What if employee benefits could do more than reward good work? What if they could also support the people behind it? 

The business case for employee wellbeing is hard to ignore. Gallup estimates that neglecting wellbeing can cost large organisations $20 million in lost opportunity for every 10,000 employees. Its research also suggests that employees thriving in their wellbeing are 46% less likely to experience frequent burnout and 65% less likely to watch for or actively seek a new job. 

For organisations, these numbers raise an important question: are we thinking about employee benefits only in terms of what people receive, or also in terms of the value those benefits bring to their everyday lives? 

Monetary rewards absolutely have their place. A performance bonus, a gift card or a festive gift can make employees feel recognised and appreciated. But health and wellness are part of everyday life, too. From accessing healthcare to managing pharmacy expenses or dealing with an unexpected vehicle breakdown, people have needs that go beyond work milestones and reward redemptions. 

So, why should employee rewards stop at monetary value when employee wellbeing extends far beyond it? 

That’s the question that inspired us at Benepik to build Bundle of Joy – bringing rewards, wellness and protection together through practical benefits designed to support employees beyond the moments they are recognised.

Employee recognition programmes help organisations acknowledge effort, celebrate achievements and create a culture where people feel valued. A well-timed reward can make an employee feel that their contribution has been noticed. 

However, recognition is only one part of the employee experience. 

People bring their personal responsibilities, financial commitments and everyday challenges to work. Their experience of an organisation is influenced not only by what happens during working hours, but also by how supported they feel outside them. 

An employee might appreciate a performance incentive but still struggle to access convenient healthcare. Another might enjoy a festive gift but face an unexpected expense a few days later. 

These situations do not make rewards less valuable. They highlight an opportunity to make them more relevant. 

The question is not whether businesses should continue rewarding employees. It is whether those rewards can be complemented by benefits that remain useful beyond a particular occasion. 

This is where the conversation around employee rewards starts to expand, from celebrating what people accomplish to considering what helps them feel supported in everyday life. 

Employee wellbeing has become an important part of workplace conversations. It goes beyond occasional wellness activities and includes the practical support people need to manage their personal and professional lives. 

Research offers useful context. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression and anxiety account for approximately 12 billion lost working days globally every year, costing the world economy around US$1 trillion in lost productivity. 

These figures relate specifically to mental health, but they highlight how employee wellbeing can have consequences that extend beyond an individual’s personal life. 

A Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence study published in 2024, which surveyed 3,150 workers, managers and executives across four countries, found that only 56% of surveyed workers rated their overall wellbeing as excellent or good. 

These findings reinforce the importance of looking at employee support more broadly. 

Access to healthcare, preventive check-ups, savings on essential medicines and appropriate protection can contribute to a more comprehensive benefits offering. No single benefit can address every challenge, but practical support can make everyday responsibilities easier to manage. 

For employers, this creates an opportunity to bring Wellness into the employee experience in ways that extend beyond the workplace.

When we considered how rewards could evolve, we returned to a simple distinction: there is a difference between celebrating an employee and supporting their everyday needs. 

Both matter. 

Recognition acknowledges a contribution already made. Practical benefits can provide value at different points in an employee’s life, including moments unrelated to a work anniversary, performance review or festive celebration. 

Imagine having access to a doctor when you need medical guidance, receiving discounts on essential medicines or knowing that assistance is available if your vehicle breaks down unexpectedly. 

These benefits serve a different purpose from traditional rewards, but they can complement them meaningfully. 

We wanted to explore how organisations could bring these services closer to their existing rewards programmes without replacing the systems they already use. 

The aim was to make the overall offering more useful by bringing recognition, everyday support and protection together. 

That became the foundation of Bundle of Joy: an add-on that combines rewards, Wellness and protection within an existing employee rewards or engagement programme.

A broader rewards experience can begin with a straightforward question: what kinds of support might employees find useful beyond receiving a reward? 

Here are the everyday benefits that form part of Benepik’s offering. 

Doctor consultation when guidance is needed 

Finding time for medical advice can be difficult when work and personal responsibilities compete for attention. 

Access to doctor consultancy, through free doctor consultation services, can provide employees with a convenient way to seek medical guidance when needed. It adds a practical dimension to an existing benefits programme. 

Pharmacy discounts for everyday healthcare expenses 

Medicines and healthcare essentials are recurring expenses for many households. Pharmacy discounts can help employees save on eligible purchases, making necessary expenses a little more manageable. 

The value lies in providing support that remains relevant during ordinary weeks, rather than limiting benefits to special occasions. 

Health check-ups that encourage preventive care 

Healthcare is not only about responding when something goes wrong. Preventive care also plays an important role. 

Access to health check-ups can encourage employees to pay attention to their health and take proactive steps when appropriate. 

Roadside assistance for unexpected situations 

A flat tyre, a vehicle breakdown or a battery problem can disrupt an employee’s commute and personal plans. Roadside assistance offers practical support in these situations, helping employees deal with unexpected vehicle-related difficulties. 

Personal accident insurance for added protection 

Unexpected accidents can bring physical, emotional and financial challenges. Personal accident insurance can provide an additional layer of financial protection, subject to the policy’s terms, coverage and exclusions. 

Discounts on everyday essentials 

Exclusive discounts across everyday categories offer another way to make benefits useful beyond a single occasion, helping employees save on eligible purchases they already make. 

Together, these services bring rewards, healthcare support, protection and everyday savings into a broader benefits experience.

Many businesses already have established recognition programmes, festive gifting initiatives and employee engagement activities. Introducing another offering should complement these efforts rather than require organisations to start from scratch. 

That is why Bundle of Joy is designed as an add-on to existing rewards, gifting and engagement programmes. 

Organisations can retain the recognition experiences they already offer while extending them with additional benefits. 

For instance, a company could explore including healthcare and protection benefits within its employee engagement programme or alongside a festive gifting initiative, depending on its objectives. 

This approach gives HR teams flexibility in how they introduce additional value. 

It also encourages organisations to look beyond the number of rewards distributed and consider whether the benefits they offer remain useful to employees in their everyday lives. 

The goal is not necessarily to make every reward bigger or more expensive. It is to think more carefully about what makes a benefit relevant. 

A broader benefits offering is only useful when employees understand what is available and can access it easily. 

HR teams can start by asking a few practical questions: 

• Relevance: Do the benefits address needs employees may encounter in everyday life? 

• Accessibility: Can employees understand how to use the services available to them? 

• Awareness: Are employees regularly informed about their available benefits? 

• Feedback: Do employee responses indicate that the offering is useful? 

• Adoption: Are employees actually using the services provided? 

Tracking service utilisation, participation in health check-ups and employee feedback can help organisations understand which benefits are valued and where improvements may be needed. 

It is also important to recognise that benefits alone cannot guarantee higher retention, engagement or productivity. These outcomes depend on several factors, including compensation, management, workload and workplace culture. 

However, practical benefits can form one part of a more thoughtful employee experience, alongside fair policies, meaningful recognition and a supportive work environment.

Employee rewards will continue to play an important role in recognising effort, celebrating achievements and strengthening workplace relationships. 

But there is an opportunity to make the experience broader. 

A reward can celebrate something an employee has accomplished. A healthcare benefit can help them access medical guidance. A pharmacy discount can support everyday spending. Assistance and protection services can offer support when unexpected situations arise. 

Each serves a different purpose, and their value comes from how well they meet people’s needs. 

This is the thinking behind Bundle of Joy by Benepik: bringing rewards, Wellness and protection together so organisations can extend their existing programmes with benefits designed for everyday life. 

Because recognition should not end with a transaction. It can be part of a larger experience that acknowledges employees as people, with responsibilities and needs beyond the workplace. 

And sometimes, the most meaningful reward is the one that proves useful long after the moment of recognition has passed. 

Explore Bundle of Joy by Benepik to discover how rewards, wellness and protection can complement your existing employee engagement programme.