From HQ to Frontline: A Playbook for Mixed Workforces

Introduction: Rethinking Benefits for the Real World of Work

Benefits should drive engagement, wellbeing, and retention but for companies with mixed workforces, they often become cost centres that don't deliver. While your desk-based employees might be happily scrolling through your benefits portal over their morning coffee, there's a massive blind spot: the 80% of your workforce who don't sit at a desk.

The numbers tell a stark story. McKinsey found that 73% of deskless workers feel locked out of the same technology their office counterparts take for granted. They're also 80% more likely to say their benefits miss the mark, and while 77% of desk workers feel connected to your company's mission, only 56% of frontline employees can say the same.

The message couldn't be clearer: benefits that can't flex to fit different roles, lives and working styles aren't just underperforming, they're alienating your biggest workforce segment. Today's employees expect benefits that actually fit their lives, whether they're closing deals in head office, managing production lines, or serving customers on the shop floor.

It's time to ditch the one-size-fits-all playbook and build something better. This guide will show you how to:

• Design benefits that actually reach your entire workforce – not just the people who work at desks
  
• Create equal access across all employee segments – from C-suite to warehouse, with flexible options that meet different needs
  
• Build recognition and reward into your EVP (employee value proposition) strategy – creating a culture of loyalty and trust 

Because when benefits fit real lives, everyone wins.

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One-Size-Fits-All is Dead

When your employees head to work, they can get their morning coffee customised exactly how they like it - oat milk, extra shot, half the sugar. But their benefits? Still just a standard menu that fits no one perfectly. 

Nearly half of companies take a ‘paternalistic’ approach, offering standardised benefits with little flexibility or choice. Assuming that all employees want, need, and can access the same employee benefits is one of the biggest reasons benefits fall flat, especially in mixed workforces.

A real‑world example
Sarah works nights in a factory outside Birmingham. She has no corporate email and little access to a computer. One evening she notices a poster about benefits, but the login requires a company email she doesn’t have. She asks HR and discovers the few perks available are mostly relevant to head office. Sarah feels excluded, disengages, and ultimately leaves for a competitor with more relevant support.

And this isn’t just anecdotal. A Northern European FMCG company with both factory and office workers found benefits communication so complex and disconnected that factory staff openly complained. “Everything seemed so complicated… with high inflation, they’re expecting at least benefits to work well” noted one Rewards Lead. When employees don’t understand or can’t access their benefits, trust erodes, and they leave.

If employees can’t access benefits, they might as well not exist. To engage both frontline and office‑based staff, benefits must be:

• Flexible – so people can choose what matters to them.
  
• Accessible – on any device, using personal emails or phone numbers if needed.‍
• Relevant – designed for every kind of worker, not just people in HQ.
  

One thing to try today → Audit your benefits program. Can every employee, desk-based and deskless, log in and use what’s on offer? If not, it’s time to review and redesign.

How to Engage Deskless Workers

Deskless workers are the most underserved employees when it comes to benefits - and often the hardest to reach. They’re always on the move, rarely have a corporate email address or device, and are 10 percentage points more likely to leave than their desk-based peers. On top of that, 53% report burnout (BCG), and only a small fraction feel strongly connected to their company.

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Why it matters: These frontline roles – retail, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing  are often the human face of your customer experience. If benefits aren’t accessible or relevant to them, engagement, retention - and your quality of service - will slip.

Practical fixes: 

• Mobile‑first access: Employees should be able to log in with a personal phone and email/number; no VPNs or desktop logins.
  
• Multi‑channel comms: Use QR codes in breakrooms, SMS nudges, printed guides, or factory screens. Think like marketers: what grabs attention and disrupts routine?
  
• Frontline manager enablement: Equip shift leaders to share updates and spark conversations about benefits; give them quick scripts and one‑pagers.
  
• Benefits literacy: Use simple language, short guides, and visuals to reduce friction.
  
• AI‑powered discovery: Make it easy to find the right thing, fast. Search that understands natural language (“show me support for back pain”) and recommends relevant features within your benefits offering. Or benefits platforms that surface relevant benefits by role, location, life stage or previous behaviour and interests. 

Real life scenario: 
A production supervisor clocks out after a 12-hour shift, scans the QR code in the locker room, and opens the benefits app. His remaining health and wellbeing allowance is right there, plus a new gym partnership with 24-hour access that actually works with his rotating schedule. He enrolls instantly - no paperwork, no chasing HR, no "I'll do it later" that never happens.

At enterprise scale, this isn’t just a nice touch - it’s how thousands of employees across stores, warehouses and offices get equal access to benefits that genuinely support their lives.

UX and Accessibility principles for mixed workforce benefits (a mini‑checklist)

• Mobile‑first pages and flows; tap targets sized for thumbs.
  
• No corporate email onboarding – allow SMS links and personal email sign‑up.
  
• Low‑bandwidth performance; pages load fast on 3G.
  
• Local language options and easy-to-scan, plain‑English wording (not long pdf documents).
  
• Clear success states (confirmation, next steps) after every action.

One thing to try today → Test your own benefits experience on a personal phone. Can you log in easily without a corporate email? If not, your deskless workforce can’t either.

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Designing Benefits That Fit Every Role

Fairness doesn’t mean giving everyone the same thing. It means making sure every employee has equal opportunity to access, understand, and use the benefits that matter most to them.

Warning signs your program isn’t inclusive:

• Benefits tied to HQ location (e.g., city‑specific gyms).
• Benefits skewed toward higher‑paid employees (e.g., high‑premium health plans only).
• Benefits designed for one life stage or demographic (e.g., weak support for families or remote staff).

If one or more of the above rings true, here’s how to course‑correct.

Offer employees Flexible Spending Allowances

A flexible allowance (sometimes called a wallet or stipend) is a budget employees can spend within defined categories you set - from wellbeing to learning to commuting. They’re powerful in mixed workforces because they combine fairness (everyone gets a budget) with relevance (people choose what helps them most).

Common categories & examples

• Wellbeing: Mental health services, gym passes, physio, nutrition support.
  
• Commuting and travel: Public transport, bike schemes, parking, fuel cards.
  
• Learning and growth: Courses, certifications, conferences, language apps.
  

Execution tips

• Offer pre-loaded physical or virtual payment cards for easy in‑store and online use.
  
• Set guardrails (eligible merchants, monthly caps, blackout categories) to stay compliant.
  
• Allow time‑boxed spending windows (e.g. monthly or quarterly) to encourage timely use.
  
• Provide live balance visibility and receipts capture to simplify reconciliation.
  

A Rewards Lead at a large FMCG business summed it up neatly:

‍“We want … magnificent things but simple.”

Flexible allowances do exactly that – delivering choice and relevance in a way employees actually understand.

One thing to try today → Pilot a monetary stipend with three categories (Wellbeing, Commuting, Learning) and measure uptake by cohort (desk vs deskless).

Use segmentation and role‑based access 

Tailor eligibility and communications by role, location, contract type, tenure, shift pattern, and access needs. This prevents noise, improves fairness, and keeps costs aligned to business goals.

Where segmentation helps most

• Seasonal vs permanent: Limited‑time access and simpler options for seasonal workers; deeper benefits for permanent staff.
  
• Frontline vs HQ: More on‑the‑go, everyday support for frontline (e.g., fuel, meals, back‑care physio); broader elective choice for HQ.
  
• Safety‑critical roles: Targeted wellbeing support (sleep, physio), faster access to occupational health.
  
• New joiners vs tenured: Clear benefits onboarding and nudges for joiners; added allowances or recognition milestones for tenure.
  

Deliver communications that fit the segment

• Send targeted reminders for renewals or deadlines (e.g., “Your learning budget resets in 10 days”).
  
• Use the employee’s most reliable channel: SMS, WhatsApp, personal email, manager briefings, factory posters.

A more inclusive approach

It’s important to offer a range of choices that meet different needs, and are equally accessible to all. At Ben, we call this shifting from emergency-only to life-goal enabling benefits – those that help employees not just in a crisis, but in everyday life and future planning.

Rent deposit support, financial coaching, and childcare are all good examples of life-goal enabling benefits.

Case study: Halfords ‍

Will Winter-Smith, Rewards Director at Halfords, has developed a Protect > Support > Advance model for financial wellbeing benefits. This is a good example of how the right benefits strategy can support employees in all walks of life.

• Protect – Benefits like emergency funds and EAP help protect employees from financial concerns.
• Support – Rent deposits schemes and salary advances can step in to support employees when they need immediate financial assistance.
• Advance – Offer savings tools, upskilling, and financial coaching to improve employees’ long-term financial wellbeing.

One thing to try today → Review your benefits mix. Does it protect, support, and advance employees across different life stages? If not, rebalance.

“Think like marketers: what grabs attention, what disrupts a routine?”
— Will Winter-Smith, Halfords

Inclusive benefits in practice
Forward-thinking employers are reimagining benefits to be flexible, data-driven, and personalised. The most effective strategies share a few traits:

• Contextual segmentation – tailored by job type, location, and access needs
  
• Real-time analytics – to spot engagement gaps and adjust quickly
  
• Flexible wallets – so employees spend their benefits budget on what matters most
  
• Life-stage adaptability – benefits that evolve as employees’ circumstances change, with AI-powered suggestions to guide them

What this looks like in real life:

• Frontline example: A shop-floor employee logs into the mobile-friendly platform using their personal email or phone. Instantly, they see benefits that go beyond the basics: everyday savings on essentials, access to mental health support, and financial coaching to help for their future. For the first time, they feel benefits are built with them in mind - not just their desk-based colleagues.
  
• Office example: An office-based procurement lead searches the platform for childcare support as they plan for a second child. Within minutes, they find flexible options that fit their family’s needs. The speed and simplicity take away stress and give them confidence they can balance work and home life - strengthening their commitment to stay with their employer.

These scenarios highlight what’s possible when benefits strategies are designed to support employees equally no matter where they work, or what stage of life they’re in.

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Strengthening Engagement & Retention Through Reward and Recognition

Flexible, accessible benefits are essential - especially in a mixed workforce where not everyone has the same needs or level of access. But benefits are just one pillar of a strong EVP. To truly drive engagement and retention, you need all three of the following elements working together:

• Benefits: Relevant, accessible, and flexible enough to support different employee groups.
  
• Recognition and Rewards: Taking the time to make employees feel valued, seen, and rewarded for their hard work.
  
• Total Rewards: Transparent compensation and rewards statements that are fair and easy to access.

When these pillars are balanced, the impact is far greater than any single initiative alone.

This matters even more in frontline and deskless roles, where employees often switch jobs for small pay increases. Benefits alone may not stop that churn - but when pay feels fair, rewards are clear, and recognition is consistent, employees are far more likely to stay loyal.

A strong recognition strategy can also bridge the gap between HQ and frontline teams, creating unity, connection, and a shared sense of belonging across locations.

And the stats speak for themselves:

Employees who receive recognition are over 40% more engaged.

Well-recognised employees are 45% less likely to change organisations.

Employees are 56% less likely to look for a new job when their employer prioritises appreciation.

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Getting Reward and Recognition Right for Mixed Workforces

Recognition is one of the most powerful levers for retention - but only if it’s delivered inclusively, consistently, and in ways that resonate with a diverse workforce. For distributed and deskless teams, that means removing barriers to visibility and access.

1. Make it visible
Recognition should never be confined to one office or leadership circle. Use tools that are mobile-first and accessible everywhere, so appreciation is shared transparently across the business.

2. Cross boundaries
Build a culture where recognition flows across roles, departments, and geographies. For mixed workforces, this cross-functional appreciation helps reduce silos and strengthen unity.

3. Make it personal
Generic praise doesn’t inspire loyalty. Recognition is most powerful when it’s authentic and specific. Data shows 80% of employees who receive meaningful feedback weekly feel fully engaged – no matter if they’re desk-based or frontline.

4. Use AI smartly
AI can rapidly remove friction in recognition. Smart automation helps managers keep track of milestones – from birthdays to project completions – so no opportunity to celebrate is missed. AI can also tackle the “blank page” problem, suggesting or redrafting recognition messages using knowledge of an employee’s role, tenure, or recent performance. That means more managers recognising more often - with less effort and more impact. 

One thing to try today → Pilot AI-driven reminders for anniversaries or project completions. Let tech handle the prompt, so managers can focus on the message.

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Making Total Compensation and Rewards Transparent and Accessible

When compensation data is fragmented across payroll systems, benefits portals, and equity platforms, employees rarely see the full picture of their value. That’s even harder for deskless or frontline staff, who may not have regular access to HR systems. The result? People undervalue their package, misunderstand what they’d lose by leaving, and become more vulnerable to churn.

1. Make pay and benefits transparent
‍Bring salary, allowances, equity, pensions, and benefits together in one place. A unified view reduces confusion and helps employees understand their full package, regardless of where they sit in the business.

2. Prioritise accessibility
For total reward statements to work in a mixed workforce, mobile-first access is critical. Deskless employees shouldn’t have to log into clunky HR portals to see their rewards. Transparency only matters if it’s actually accessible.

3. Reinforce the value of staying
With total reward statements, employees can clearly see the long-term incentives they’d lose if they left – from unvested equity to pension contributions. That clarity makes “the grass is greener” pay jumps much less tempting.

One thing to try today → Run a quick check of how employees currently access their total compensation information. If it’s scattered across portals, payroll systems, and PDFs, think about how you might bring this into a more centralised, accessible view. 

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What to Measure: Reporting & Leadership KPIs

To win trust and backing from senior stakeholders, Benefits and Rewards leaders need to prove value with metrics - not just anecdotes. Track a mix of adoption, engagement, cost, and retention indicators, segmented by cohort (desk vs deskless, role, location, contract type). Here’s what successful companies typically track: 

Access and engagement

• Activation and monthly active users: Percentage of employees who can log in and who return monthly.
  
• Search and discovery: Top searches, zero‑result queries (so you can fix the content where people get stuck).
  
• Time‑to‑enrolment: Speed from comms to benefit activation; faster is better.
  
• Recognition coverage: Percentage of employees recognised monthly; distribution across locations.
  

Spend and optimisation

• Allowance utilisation: Wallet usage by category and cohort; unspent balances.
  
• Benefit uptake and depth: Adoption of key benefits; repeat usage patterns.
  
• Invoice matching and reconciliation: Error rates, variance vs eligibility; processing time.
  
• Payroll‑ready exports: Time saved and failed export rate.
  

Outcomes and ROI

• Retention deltas: Turnover difference for engaged vs non‑engaged cohorts.
  
• Absence and wellbeing: Changes in sick days in segments targeted by wellbeing.
  
• Manager enablement: Percentage of managers sending recognition; team‑level utilisation.
  
• Compensation views and comprehension: Percentage who viewed compensation statements; follow‑up survey on understanding.
  

One large employer commented that after moving away from a legacy benefits system, “everyone went out happy” – payroll, pensions, and HR all reported higher confidence thanks to simpler workflows and better data.

One thing to try today → Create a CFO dashboard starter set: Activation rate, Allowance utilisation, Benefit uptake, Recognition coverage, Retention delta. Review monthly; iterate quarterly.

Systems That Help You Scale 

When you’re ready to operationalise benefits for your mixed workforce, look for approaches that:

• Deliver mobile‑first access with non-corporate email onboarding.
  
• Support flexible allowances with physical and/or virtual cards and configurable controls.
  
• Offer granular eligibility and role‑based permissions across regions and entities.
  
• Provide multi‑channel comms with targeted reminders by segment and deadline.
  
• Include AI‑powered recommendations and searchable benefit discovery.
  
• Act as a unified hub for all providers to reduce portal sprawl.
  
• Give real‑time reporting with payroll‑ready exports and reconciliation.
  
• Integrate with HRIS/payroll for eligibility, enrolment, and costing.
  
• Are global‑ready with localisation and compliance guardrails.

One-Page Self-Assessment

Use this quick diagnostic test to see where your organisation sits today. Score each question 0–3 (0 = not at all, 3 = fully in place). Total possible = 30.

Questions:

1. Can every employee access benefits with just a phone and personal email/number?
2. Do you target comms by role, location, shift, and life stage?
3. Is recognition visible across locations and roles (HQ ↔ frontline)?
4. Do you have flexible wallets/allowances aligned to life goals?
5. Are eligibility rules contextual (job, location, access) beyond salary/tenure?
6. Are enrollments/changes reconciled end-to-end (provider ↔ payroll ↔ HRIS)?
7. Do you match provider invoices to eligibility/usage?
8. Do managers receive prompts and see utilisation for their teams?
9. Do you track KPIs by cohort (e.g., deskless vs desk-based) and act on insights?
10. Can you express the benefits' impact in CFO terms (savings/ROI/payback)?

Score Bands & Next Moves:

• 0–10 (Ad-hoc): Focus on basics. Ensure universal access (mobile + personal login), introduce simple comms (QR, SMS), and baseline engagement metrics.
• 11–18 (Standardised): Strengthen foundations. Add contextual targeting, manager enablement, and start reconciliation (HRIS → provider → payroll).
• 19–25 (Integrated): Integrate for scale. Implement flexible wallets, cross-location recognition, invoice reconciliation, and cohort-level analytics.
• 26–30 (Intelligent): Optimise with intelligence. Add AI-driven nudges, predictive analytics, CFO dashboards, and global rollout playbooks.

One thing to try today → Score yourself. Where are your biggest gaps, and what’s the single highest-leverage move you could make this quarter?

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Conclusion: The future of mixed workforce benefits is borderless, inclusive, and human

Employers who deliver equal value for all employees – HQ and frontline, younger and older, local and global - will win on engagement and retention. Those who don’t will be left behind.

The lesson from leading mixed workforce employers is clear: simplify the complex, add flexibility, meet employees where they are, and make access universal. Whether that’s rules-based eligibility that takes friction out of pensions, or QR code comms that reach the factory floor, what matters is creating trust and clarity at every level.

By designing benefits around people (not policies), making access mobile-first, and tying benefits to recognition and total rewards, you’ll build an EVP that’s credible, fair, and future-ready. With compliance challenges like the EU Pay Transparency Directive on the horizon, those who act early will also reduce risk and build lasting confidence.

Deskless workers make up the majority of the global workforce.

In 2025,

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At Ben, we help leading enterprises put this vision into practice, delivering mobile-first access, real-time analytics, and retention rates as high as 98%. But the principle holds for any employer: when benefits are designed around people, not policies, everyone wins.

One thing to try today → Reframe your benefits strategy from policy-driven to people-driven. Ask: Does this work equally well for HQ and frontline?

The takeaway: It’s time to design benefits as dynamic as your operations, and as human as your people.