The global benefits landscape is evolving rapidly, but one thing is clear – your people agenda has never been more crucial.
In July, the European leg of Lockton’s 2025 Global Benefits Forum took place at Fairmont Windsor Park, UK. The event brought together experts from across the global benefits sector for a series of discussions around shaping a future-ready people strategy.
Below, we’ve summarised the key lessons from the event.
1. DEI isn’t just a ‘nice to have’
Martin Worsley, Lockton’s Chief People Officer, kicked off the Forum by emphasising the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the modern workplace.
DEI isn’t just an HR ideal: it's a guiding principle in people decisions, from leadership to benefits. Whether you're leading the whole people strategy or focused specifically on benefits, viewing decisions through the lens of equity helps ensure fairness, belonging, and long-term impact.
What’s more, DEI matters deeply to today’s talent. Employees, especially the next generation, are choosing employers based on values. They expect real commitment to DEI – not just statements, but action and accountability.
Across a complex global landscape, successfully embedding DEI into your people strategy will better position your organisation to be a talent magnet, drive innovation, and build resilience.
2. A holistic approach to resilience is key
When it comes to managing people risks, employers must look beyond individual measures. As explained by Marco Fattori, Head of Tender Management for Global Benefits at Allianz Partners, taking a holistic approach is key to building resilience and driving satisfaction among your employees.
The first step is undertaking a comprehensive risk assessment. This can help you to build a complete portrait of your operational and human capital risks. Once these are identified and understood, it provides a foundation on which to shape and optimise your insurance procurement strategy.
In practice, this means delivering quality benefits that are strategically aligned to need, thereby helping to control cost and maximise value. Integrating data analysis tools can help to draw learnings and inform future decisions.
For employees, this results in a safer workplace with robust support systems. For organisations, it means better employee trust and retention, reduced legal exposure, and improved performance.
3. Employers need a future-fit employment proposition
A clear and future-fit employment proposition that meets employee needs is more important than ever: that was the message from Kevin Empey, International Head of Future of Work Strategy and Solutions at Lockton People Solutions.
But achieving the so-called ‘employment deal of the future’ is about more than just provision. An effective proposition must be optimised for your workforce, aligned with business objectives, and requires quality delivery.
How to go about it? A framework and delivery model provides a simple and useful vehicle to address systemic and/or specific challenges in your employment proposition. Once an agreed framework is in place, an employment proposition scan can help you to easily evaluate, iterate, and enhance your employer proposition maturity level, strengths, and gaps.
4. Personalising benefits is the answer to complexity
Cultural variations, accessibility issues, and complex structures are just a few of the challenges employees face when it comes to understanding the benefits provided by their global employer. But with just with just 19% of employees rating (opens a new window) rating their benefit experience as ‘excellent’, there’s still work to be done.
To counter this challenge, benefits provider Benifex made the case for why personalising benefits can drive engagement and understanding. Showcasing their work with multinational clients, Benifex demonstrated how centralising programme delivery can drive benefits take-up across a complex, federated business model. They also considered how technology could help companies to do more when it comes to benefits – providing employees with a more consistent benefits experience, while delivering cost savings and strengthening risk oversight. In the future, these tools will enable a so-called ‘audience of one’ approach to benefits.
Personalisation was again the topic of focus for a session with Michele Häusler, Head of Customer Experience & Growth Zurich Integrated Benefits at Zurich Insurance. Michele emphasised how remote work and adaptable schedules can no longer be considered a workplace ‘perk’, as revealed in Zurich Insurance's 'Future of Employee Benefits Report (opens a new window)'. Rather, flexibility is a pillar that empowers employees to thrive, and underpins engagement, retention, and wellbeing. For organisations, it can be a key a business driver.
5. Multinationals must think ‘glocal’
Both challenges and opportunities await businesses looking to transition from local to global HR teams. But operating a global-local dynamic should be considered a strength, not a compromise.
Stephanie Ings, Senior Vice President at Lockton Global People Solutions, in conversation with Hywel Jones, Vice President, Global Total Rewards at TD SYNNEX, discussed how a global business model brings improved purchasing power – which HR teams can leverage to achieve economies of scale, tailored benefits offerings, and greater employee engagement and satisfaction. Working in parallel with local teams can help you to understand specific markets, including different employee needs and expectations. Ultimately, communication and transparency are key to delivering a benefits programme that works across the globe.
6. Adopting a ‘growth mindset’ is a powerful tool
For the Forum’s keynote speech, we heard from influential writer, journalist and broadcaster Matthew Syed (opens a new window) about building a high-performance culture in an ever-changing world.
We might not realise it, but many of us operate what’s known as a ‘fixed’ mindset. When we do, we tell ourselves that ‘this is what I know’ and ‘this is what I don’t’. It’s a way of thinking that can feel natural, but in fact involves placing ourselves under unconscious constraints – limiting our ideas and hampering our growth. In your organisation, this fixed mindset can lead to a lack of innovation and forward-thinking.
To unlock potential, organisations and leaders must cultivate a ‘growth’ mindset – a curious and proactive approach to knowledge, built around continuous learning and development. This mentality believes that there’s always more to learn, that no one has a monopoly on good ideas, and that knowledge exists to be shared.
For employees, this growth mindset requires an ability to reflect on successes and failures to drive improvements, while leaders need to show humility and openness to allow new perspectives to flourish. Similarly, by taking concrete actions to diversify their workforce, organisations can increase their exposure to new ideas and divergent thinking.
7. AI is revolutionising the benefits experience
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are reshaping the benefits sector for the better. Novel AI tools are already being used to more efficient and accurate claim resolutions, enhance triaging procedures, and improve overall employee experience. These developments were discussed in a session with Mark Forsyth, Vice President at Lockton’s Global People Solutions alongside Lockton Global Partners from the UAE, Spain, and the DACH and Benelux regions. Attendees heard from these regional experts on new enhancements from benefit providers, plus the impact of the forthcoming EU Pay Transparency Directive – and what it could mean for employers.
AI was also the focus of a session with international healthcare provider Bupa Global, hosted by Nicola Banwell, Vice President for Global Mobility at Lockton People Solutions. They discussed how AI is enabling predictive and personalised care regimes, through the synthesis of large volumes of data at an individual level. Incorporating AI within virtual care and diagnostics is also assisting with healthcare pathways and diagnosis. The session also explored the ways in which genomic testing is driving a new era of personalised health insights, helping individuals to proactively adapt their lifestyle to mitigate against pre-disposed conditions. The technology has the potential to reduce the necessity of costlier later-stage treatments, and it should enable smarter thinking around chronic disease management. These developments reflect a move towards a proactive and predictive model of healthcare optimisation, which is set to play a critical role in boosting employee engagement, health awareness and longer-term premium sustainability.
For more information about any of the topics raised in the 2025 Global Benefits Forum, reach out to a member of our team.
