Global Benefits Reimagined: Driving Engagement, Flexibility, and Wellbeing

Delivering competitive benefits to a global workforce has never been more challenging, or more important. Multinational organizations face diverse compliance requirements, cultural differences, and fragmented vendor ecosystems. According to the latest WTW Global Benefits Survey, 90% of multinationals cite cost management as their number one priority. Close behind, 55% highlight meeting the diverse needs of employees, 50% emphasize supporting wellbeing, and 46% focus on staying aligned with benchmarking and market trends.   

Employees no longer want one-size-fits-all benefits. They expect personalization, relevance to local culture, and offerings that fit their stage of life. Rather than duplicating costs and complexity across borders, organizations need solutions that unify their approach while offering employees meaningful choice.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Why global benefits programs need to evolve
• Lifestyle Spending Accounts: flexibility at scale
• A marketplace for every employee
• Driving participation and connection worldwide
• Simplifying benefits administration and compliance
• Why a flexible global approach is a strategic advantage
• Redefining global benefits strategy

Why global benefits programs need to evolve

Traditional benefits programs weren’t built for the realities of global workforces. For multinational employers, complexity multiplies quickly:

• Different compliance requirements across countries
• Vendor ecosystems that vary region to region
• Local benefit norms like meal vouchers or car programs
• Declining employee wellbeing that impacts productivity and retention

On top of these challenges, rising plan costs and the need to benchmark against shifting market expectations have added new pressure points for HR and leadership.

Employees also expect more. They expect choice. Organizations need a solution that balances global consistency with local relevance, while controlling costs and staying aligned with market trends, all without creating endless administrative burden for HR. This creates a unified framework that adapts globally while respecting local needs, helping organizations manage costs and support employees more effectively.

 

Lifestyle Spending Accounts: flexibility at scale

At the heart of Espresa’s personal benefits approach is the Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA). An LSA is an employer-funded account where employees choose what matters most: from wellness and tuition to commuting or childcare.

• Cost control for employers: Budgets are consolidated and only spent when employees use them, directly tackling the plan cost management priority
• Customization for relevance: Wallets can be configured by country or region, supporting both compliance and equity
• Personalization for employees: LSAs empower choice, ensuring programs meet diverse employee needs across cultures, life stages, and demographics

This model strikes the balance between cost efficiency and meaningful choice. The two priorities most global organizations struggle to reconcile. It empowers employees with true choice while simplifying HR’s role in managing global benefits. And it reflects a broader movement toward employee-led benefits, where organizations provide choice while maintaining cost control and compliance.

A marketplace for every employee

Espresa’s global marketplace brings lifestyle benefits to life. Employees can browse hundreds of curated products and services—with zero markups—and spend their funds instantly.

This marketplace does more than provide convenience by:

• Showing employees their company is investing in modern, flexible benefits
• Creating meaningful moments of recognition when tied to rewards
• Ensuring access and equity across countries

In doing so, it reinforces the employee experience—echoing priorities outlined in Integrating Global Flex, Voluntary Benefits, and Employee Wellbeing—by making benefits tangible, accessible, and personal worldwide.

 

Driving participation and connection worldwide

Many wellbeing platforms see participation rates in the 20–30% range. Espresa consistently achieves 80–90% engagement globally. How? By combining flexibility with community.

• Monthly challenges focused on health, mindfulness, giving back, and more
• On-demand classes accessible anytime, anywhere
• Wellbeing Champions and ERG Communities to connect employees locally and globally
• Family participation, reinforcing that wellbeing extends beyond work
• Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSA) and Incentives, empowering employees with flexible resources and rewards that motivate engagement and sustain 80%+ participation

Gallup research shows that organizations with highly engaged teams see 23% higher productivity, 68% improvement in employee wellbeing, and 51% lower turnover. These outcomes highlight that wellbeing is not just a benefit category. It’s a business driver. Espresa’s employee-led, flexible approach is designed to strengthen wellbeing globally by giving employees benefits that feel personal, inclusive, and connected. The result? Employees don’t just access benefits. They feel part of a culture that values them and supports their whole-person wellness, wherever they are.

This trend is mirrored in the broader market: Lifestyle Spending Accounts have seen 3x international growth since 2023 (Benefit Trends 2025 Update), reflecting how quickly flexible benefits are scaling across borders.

Simplifying benefits administration and compliance

Managing benefits globally is complex. Espresa makes it simple by:

• Integrating with local payroll for seamless tax handling
• Allowing pre- and post-tax classification of wallets
• Consolidating vendors into a single platform
• Providing robust analytics for global oversight

These analytics also give leaders visibility into benchmarking and market trends, ensuring benefits strategies stay competitive and relevant. Reduce administrative headaches for HR teams while creating the transparency leaders need to make smarter, cost-conscious decisions.

And when it comes to country-specific tax and compliance questions, Espresa’s team provides global tax guides to help you navigate with confidence.

Why a flexible global approach is a strategic advantage

Benefits are more than a checkbox. They’re a reflection of your company’s culture and values. Espresa transforms benefits into a strategic advantage by:

• Offering personalization at scale
• Attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive global market
• Enhancing employee loyalty and productivity
• Delivering consistency across regions without losing local relevance
• Aligning benefits strategies with global priorities: cost control, employee needs, and wellbeing

Organizations that embrace flexible, employee-led benefits aren’t just keeping up with the future of work, they’re defining it.

Espresa’s 2024 Benchmark & Trends Report highlights the impact: highly personalized, flexible benefits achieve 95%+ employee satisfaction. The data reinforces that when organizations offer choice and customization by generation, demographic, or region, employees feel their benefits truly matter — and engagement follows. Read the full report.

Redefining global benefits strategy

The future of global benefits is here. Espresa empowers multinationals to deliver borderless, flexible, and employee-led benefits that drive engagement and simplify administration. By uniting LSAs, voluntary benefits, and wellbeing under one platform, organizations can create a consistent and meaningful employee experience worldwide.

Ready to reimagine your global benefits strategy? Contact us for a demo today.