Communicating Benefits for a New Generation: Why Gen Z Expects Information to Be Instant, Clear, and Mobile

Gen Z is now the fastest-growing segment of the workforce. As more organizations hire early-career employees, one trend is clear: this generation expects information to be easy to access, mobile-first, and available when they need it.

They are not waiting for handbooks. They are not sorting through long PDFs. They are not digging through portals with forgotten passwords.

They are used to learning, communicating, and solving problems quickly, and they expect the workplace to support that.

What Gen Z Wants: Information That Moves at Their Speed
Employees respond when benefits are presented in ways that help them choose and use offerings more effectively. MetLife’s 2024 Employee Benefit Trends Study emphasizes the importance of providing clear, ongoing support that helps employees understand how to take advantage of their benefits throughout the year.¹ Employees value this clarity, and it improves outcomes when it is present.¹

Benefits also represent a significant share of total compensation—about 30% on average—so clarity directly affects how employees perceive their overall compensation.²

And benefits decisions often involve the family, not just the employee. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that women make approximately 80% of household healthcare decisions, which underscores the need for information that spouses and dependents can access as well.³

The message: It is not enough to offer benefits. Employees and families need to be able to understand and access them easily.¹ ² ³

Why Traditional Benefits Communication Falls Short
Even when the benefits themselves are strong, the communication often isn’t:

• Information lives inside multiple portals.
• Access requires logins employees forget.
• Materials are long, text-heavy, and hard to navigate.
• Dependents and spouses rarely receive information directly.
• Most communication is concentrated around Open Enrollment, even though real questions happen year-round.

This creates confusion. Confusion leads to underutilization. Underutilization leads to reduced perceived value.

Which means employees do not feel the investment the organization is making in them.

A Modern Approach: Make Benefits Easy to Access and Easy to Understand‍

To meet expectations today, benefits communication should be:

• Mobile-first: easy to view on any device without formatting issues.
• Barrier-free: key information should not be hidden behind systems or credential walls.
• Plain-language: employees should not need HR to interpret their benefits.
• Family-accessible: spouses and dependents should be able to find and use the same information.³
• Available year-round: answers should be easy to find when life events happen, not just during Open Enrollment.¹

Employees should not have to chase down information to make informed decisions. It should already be available.

Where SwellSpace Fits In
SwellSpace gives organizations a public-facing, no-login benefits website that employees, dependents, retirees, and candidates can access anytime.

This allows HR to:

• Reduce repeat questions and time spent re-explaining details.
• Improve confidence and understanding during benefits selection and use.¹
• Demonstrate the full value of total compensation across the employee experience.²
• Strengthen culture and retention through transparency and clarity.

For Gen Z, and every generation, removing barriers builds trust.

The Takeaway
Gen Z is not asking for more benefits. They are asking for better access and clearer communication.

When organizations make benefits easier to understand and easier to find, employees are more likely to:

• Use them wisely
• Appreciate them fully
• Stay longer
• And recommend the organization to others

Good benefits matter. Understanding them matters even more.

Sources

1. MetLife. 22nd Annual Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS). 2024.
   https://www.metlife.com/employee-benefit-trends/
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC). 2024.
   https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.toc.htm‍
3. U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau. General Facts on Women and Job-Based Health Coverage.
   https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb