Discover how a well-designed benefits website empowers employees, streamlines HR support and reinforces your employer brand, all while delivering measurable results.
People rely on their employer to help them make the most of their benefits. Employees and their families need to access benefits information not only to make their annual benefits enrollment decisions, but for just-in-time information when they need to use their benefits.
A comprehensive website – accessible to all household members anytime, anywhere – is a critical tool…and one that can be easily updated. Most want to go online for benefits information when they need it. Ensuring your employees’ online benefits portal is UX friendly – that the design, usability, functionality and accessibility provide the best user experience – will help increase employee engagement and enhance the employee experience.
What’s in it for employees
- Information anytime, anywhere. Employees and their family members want benefits information when they need it – whether at home, work, the doctor’s office, a meeting with a financial planner, etc.
- Easy-to-find information. Navigation, tiles, search, quick links and chat all help users quickly retrieve what they are looking for.
- Access from any device. Users want to view information using phones, tablets and laptops. In fact, 91% of Americans own a smartphone according to the 2024 Pew Research Center Mobile Fact Sheet1.
- One-stop shop. The website provides one place for employees to find what they need about their benefits, including a video library, what to do when experiencing a life event, vendor contact information, links to internal resources, legal information and more.
- Easy access by human resources (HR), HR service centers and managers. Your website not only provides them with consistent messaging to answer employee questions, but it also gives them a resource to direct employees for self-service.
Customize the content for a personalized experience
Tailor the user experience with personalized information – whether you integrate personal data, personas or modeling tools. Some examples of personalization include:
- A customized dashboard, featuring information based on an employee’s role and personal benefits data (such as beneficiaries, benefit elections and account balances).
- Personalized recommendations and timely reminders created by leveraging AI and benefits data – especially for new and underutilized benefits.
- Decision-support tools to help employees make plan selections during enrollment, for life events, and for contribution decisions like 401(k), stock purchase plans and stock options.
- Targeted content based on life events that could include personas, which allow you to tailor messaging without using identifying information.
- Audience-specific messaging tailored for managers, employees, spouses/domestic partners, new hires and other key groups.
Why it matters to employers
According to Gallagher’s 2025 US Workforce Trends Report: Benefits Benchmark, 91% of employers say increasing efficiency is their top reason for investing in HR technology. Other advantages to your organization include:
- Promoting various programs and resources throughout the year.
- Helping control messages by giving HR, managers and employees the same messages.
- Tracking analytics – such as search behavior and page views –provides useful information on what employees are viewing and can help you refine site content, improve functionality and inform your ongoing communication strategy.
- Keeping information timely and relevant with instantaneous digital updates.
- Creating and maintaining versions for specific employee groups/audiences and in multiple languages programmatically.
- Gathering employee feedback and testimonials by posting quick polls, surveys and fillable forms.
Reinforce your organization’s EVP
Communicators said their #1 priority in communication is to engage teams on purpose, strategy and values according to Gallagher’s Employee Communications Report 2025 (featuring findings from the 2024/25 State of the Sector survey).
Your benefits website is a great tool to strengthen your culture and brand and show the employee value proposition (EVP) – your organization’s mission and values – in action. Benefit sites should look, feel and sound like your organization – serving as a natural extension of your brand.
Promoting this powerful part of your communication toolbox
While a benefits website is part of your communication toolbox, your communication strategy should include other tactics. Use those other tactics to help promote your website throughout the year. If possible, use QR codes or links to specific pages (deep links) to drive your audience to your website for the details.
Some other measures to promote your website include:
- Email
- Home mailers/postcards
- Posters
- Text messages
- TV monitor slides
- Presentations and videos
- HR and manager briefings
- Links in policies, summary plan descriptions, guides, etc.
How we can help
We create award-winning benefit and total rewards websites that help employees value the comprehensive benefits offered to them and find crucial information when they need it.
Contact us for help creating a powerful, comprehensive website or retooling your current website.
Source
1. Mobile Fact Sheet - Fact Sheets: Tech Adoption Trends, Pew Research Center, 13 November 2024.
