With new pay transparency rules on the horizon and workplace expectations evolving, fairness in employee benefits is under sharper focus than ever. Staff are increasingly tuned in to whether the perks and policies available feel inclusive and accessible — and when they don’t, trust in the organisation can quickly suffer.
But ensuring benefits equity isn’t just about ticking regulatory boxes. A fair and balanced benefits strategy has a direct effect on employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. On the flip side, a package that feels uneven or out of reach risks widening workplace inequalities and damaging the progress organisations are aiming for.
So, what practical steps can HR and reward professionals take to embed fairness across their benefits programmes? Here are five essential areas worth prioritising.
1. Ground your strategy in data and employee feedback
Building equity starts with truly knowing your workforce. Without the right insights, organisations risk creating benefits that suit some groups while unintentionally excluding others.
• Review demographic and utilisation data to spot disparities in benefit uptake.
• Run surveys, listening sessions, or focus groups to capture employees’ lived experiences.
• Benchmark against industry peers to identify gaps and opportunities in your offering.
By putting data at the heart of your benefits strategy, you can design programmes that genuinely reflect employee needs — and show that decisions are guided by evidence, not assumptions.
2. Strike the right balance between fairness and flexibility
Equitable benefits don’t mean identical benefits. Employees’ priorities differ depending on life stage, financial circumstances, and personal context. The goal for HR teams is to create a package that feels fair and inclusive, while still allowing for individual choice.
• Offer a consistent baseline of essentials such as retirement savings, healthcare, and wellbeing support.
• Use a flexible benefits platform to give employees autonomy to tailor their package.
• Include optional add-ons to widen choice without significantly increasing overall costs.
This balance ensures that benefits feel both fair and personalised — supporting employees as individuals, while maintaining equity across the organisation.
3. Review communication and accessibility
Even the most well-designed benefits can fall short if employees aren’t aware of them, don’t fully understand them, or don’t feel they’re meant for “someone like me.”
• Audit your benefits materials for clarity, readability, and inclusive language.
• Share information through multiple channels — from online hubs to printed guides — to cater to different preferences.
• Provide extra support, such as webinars, drop-in sessions, or one-to-one guidance, to help employees make informed choices.
Often, the biggest barriers to equity aren’t the benefits themselves but how they’re communicated. Removing these obstacles can greatly improve both awareness and participation.
4. Make sure perks don’t compromise pay equity
Benefits are a core part of the total reward package — and they should support, not complicate, efforts around pay equity. The upcoming EU Pay Transparency Directive, aimed at tackling Europe’s 13% gender pay gap, is expected to shape UK practice too, despite Brexit. Importantly, it extends beyond salaries to include perks and benefits.
That means employers will need to provide transparent total reward statements, clearly quantifying both financial and non-financial elements, from pensions and healthcare to childcare and commuting allowances.
• Check whether certain benefits disproportionately advantage specific groups, creating hidden inequities.
• Ensure consistent access to the same quality of support for all employees.
• Promote transparency by showing the combined value of salary and benefits in clear monetary terms.
Aligning benefits equity with pay equity not only reduces compliance risks but also strengthens trust and signals authentic fairness.
5. Build in regular review and accountability
Equity in benefits isn’t a one-time initiative — it requires continuous attention. Without monitoring and adjustment, even the most well-thought-out strategy can become outdated.
• Define measurable objectives and KPIs to track progress on benefits equity.
• Gather ongoing employee feedback to understand impact and shifting needs.
• Make senior leaders responsible for maintaining fairness and inclusion over time.
By embedding accountability and routine review, equity remains central to your benefits strategy — moving it from a “tick-box” exercise to a lasting commitment.
Conclusion
As organisations strengthen their diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies, employee benefits remain a powerful lever for change. Equity in benefits isn’t about offering the same to everyone, but about ensuring fair access, transparency, and genuine choice. Done well, it boosts employee satisfaction, supports retention, and builds a more inclusive workplace culture.
By grounding decisions in data, balancing flexibility with consistency, improving accessibility, aligning with pay equity, and embedding accountability, HR leaders can design benefit strategies that are fair, sustainable, and future-proof — demonstrating a real commitment to putting people at the heart of reward.
At Avantus, our FlexGenius employee benefits platform helps organisations deliver exactly that: an equitable, flexible, and engaging benefits experience for every employee. To learn more or to book a demo — get in touch with our team today.
