Mixed workforce, maximum retention: Benefits that engage your frontline employees

Keep desk and non-desk employees engaged with Ben's intelligent platform, delivering personalised benefits through mobile-first, flexible solutions

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Jan 22, 2025 ⋅ 3 min read

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“We’re not struggling to hire people who look like me. We are struggling to hire the 80% of people who actually do the work that pays our salaries.”

That’s what a client in the manufacturing industry recently told Ben’s customer research team, and it neatly sums up the challenge of managing a mixed workforce company.

While desk-based employees are typically on annual salaries with all the benefits and perks that go with it, many ‘non-desk’ workers (think retail, transport, frontline healthcare and manufacturing) don’t have access to the same kind of offering. In fact, deskless workers are 80% more likely to say their benefits don't meet their needs.

Skilled non-desk workers can easily be lured away by competitors offering better pay - particularly as only 56% of deskless workers feel connected to their company's purpose. A manufacturing team lead might make the switch to working in a tech-enabled distribution warehouse. Healthcare workers could be tempted by less demanding roles in retail. The key to retaining them? A benefits package that is relevant, genuinely useful and easy to access on the go.

Ben's intelligent platform is designed to help mixed workforce companies retain talent across every role, location and working pattern. Here’s how we do it.

No desk? No problem. Making benefits accessible for everyone

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Traditional benefits platforms were built back when when everyone who got workplace benefits worked at a desk. That’s not going to cut it for modern, remote and on-the-go teams. 73% of deskless workers feel they don't have the same access to technology as their desk-based colleagues, so making benefits accessible to everyone is crucial.

Ben helps mixed workforce companies boost engagement with better benefits communication:

A mobile app for non-desk employees to enrol, view benefits, claim reimbursements and check balances on-the-go
Targeted messaging - including welcome emails, transaction updates, and expiry reminders - to drive engagement
An intuitive, AI-powered interface that encourages benefits exploration and helps employees find what’s relevant for them
Physical and digital payment cards so employees can spend allowances wherever they are
Personalised branding with logo, images, and custom content to reflect your company’s culture and keep employees engaged

One size doesn't fit all: Provide the flexibility your mixed workforce needs

‍ Mixed workforce companies commonly find that their teams contain highly diverse employee groups. That can mean there are distinctly different needs when it comes workplace benefits. Here's what we've learned:

Overseas workers: Traditional benefits like pension contributions may not resonate with international employees who don't plan to retire in the country. For these workers, enhanced leave benefits can carry more value by allowing them to visit home more easily.
Generational differences: While older team members tend to prioritise pensions, younger employees are more drawn to flexible, adaptable benefits they can adjust monthly to meet their changing needs.
Physical roles: For employees doing physically demanding roles solid health coverage isn't just nice-to-have - it's essential due to the increased injury risks inherent to their work.

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So how do you keep your whole mixed workforce happy and engaged? Ben’s intelligent benefits platform gives employees the flexibility to pick the benefits that actually fit into their real life.

Flexible spending allowances mean employees can choose benefits that matter most to them, accessible via digital or physical payment cards with predetermined limits and eligibility criteria
Customisable eligibility rules allow HR teams to tailor benefits access based on roles, locations, and other relevant factors
AI-powered benefits discovery automatically shows employees the most relevant benefits based on their profile information (like age, location and marital status). Their recommended benefits continuously refine based on their activity and preferences

Better engagement, happier teams and higher retention rates

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Companies using Ben to manage their mixed workforce benefits are seeing impressive results:

92% sustained engagement across all worker types
50% reduction in time-to-hire for non-desk roles
Hours saved every month on manual benefits administration

While legacy platforms try to solve mixed workforce challenges by oversimplifying benefits into a standard package, Ben takes a different approach. Our intelligent platform embraces the complexity of modern workforces, delivering personalised experiences that keep your whole team engaged - whether they're coding at a desk or operating machinery on the factory floor. ‍

Ready to do benefits in a better way?
Join industry-leading companies who’ve transformed benefits from a headache to a highlight. Find out more about how Ben can help retain your mixed workforce.