Jul 24, 2025 ⋅ X min read
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Let’s be honest: Getting employees to actually use their benefits is never as simple as “we’ve sent them the link.” Even with office-based teams - the ones with corporate email addresses and regular computer access - engagement takes work. Emails get lost in the noise, priorities compete for attention, and “I’ll look at it later” often means “never.”
But for the rest of the workforce? The people who don’t have a work-issued email, don’t sit at a desk, and rarely log into company systems? Reaching them isn’t just hard - it’s nearly impossible.
The hidden gap in most benefits platforms
Enterprise companies with mixed workforces know this problem all too well. If your employee benefits platform is tied to work email addresses, you’ve got a built-in access gap.
That gap looks like:
- Whole groups excluded - Retail staff, drivers, manufacturing teams, seasonal workers… none of them can log in.
- Extra admin for HR - Manual lists, workarounds, one-off onboarding sessions.
- Patchy data - Some employees on the platform, others invisible in reporting.
- Wasted spend - Benefits budget going to waste because engagement is low where it often matters most.
It’s a recipe for frustration - for HR, for Payroll, for managers, and for the employees who are missing out (and likely harbouring the common misconception that “benefits are only for head office”).
Employees can now access Ben with their personal email
With Ben’s new personal email onboarding flow, every employee can now access the platform - even without a corporate email.
Here’s how it works:
- Personal email sign-up - The worker uses their Gmail, Outlook, or any personal email address.
- Secure verification - We verify their input details against your company records.
- Instant access - If details match, they’re in.
- Clear next steps if not - If something doesn’t match, they’re prompted to contact HR to update their records.
It’s fast, it’s simple, and it removes a huge barrier to equitable benefits access.
Why this matters for enterprise teams
This isn’t just a nice usability tweak - it’s a fix for a structural problem that’s been costing companies money and credibility for years.
- HR Ops and Shared Services: Say goodbye to endless manual onboarding spreadsheets for offline workers. The process is automated, secure, and consistent.
- Payroll and Compliance: Secure verification means you still control access tightly - even without a work-issued email.
- Reward, Finance and Benefits Leaders: If you’re spending money on benefits, this helps all employees actually use them. That means better ROI and more proof points for your budget conversations.
Designed for the realities of a mixed workforce
Think about it:
- A retail assistant on the shop floor can now sign up on their phone during a break.
- A delivery driver can log in from home in the evening without needing a VPN.
- A seasonal warehouse worker can access discounts and wellbeing resources from day one — no delay, no “we’ll add you later.”
For companies with thousands of employees spread across different roles, regions, and schedules, this is what levelling the playing field looks like.
The bigger picture: inclusion, equity, and engagement
Benefits aren’t just a line item in your budget - they’re part of your employer brand, your retention strategy, and your promise to employees. But that promise doesn’t mean much if only part of your workforce can realistically take advantage of them.
With Offline Worker Onboarding, you can:
- Reach everyone - Desk-based or deskless, office or frontline.
- Remove unnecessary admin - No more chasing down access lists.
- Drive adoption - More people in the platform means more benefits being used.
It’s a small change to the sign-up process, but for the people who’ve been locked out of your benefits until now, it’s a big deal.
Ready to make benefits truly accessible?
Book a demo and see how Ben works for mixed and global teams.