Benefits brokers and consultants are in a prime position to help their clients reshape and take a proactive approach to employee benefits.

Historically, employee benefits strategies have focused on traditional health care and retirement offerings. But today's employees — especially the up-and-coming millennial generation — expect a broader and more flexible benefits package. They also expect a shift in how, when and where those benefit offerings are communicated to them.

For employers, this can be challenging, particularly when juggling several generations of employees with different expectations. As a result, benefit plans need to look very different from those of the past so they can attract and retain the best talent. This is where brokers and consultants can don their capes and come to the rescue.

A proactive approach to employee benefits

Many employers take a reactive approach to employee benefits. Every few years they review the plan, paying attention to price and product, without really focusing on what employees want. This approach generally fails to address the different needs of a diverse, multi-generational workforce. As a benefits expert, you can help your clients find out what appeals to employees, where the current plan falls short, and how to update the plan to better suit everybody's needs.