When employees clearly understand the full value of what they’re getting—from compensation and benefits to well-being and development—they're more likely to feel appreciated, motivated and connected to the organization. Some of the goals are to boost trust, improve satisfaction and, ultimately, strengthen loyalty. That’s why we believe in moving beyond static statements. With a dynamic total rewards approach that’s personalized, accessible and easy to keep updated, HR teams are in a much better position to proactively support their people and align with evolving business needs.
Q: Considering the trends, what has been the feedback within the Benefitfocus client community?
Our experience has shown a clear and growing demand for improving engagement, retention and transparency. We’re also seeing a growing industry-wide expectation for benefits administration partners to offer integrated total rewards solutions, enabling employers to deliver a more seamless, all-in-one employee experience. When clients and prospects see our total rewards solution in action, they typically recognize the value in the ability to fully customize the experience with their logo, branding, fonts and messaging. That level of personalization helps it truly feel like an extension of their company, which goes a long way in enhancing employee engagement. That’s why we offer total rewards fully integrated within our benefits engagement platform, Benefitplace™.
Q: For HR teams, what does it mean to have automated integrations and greater access to data and insights?
One of the biggest challenges HR teams continue to face is providing employees with full visibility of their rewards. It’s because the data needed to pull together a complete rewards picture is often housed in separate systems and may not be integrated with existing platforms. We recognize this disconnection. That’s why our solution automates integrations, connecting rewards to payroll, HRIS and other vendor systems. Not only does it help solve the pain point of offering a complete rewards picture, but it’s also intended to translate to connected data and improved efficiency for HR teams. With better insights, teams can optimize programs, support more informed decision-making, and enhance the employee experience—ultimately increasing the strategic value and impact of the team.
Q: How do you think a digital reward solution might change the way HR and Total Rewards leaders engage with their people, and vice versa?
It shifts the conversation from a one-time, static interaction to ongoing, transparent communication and conversation. That’s powerful, and the difference cannot be overstated. There’s an opportunity to move from a generic total rewards experience to a future state that is personalized, interactive and comprehensive, helping employees clearly understand the full value of what they receive beyond salary. The difference is not just in presentation. It’s in creating connection and considering the experience, which ultimately leads to delivering a more connected experience. One that strives to drive trust, engagement, and a clearer understanding of the company’s investment in its people, which in turn boosts awareness, appreciation and retention.
Q: How does Benefitfocus approach product development to meet the needs of employers and employees?
We want to empower employers with a tool that enhances transparency, supports retention, and aligns with growing market demand for integrated, digital rewards experiences within a single benefits platform. Employees know their salary, but when they can see the details of pay, benefits, retirement plans, and more, all within a single, integrated platform that’s accessible via desktop or mobile, that’s powerful. It gives employees that transparency into the full value they’re receiving, which should translate into retention. Of course, user experience is paramount within a digital total rewards experience. Our product team’s goal is to deliver an experience that improves engagement and ensures employees fully understand the value of their total rewards package. That’s why the Total Rewards Solution in BenefitplaceTM provides employees with a personalized, easy-to-navigate view of their full compensation and benefits. We carefully considered placement within the platform based on established user navigation patterns to give clients timely access while providing a clear pathway to deeper insights.
Q: How have Benefitfocus and Voya Financial together improved their ability to provide a connected rewards experience?
One example of how being a Voya Financial business offers opportunity to us is in how we are able to integrate other employer-offered benefits and Voya retirement accounts data. For employees, this creates a holistic view of their benefits in order to help them get their workplace benefits and savings in sync. While we can integrate the retirement plan data under numerous providers and plans, by integrating Voya’s retirement plan details with our Employee Total Rewards platform, we are excited to present a unified, comprehensive rewards experience that includes all types of rewards—compensation, benefits, retirement accounts and employer-sponsored programs supporting overall employee wellness.
Jason Avallone’s decade of product management experience has been dedicated to creating and enhancing products that deliver value to clients and end user. In his current role, he leads a team of product owners, driving continuous process improvement within the Benefitfocus platform to ensure quality, efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Learn more about the Total Rewards Solution within BenefitplaceTM here.
This material is not legal advice and is provided for informational purposes only.
Benefitfocus is a Voya Financial business.
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