Benify strengthening its

own employer branding

via its own product

Company overview

Benify is a global leader headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden that offers a total compensa�on and benefits management and communica�on solu�on to employers of all sizes. Our cloud based portal is used by more than 700 companies and their 800,000 employees worldwide to improve administra�on and importantly, employer branding and employee engagement.

The Benify solu�on enables employers to manage, tailor, and communicate compensa�on and benefit packages, offers, and messages. It helps their employees understand and appreciate their total reward and to par�cipate in the organiza�ons' ac�vi�es and overall culture. The innova�ve technology and flexible design reduces the administra�ve burden of human resource related tasks; facilitates compliance and repor�ng securely; and increases employee engagement, sa�sfac�on, and loyalty.

We started Benify in 2004 with the idea that it should be easy for our clients to make it, 'Great at Work.' Some said we set out to do the impossible, but we had the idea that technology can make compensa�on and benefits easy, accessible, and efficient. We had to reimagine everything from pricing, to how technology interacts with the H in

HR. Ten years later, Benify is recognized as one of Europe's fastest growing companies, and it con�nues to grow globally. We now have over 300 employees in nine offices across Europe and have 28 percent revenue growth year on year. We are proud of our high client reten�on rate of 97% and owe our success to the quality and flexibility of our innova�ve product and the drive and dedica�on of our energe�c employees.

Objec�ves

In order to engage and retain our workforce which has been doubling each year, we realized we had to ar�culate and communicate our unique culture to current employees and especially to new employees at head office and in global offices. We wanted to keep our DNA intact and to ensure that as we grew and spread across loca�ons, we would not lose the fun, crea�ve, and energe�c personality that we know is responsible for our success as a company.

Challenges

As a growing IT company, we naturally a�ract ambi�ous and energe�c employees who appreciate our innova�ve product and share in our vision of making it 'Great at Work' for companies worldwide. However, we

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Benify strengthening its own employer branding via its own product

could not put our finger on what our employees had in common nor on what kept them united in championing our cause. We did have an idea but we wanted to be sure.

This was cri�cal to understand in order to maintain the quality of our recruits and to ensure we retain this talent. Two years ago, as we reached new heights in market share and talent acquisi�on, we realized we had to 'press pause' and take some �me to be introspec�ve. In short, we needed to clearly state and then communicate to our employees in head office and in region offices what is special about working at Benify. We knew this step would help us when speaking to candidates and new employees.

What we did

We conducted our own employer brand assessment and designed a survey which was administered to a cross sec�on of employees. The group of twenty who took the in-depth survey included long term and newly hired managers and non-managers. We also interviewed five key clients to obtain their impression about Benify and its value proposi�on to gain a view 'from the outside.' Our research was led by marke�ng and involved a cross-func�onal team in reviewing the responses.

Ques�ons gathered impressions about the company's essence included:

• Can you describe Benify in three words? In a sentence? In 30 seconds?

• What is unique about Benify?

• What is a typical Benify employee?

• Why should anyone work at Benify?

Ques�ons which also gathered input about the company's product and services included:

• What does Benify offer our clients?

• What kind of company buys our product?

• How does our product make the company feel?

• What are the main values we create for our clients?

We looked at the answers and descrip�ons to look for themes in what the company offers internally (culture, workplace, atmosphere) and externally (product and service). We also looked at the 'hows,' to assess the a�tudes expressed in the internal and external transac�ons:

• How do employees func�on with each other and with clients?

• How do employees interact with each other and with clients?

• How does Benify treat its employees and its clients?

We then sorted the descrip�ons used to categorise them. What we found did not surprise us. Overwhelmingly, as a company, Benify: Shows Love and Thinks Ahead and Exceeds Expecta�ons in designing, implemen�ng, delivering, and servicing a client. Similarly, a Benify employee: Shows Love in how he or she interacts with colleagues and with clients; he or she Thinks Ahead when planning and execu�ng on projects; and he or she Exceeds Expecta�ons to deliver the very best outcomes both

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internally and externally. We already knew the Benify culture was marked by energy, crea�vity, ambi�on, and respect. Now, we could summarize and promote what we are and how we func�on both internally and externally so that we would not “lose ourselves” as we con�nued to grow globally.

A�er we had the results, we did what we suggest our clients do: we used the Benify compensa�on and benefits portal to broadcast our culture and the values we ar�culated. With our own tool to segment and personalize messages, we were able to reach out to exis�ng employees with reminders and no�ces and to newly recruited employees during onboarding, training, and introduc�ons. We also painted the three tenets on the walls in various mee�ng rooms and made them part of our vocabulary in our outward communica�ons.

What we achieved

We were able to have some proof of what we intui�vely felt defined the Benify culture. Surveying our own employees and our clients also signalled that their input is important and that their voices count. The pa�erns we uncovered were based on feedback. The themes were then able to be ar�culate took on a new meaning as they were authen�c and supported by our research.

Nowadays, our employee portal even captures how working at Benify is a way of life, with employees commonly using the terms “be benified”, “Great at Work”, as well as using the hashtag #Benify when they post to their own

networks in social media. A simple widget in our portal's employee landing page shows the experience of working at Benify from the employees' perspec�ves with pictures from: holiday par�es; at-work yoga classes; a�er-work team races and compe��ons; client visits and consulta�ons; team lunches; company celebra�ons and conferences; and ac�vi�es around our client events, expos, and networking days. Our portal also showcases our employees and points to their successes such as winning a new client, solving a problem or a personal achievement such as a promo�on.

With our three tenets of Show Love, Think Ahead, and Exceed Expecta�ons included in our external communica�ons, candidates and poten�al clients can be�er understand that we are a company of energe�c employees and what we believe in and deliver on.

The business impact

Our tenets are now inspiring current and new employees to understand what makes working at Benify a rewarding experience. They understand what is expected of them and know how to act in regards to each other and to clients. To exis�ng and poten�al clients, the tenets are a promise that the company stands behind.

Show Love, Think Ahead, and Exceed Expecta�ons are all incorporated into other offices and we use these tenets to “brand” ac�vi�es. For example, when a customer service representa�ve goes the extra mile to answer a customer's ques�on, we say he or she Shows Love.

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When an employee delivers a client report ahead of schedule, we say he or she Exceeds Expecta�ons. When an employee completes an implementa�on and allows for addi�onal feature developments, should they ever be desired, we say that he or she Thinks Ahead.

Key learnings

As we always say, it just takes some insight and the right tools to begin an improvement. We knew we had reached a cri�cal point in our history where we needed to pause and be introspec�ve. We did exactly what we recommend for our clients: we conducted an employer brand evalua�on and then used the Benify compensa�on and benefits solu�on to broadcast the results and implement in our strategy.

We understand how important employer branding is in terms of

mo�va�ng current employees and a�rac�ng talent we desired. It is also important in se�ng expecta�ons and delivering on promises for employees and for current and poten�al clients. With our brand essence ar�culated by three tenets:

Show Love, Think Ahead, and Exceed Expecta�ons

we were able to launch a campaign to communicate our values internally and externally. Internally, we did this via our own portal with custom messages, shared images, and tailored invita�ons and trainings. Externally, we did this by showcasing examples of how we treat our clients and poten�al clients. Both have helped with our employer branding in expressing and eleva�ng what is special about Benify as a company, as an employer, and as a global market leader.

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Benify is a global leader offering a total compensa�on and benefits management and communica�on solu�on. Our cloud based portal is used by 700 companies and their 800,000 employees worldwide to improve both employer branding and employee engagement. Our solu�on enables employers to manage, tailor, and communicate compensa�on and benefit packages, offers, and messages. It helps their employees understand and appreciate their total reward and to par�cipate in the organiza�ons' ac�vi�es and overall culture. Our innova�ve technology and flexible design reduces the administra�ve burden of HR related tasks; facilitates compliance and repor�ng securely; and increases employee engagement, sa�sfac�on, and loyalty. Benify makes it Great at Work for both employers and their employees!

Case study contributorBenify

Contact personSamara Johansson

samara.johansson@benify.com

www.benify.com

+46 70 719 48 33