Making your benefits strategy work for women

Women today make up nearly half of the US workforce (47%).¹ However, despite recent gains in employment following major job losses during the pandemic, women are still facing many disparities. Women are underrepresented in management positions and are paid less than working men.² And women who double as caregivers for children or family members are 5 to 8 times more likely to have their jobs affected.³

Employers have unique opportunities to address the needs of women through their benefits strategies. Here are tips for how to help ensure that your benefits offerings support women.

Offer flexibility

Accommodations such as remote work options or non-traditional work schedules can give much-needed flexibility for caregivers who may be balancing a full-time job with added duties supporting children or aging parents. Allowing employees to break from a standard nine-to-five schedule can help them to make room for their personal situations, permitting them to take their family member or child to a doctor’s appointment, drop them off at school, or attend to other unique needs without losing time at work.

Address financial stressors

Workplace benefits are extremely valuable to women and play an integral part in promoting their financial wellness. Guardian’s 14^th Annual Workplace Benefits Study found that 37% of women say they’d face financial hardship if they didn’t have the benefits they receive through their employer.⁵ And 3 out of 5 women report that they don’t see a financial professional for help with financial planning or making financial and insurance decisions.⁶

Access to benefits that include professional financial guidance and strategies can give women the tools and information they need to make informed choices and financial decisions. Employers should also consider offering both group and one-on-one sessions with financial professionals, since some women may find a group setting to be prohibitive. And make sure women can take advantage of these services by offering access to benefits during off-hours or through recorded sessions.

Don’t wait for employees to ask for what they need

If your company offers flexibility, support for caregivers, or mental health services, don’t wait for an employee to ask for help — make it clear that these services are a part of your company culture.

Train managers on your benefits policies and empathetic leadership so that they are empowered, equipped, and well-versed in benefits to help address their employees’ needs. Normalize talking about flexibility, taking breaks, and taking leaves such as bereavement or parental leave.

Communicate about benefits often and through diverse channels

Employers can never communicate about benefits enough. And multi-channel communications can be important, especially to a multi-generational workforce. Text messaging, emails, webinars, or infographics can all offer different ways to reach your employees and help provide a robust enrollment experience.

Take feedback on your benefits offerings

When it comes to offering support, flexibility, and benefits, it’s very easy for employers to assume that all employees want the same thing or want traditional offerings. Employers have an opportunity to optimize their benefits offerings by hearing from women directly to better understand what resources really make a difference.

Learn more about ways to support the well-being of all employees by visiting Guardian Edge, our resource center for the latest research and insights.