LONDON, April 14, 2025 – Almost half (46%) of multinational company headquarters are prioritising expanding the use of employee-facing technology to support benefits management, including using AI and other advanced technologies to improve benefits navigation and decision-making. That’s according to the latest survey of Global Priorities for Employee Benefits, by Towers Watson, a WTW business.
As employees’ physical, mental and financial health remains a top priority, the strategic use of advanced technology and employee data paves the way to creating more personalised and effective benefit strategies, with a particular focus on the use of AI to support data management, employee support and operational efficiency. Additionally, more than half (52%) of multinational HQs consider the use of data-driven insights a high or top priority for enhancing the employee benefits experience.
Companies are homing in on using benefits to signal their company’s mission, purpose and Employee Value Proposition, to ensure the way they look after their people aligns with their outward-facing vision, with the majority of multinational headquarters prioritising raising awareness of benefits.
“Benefits have become valuable to employees, investors and leaders because they both support employees’ all-around health and signal what a company stands for.”
Nigel Bateman | managing director, global HQ solutions at Towers Watson
Nigel Bateman, managing director, global HQ solutions at Towers Watson, said “Benefits have become valuable to employees, investors and leaders because they both support employees’ all-around health and signal what a company stands for. They are powerful symbols of a company’s identity and purpose. Conversely, it can really undermine what a company stands for when benefits are viewed as little more than a hygiene factor.
“Leading companies are getting involved at headquarter level, including setting global minimum standards. Importantly, more and more are making use of advanced technologies to elevate their benefit strategies and data insights to really listen to their employees. Benefits and wellbeing programmes are no longer a ‘nice to have’, they’re becoming a reflection of a company’s values.”
Other strategic focuses include:
Gaby Joyner, Europe Head of Employee Experience at Towers Watson said “To bridge the gap between what companies offer and what employees want, employee listening programmes are vital. Better understanding of employee needs and wants ensures money can be spend on what matters to employees.
“Companies need to actively promote their benefits programmes and what they mean, around the world. And they need to improve employees’ understanding and engagement with benefits to make a consumer grade employee experience.”
WTW surveyed 264 global organisations across a broad range of industries about their benefit strategies between September and October 2024 for its survey of Priorities for Employee Benefits: a Global HQ Perspective.
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