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5 personalized benefits for employees and how to use them
By: Benefits by Design | Tuesday March 4, 2025
Updated : Monday March 3, 2025
Personalized benefits have blossomed in the last several years as employee demand has soared. AI improvements and virtual care have paved the way for employees to generally feel comfortable interacting with technology. Moreover, developments in medicine provide even more possibilities for individualized care.
Personalized benefits – what they are and how to use them
Certain employee benefits have aspects within them that provide tailored options, advice, or solutions to the individual employee. We’ll go over our five favourite and explain how your employees can get the most out of them. Plus, how does this translate into business success?
Employee assistance programs
An employee assistance program is extremely versatile in the personalized benefits it can provide. Employees can get advice on everything from legal, financial, and career planning, to marriage challenges, childcare issues, and more.
Many EAPs were traditionally accessed by telephone. But with changing demand from employees, more and more are accessed online – with options to reach out via telephone if needed.
When an employee engages the EAP services, they receive individualized advice based on their unique circumstances. Many EAPs offer self-assessment surveys to provide personalized health and wellness suggestions based on their responses.
What is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and What Does it Cover?
Online wellness platforms
Similar to an online EAP portal, wellness platforms offer a plethora of different ways to help employees with their individual health. Employees access them online using their unique login credentials, and any information they input is kept secure and confidential.
They usually employ self-assessment health surveys as well, and can track and manage exercise goals, eating habits, and more. Many now sync to an employee’s wearable fitness tracker, offering reminders and incentives to keep them active and on-track. For example, BestLife Rewarded gives employees points for staying active, which they can then use to bid on and win curated items and gift cards.
As these platforms advance, expect to see more options for push notifications and reminders based on personal health journeys. These technological advancements allow for even deeper personalized benefits solutions, giving the employee a chance for even better health outcomes.
Disability management – pharmacogenetic testing
Employees who are starting on a new treatment regimen which includes prescription drugs can often face long, frustrating periods while they and their doctors test the efficacy of the new medication. Why? Because each person may react differently to medications due to their genetic makeup. This can be especially true when it comes to anti-depressants. Some patients may even experience worsening symptoms while they try to find the right prescription.
With the recent rise in disability claims for mental health issues, avoiding this painful process can have extremely positive effects on the length of disability leave.
Enter pharmacogenetic testing (also known as pharmacogenomics) – one of the most personalized benefits currently available. It’s a process by which a person’s DNA is tested, and the results are then used to determine the most effective treatment for that individual. Advantageously, it will only ever need to be done once, and the results can be used for future prescriptions when necessary.
Employees do not need to be on disability to request pharmacogenomic testing. Some programs may have options to access it as a fee for service under the health care benefit.
How Disability Management Fast-tracks Employee Health & Return to Work
Online pharmacies
The pandemic was the catalyst for some impressive changes to our day-to-day functions. One of these was online ordering and delivery services – and pharmacies were not to be left behind.
Online pharmacies sprouted up, offering lower dispensing fees and delivery right to your door. The personalized benefits don’t stop with at-home delivery, however. They also give employees refill reminders, and check for negative interactions based on individual prescriptions.
Some online pharmacies, like PocketPills, add another layer of helpfulness. By packaging employee medications into daily packs, including vitamins and supplements, they make it easier for employees to adhere to their medication regimen.
Help with a difficult diagnosis
Personalized benefits can’t be discussed without including support for navigating the health care system, or medical second opinion services.
Employees facing a significant health diagnosis also have to wade through a disorienting number of processes, applications and doctor visits to receive proper treatment. Even if they are not overwhelmed by their changing health situation, most are not experts in navigating the health care system.
At the same time, it can be prudent to have another doctor confirm that the diagnosis and treatment plan are correct and effective.
Both health navigation and second opinion services may be available as individual benefits, or as part of a package. The People Connect Business Assistance Program (BAP) which is included free of charge for groups with life insurance under Empire Life and Benefits by Design (BBD), provides both services to employees, along with business advice for owners and managers.
Advantages of personalized benefits
Business offering these types of benefits see tangible business results.
- EAPs and wellness and programs improve mental health and increase engagement and productivity. They also provide return on investment (ROI) which only grows over time – as employees overall health improves and health care costs are lowered.
- Pharmacogenomic testing, health navigation and second opinion services save employers money as employees return to work faster. Employees themselves find better health – increasing engagement, productivity, happiness, and retention.
- Online pharmacies increase medication adherence, ensuring higher prescription success, and improved overall health outcomes. They also lower health care costs since the fees are lower.
Personalized benefits are no longer the way of the future – they are here! Many companies are coming up with innovative ways to help employees chart their individual health course. Saving employers and employees both stress, time and money, and giving employees superior care and a higher chance at success!
Want to know how to get the most out of all your employee benefits your company offers?
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