Global benefits strategy for 2025 is set for a major transformation. HR teams rely on innovative benefits technology to unify their global strategies with powerful messaging and employee experience standards. There has been a noticeable shift from cost-driven approaches to value-oriented benefits strategies. As a result, the focus of benefits discussions has evolved from mere compliance to a more strategic conversation about the value and impact of these offerings. Employers are now more focused on tracking and optimizing the tangible benefits their programs provide to employees, aiming to enhance the overall employee experience and make a meaningful impact in their daily lives.
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As businesses continue to expand globally and the workforce evolves, the importance of a strong, adaptable, and forward-thinking benefits strategy has never been greater. With the rise of remote work, an increasingly diverse workforce, and a growing focus on employee well-being, organizations must rethink their global benefits approach for 2025. This blog explores five key ways to start building a global benefits strategy for 2025 that’s inclusive, agile, and future-proof, leveraging HR and benefits technology to drive efficiency, compliance, and employee satisfaction.
1. Leverage Benefits Technology for a Unified Global Strategy
According to The Big Benefits Report 2024/25, published by Benefex, almost 60% (59%) of global employees consider benefits and perks to be a key factor when assessing a potential employer. The same report found that 91% of HR and rewards professionals believe that benefits play a crucial role in aligning employee values with the organization’s overall purpose and mission, highlighting the strategic importance of well-designed benefits in fostering a deeper connection between employees and the company’s mission.
Therefore, the first step to building a global benefits strategy for 2025 starts with investing in the right benefits technology.
Today’s benefits landscape is complex, with differing regulations, expectations, and needs across countries and regions. Managing benefits manually or with outdated systems is no longer feasible.
Benefits technology, such as cloud-based platforms and HR management systems (HRMS), can provide a unified interface for managing and delivering benefits across borders. HR teams use integrated HR technology within their organizations to streamline benefits administration, ensuring consistency and compliance across different countries while offering local flexibility.
Benefits technology can help with:
- Centralized data management: A single platform where all employee benefits data is stored, easily accessible, and secure.
- Automation: Benefits platforms can automatically update and calculate changes based on employee selections or legal/regulatory requirements.
- Analytics: The ability to pull reports and insights about the effectiveness and costs of various benefits packages, helping HR teams make data-driven decisions.
Using an integrated technology solution allows HR professionals to focus on strategic decisions rather than getting bogged down by manual tasks, enabling more efficient resource allocation.
2. Align HR Technology with Workforce Benefits Strategy
The core of your global benefits strategy must align with broader HR technology initiatives. HR tech encompasses tools and platforms that automate and streamline various aspects of the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and performance management to learning and development. Integrating benefits management into your overall HR tech ecosystem will ensure that your benefits offerings are seamlessly connected with other key areas of the employee experience.
For example, if your HR platform includes performance management and compensation tools, you can tie benefits offerings to specific employee milestones or performance reviews. Similarly, you can integrate well-being programs with learning platforms to foster a culture of continuous growth and health.
When considering HR technology for your workforce benefits strategy, focus on:
- Integration: Look for platforms that can work across multiple functions (payroll, recruitment, performance management, etc.).
- User experience: Ensure your technology has an intuitive interface that makes it easy for employees to navigate and select the benefits most relevant to them.
- Mobile accessibility: Employees expect to access their benefits through their mobile devices, especially as hybrid and remote work becomes the norm.
HR technology enables a smoother, more holistic experience for the HR teams and employees, offering a seamless workflow that contributes to greater employee satisfaction and engagement.
3. Set Clear Objectives for 2025
For any strategy to be successful, it must have clearly defined objectives. When building a global benefits strategy for 2025, the following objectives are critical:
- Personalization: As employees increasingly seek tailored benefits, your strategy should focus on offering flexible options that cater to diverse needs, from health and wellness benefits to work-life balance initiatives.
- Cost-efficiency: A key challenge is balancing generous benefits with cost control. With global operations, currency fluctuations, and varying cost-of-living standards, it’s essential to manage costs while maintaining competitive benefits packages.
- Employee retention and attraction: A forward-thinking benefits strategy should be a tool for talent acquisition and retention. Competitive benefits packages are a strong selling point in today’s job market.
- Compliance: Benefits strategies must adapt to shifting labor laws and regulations in different countries. Ensuring legal compliance while offering competitive, localized benefits is non-negotiable.
In setting these objectives, it’s crucial to keep employee feedback at the forefront.
What are your employees’ top priorities?
What benefits are they most interested in?
Regularly surveying employees and using data analytics to understand their needs can help shape your strategy.
4. Implement Automation to Streamline Benefits Management
Automation is one of the most transformative aspects of HR technology stacks in 2024. In 2025, we expect global organizations will double down on their investments in automation to streamline benefits management.
In a global organization, automating repetitive tasks such as benefits enrollment, eligibility checks, and compliance tracking can save substantial time and reduce errors.
Automation helps HR teams:
- Ensure consistency: By automating eligibility checks, updates, and notifications, you ensure that employees receive the right benefits at the right time, regardless of their location.
- Enhance compliance: With automatic updates to benefits packages and regulatory changes, automation ensures that your strategy remains compliant with local laws, reducing the risk of fines or penalties.
- Reduce administrative workload: HR staff can focus on higher-level strategic initiatives instead of manual data entry or resolving employee queries related to benefits.
For example, during benefits enrollment periods, an automated system can help guide employees through available options, ensure they meet eligibility requirements, and automatically calculate and apply changes in real-time.
Automation also helps with reporting and data collection, providing valuable insights into benefit utilization rates, costs, and employee satisfaction, which can be used to continually refine the strategy.
5. Tailor Benefits for Different Groups of Workers and Executives
A one-size-fits-all benefits package won’t suffice for the diverse needs of your global workforce. Different groups within your organization will have varying expectations, priorities, and life stages. For instance, young workers may prioritize student loan repayment assistance or wellness programs, while older employees might look for more robust retirement benefits and healthcare coverage.
Consider segmenting benefits offerings into categories:
- Entry-level employees: These employees may be looking for flexibility, wellness programs, or student loan repayment assistance.
- Mid-level employees: Professionals at this stage may appreciate more sophisticated financial planning benefits, such as retirement plans, paid time off, or professional development stipends.
- Executives: Senior leaders will likely value comprehensive health benefits, stock options, performance-based incentives, and exclusive perks like executive coaching or enhanced financial planning.
Additionally, consider the diverse needs across geographic regions. Benefits that are standard in one country may not be applicable or competitive in another. For example, in countries with universal healthcare, private health insurance may not be a priority for employees, whereas in the U.S., it might be one of the most valued benefits.
Here are the top benefits technology companies that can fit into your global benefits strategy for 2025:
1. Workday
A leading provider of cloud-based HR, finance, and planning software, Workday offers comprehensive benefits management solutions, integrating payroll, talent, and HR systems with a focus on global benefits administration and compliance.
2. Zenefits
Zenefits offers an easy-to-use, cloud-based HR platform for small and medium-sized businesses, streamlining benefits management, including health insurance, compliance, and employee enrollment processes.
3. Gusto
Gusto is an HR platform tailored to small businesses, providing integrated benefits management such as health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) plans, and paid time off, alongside payroll and HR services.
4. Benefitfocus
Benefitfocus is a cloud-based benefits management platform that helps employers design, manage, and communicate benefits programs to employees, with tools for compliance, analytics, and engagement.
5. BambooHR
BambooHR offers a user-friendly HR software solution for small and medium-sized businesses, providing tools for managing employee benefits, time off, performance, and employee self-service.
6. ADP Workforce Now
ADP is a global leader in payroll and HR solutions, offering a robust platform for managing benefits, compliance, payroll, talent management, and workforce analytics.
7. TriNet
TriNet is a professional employer organization (PEO) that provides small and medium-sized businesses with comprehensive HR solutions, including benefits administration, healthcare, retirement plans, and employee wellness programs.
8. Mercer
Mercer is a global consulting firm offering benefits technology solutions alongside strategic consulting. Its platform helps businesses optimize benefits plans, manage compliance, and enhance employee engagement.
9. Castlight Health
Castlight Health focuses on health benefits navigation, providing employees with tools to make informed decisions about their healthcare and benefits. The platform includes wellness programs and personalized recommendations.
10. Voya Financial
Voya offers retirement and financial wellness programs, including 401(k) and pension plans. Their platform focuses on helping employees manage their retirement savings while providing integrated benefits tools for HR teams.
11. Limeade
Limeade offers a platform focused on employee well-being, providing solutions for health, wellness, engagement, and benefits management to create a more productive and satisfied workforce.
12. Namely
Namely is an all-in-one HR platform designed for mid-sized businesses, offering features for benefits administration, performance management, payroll, and employee engagement.
13. Justworks
Justworks is a PEO offering businesses an integrated benefits solution that includes health insurance, 401(k) plans, paid time off, and compliance management, all alongside payroll and HR tools.
14. Benevity
Benevity provides a platform focused on corporate social responsibility and employee giving programs, integrating employee benefits with volunteer opportunities, charitable donations, and impact tracking.
15. Flock
Flock is a benefits management platform designed for small and medium businesses. It helps automate and streamline employee benefits enrollment while ensuring compliance with industry regulations and offering data insights for HR professionals.
16. Benefex
Benefex is a leading provider of employee experience technology, offering a powerful platform called OneHub. OneHub connects and enhances employee experiences by integrating key areas such as benefits, well-being, reward, recognition, and communication into one seamless platform. With a focus on improving engagement and delivering personalized, data-driven experiences, Benefex helps organizations create a more connected and motivated workforce.
17. UKG Ready Benefits
UKG offers a powerful UKG Ready® Benefits HCM platform. This solution integrates benefits administration with HR, payroll, and workforce management. The platform simplifies the entire benefits lifecycle—from enrollment and eligibility tracking to compliance and reporting. It enables HR teams to manage a wide range of benefits efficiently, providing employees with a personalized experience. With its data-driven insights, UKG’s Benefits HCM platform helps organizations optimize their benefits offerings, improve employee engagement, and ensure regulatory compliance.
Conclusion
As we move towards 2025, building a global benefits strategy that is aligned with the future of work will be essential to maintaining a competitive edge in talent acquisition and retention. By leveraging benefits technology, integrating HR systems, setting clear objectives, implementing automation, and tailoring benefits for different employee groups, organizations can create a forward-thinking, flexible, and effective global benefits program.
With the right strategy in place, HR teams can stay ahead of global compliance challenges, fostering a more engaged, satisfied, and productive workforce. In the competitive talent landscape of 2025, offering innovative, personalized, and efficient benefits packages will be a key differentiator—empowering employees, building trust, and supporting business success.
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