Spring is here, and it’s not just your home that could use a refresh. If your benefits program feels a little stale or underused, now is the perfect time to clean things up and re-energize your workforce support.
Many HR teams wait until open enrollment season to make big changes, but by then, it’s sometimes too late to gather feedback, run pilots, or try new ideas. A spring reset can help you optimize existing programs, trim the extras that aren’t making an impact, and roll out flexible, relevant benefits your employees will actually use.
Here are five practical ways to bring your benefits strategy out of hibernation.
1. Polish the perks your people already have
Start by increasing awareness of what’s already available. Benefits only have value if your employees know about them and understand how to use them.
What to do:
- Review your current benefits and identify 2-3 underused or often overlooked options.
- Plan a short internal campaign to promote them. This could include email reminders, manager talking points, or a quick video explainer. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy–just get someone on camera talking about the benefits.
- Use moments like National Stress Awareness Month (April) or Mental Health Awareness Month (May) to tie these communications into a timely theme.
- Add reminders to onboarding materials so new hires are aware from day one.
Example: If you offer Backup Care or a Care.com Membership, show employees exactly how to book care and when it can be used. Add a calendar reminder to promote it right before summer breaks or school closures.
2. Sweep out benefits that aren’t being used
If you’re spending money on benefits that employees don’t value or don’t use, consider reallocating that budget toward something more impactful.
What to do:
- Survey employees to ask what they use, what they like, and what they wish they had instead.
- Reinvest those dollars in benefits your team has expressed interest in, like family care support or mental health tools.
Example: If only 2% of employees are using your gym reimbursement, but 45% say they’re caring for children or aging parents, consider shifting that spend to family care resources.
3. Freshen up with flexible options
Today’s workforce isn’t one-size-fits-all. Offering more flexible, personalized benefits can help you meet the needs of a diverse and evolving employee base.
What to do:
- Explore voluntary benefits that allow employees to choose what matters most to them.
- Offer tiered or modular options so employees can customize based on their life stage, family size, or interests.
- Promote care benefits that support all types of families, not just traditional ones.
Example: Give employees the option to add a Care.com Membership to their benefits package at a discounted rate. It’s a low-cost way to offer high-value support for parents, pet owners, or those caring for elderly parents or relatives.
4. Bring mental health into the spotlight
Burnout and stress are still top concerns for employees across every industry. Mental health benefits aren’t just nice to have … they’re a core part of employee well-being and retention.
What to do:
- Audit your current mental health offerings and identify any gaps.
- Build a culture of permission around using mental health days or mental health breaks.
- Share anonymous stories or quotes (with permission) from employees who’ve used these benefits successfully.
Example: Plan a mental health check-in campaign for May, offering a downloadable guide on your resources or a calendar invite to block off mental health time.
5. Plant ideas now for future growth
Use this season to gather insight, test ideas, and build momentum before open enrollment rolls around.
What to do:
- Run a quick pulse survey to gauge employee interest in different benefits.
- Host a virtual benefits focus group or lunch-and-learn where employees can share feedback directly.
- Pilot a short-term benefit or schedule flexibility policy and track participation or satisfaction.
- Use the feedback to create a roadmap for benefits planning in Q3 and Q4.
Example: Test a “flexible Friday” schedule for the summer months, then gather feedback and usage data to decide if it should be a long-term offering.
Small changes, big impact
You don’t need a total overhaul to modernize your benefits. A few smart updates this spring can help you better support your employees, improve benefit utilization, and set the stage for a more strategic open enrollment season.
Need help bringing your benefits strategy into a new season? Let’s talk.
