In This Post:
Presenters:
Jacqui Patel
Enterprise Sales Manager
Today, many groups, employers and employees, are working on bringing employees back on-site. As a wellbeing organization, Reward Gateway | Edenred want to touch upon some of the stressors that organizations and their employees may face. Employers are being challenged to do more than just offer a paycheck, and employees want meaningful support that addresses their professional needs and their personal wellbeing too.
Recent data from Reward Gateway | Edenred shows that half of employees would rather work for a company that genuinely cares about their wellbeing than receive a 10% pay raise. That signals a profound shift in the modern workforce: people value care, balance, and support as much as compensation.
At our webinar, Jacqui Patel, Enterprise Sales Manager at Reward Gateway | Edenred, introduced flexible and innovative benefits that go beyond the expected and prioritize wellbeing while ensuring compliance and cost savings for employers. Jacqui helped us understand why employee benefits are a vital component of workplace strategy.
About Reward Gateway | Edenred
Reward Gateway | Edenred’s unified employee engagement hub provides the best of recognition, reward, surveys, benefits, and discounts that support the overall wellbeing of clients’ employees, enriching their talent acquisition, retention, and values-driven growth. When Edenred acquired Reward Gateway in May 2023, it brought more opportunities to their clients and members.
As a leading employee engagement company, Reward Gateway | Edenred developed insight into the requirements of individuals within changing work cultures and has utilized this knowledge to build sophisticated and successful platforms.
The Rising Importance of Employee Wellbeing
Stress and burnout are at an all-time high across industries. According to the 2025 Workplace Wellbeing Report by Reward Gateway | Edenred, 32% of employees report frequent stress, and 25% report experiencing burnout. These challenges have a direct impact on business performance: more than half of employees are now more likely to take a sick day for stress or mental health reasons than for physical illness.
Leaders are not immune to this either. Nearly three out of four managers (71%) feel personally responsible for their team’s wellbeing, and many admit the toll stress takes on their leadership effectiveness. This means organizations need to prioritize employee support for individuals and also for the managers who carry the weight of team culture.
Lifestyle benefits, once considered perks, are now essential to address these challenges. What used to be limited to gym reimbursements has expanded into a broad spectrum of wellbeing options, from mental health resources to entertainment, personal development, and even everyday essentials.
Lifestyle Spending Accounts: Flexibility That Matters
One of Reward Gateway | Edenred’s most powerful solutions is the Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA). LSAs give employees the flexibility to choose the wellbeing perks that matter most to them. They can choose fitness memberships, meal options, professional development courses, entertainment, and more. Employees can use employer-provided funds to directly support their unique needs.
This flexibility boosts morale and reduces financial strain. It provides employers with a cost-effective way to offer personalized benefits without managing multiple disconnected programs. By empowering employees with choice, LSAs make benefits feel truly supportive and tailored.
Commuter Benefits: Making Work More Accessible
Another key component of Reward Gateway | Edenred’s offering is commuter benefits. Since 1985, Edenred has been the only comprehensive pre-tax commuter benefits provider in the U.S., helping companies and employees alike save money while complying with IRS Section 132(f) regulations.
For employees, this translates into tax savings on everyday commuting expenses, whether they travel by train, bus, vanpool, bike, or even emerging micromobility options like e-scooters. For employers, it means payroll tax savings that can add up significantly. Reward Gateway | Edenred even provides a savings calculator so HR teams can see the direct financial impact based on the number of participating employees.
Beyond financial savings, commuter benefits are increasingly essential in the era of hybrid and in-office return strategies. They help reduce the burden of commuting costs, an essential incentive as organizations encourage employees to come back on-site.
Technology and Compliance: The Reward Gateway | Edenred Advantage
In addition to wellbeing and commuter solutions, Edenred distinguishes itself through cutting-edge technology and best-in-class compliance. Their proprietary payment platform is SOC 2 Type II certified, PCI compliant, and FDIC insured, ensuring secure transactions for both employers and employees.
The Edenred Benefits Prepaid Mastercard offers tap-and-go convenience, integrates with mobile wallets, and includes an Auto Sweep feature that automatically returns unused employer funds—maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste.
Edenred also helps employers remain compliant with local ordinances across cities like New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, where commuter benefit laws require companies to offer pre-tax options. With nationwide partnerships spanning over 350 transit agencies and 5,000 parking locations, Edenred ensures smooth adoption no matter where employees are based.
Supporting Employees Throughout Their Journey
Edenred’s approach doesn’t stop at implementation. They prioritize the entire employee journey, offering educational materials at onboarding, easy-to-use platforms for managing benefits, and ongoing engagement campaigns to encourage participation. Their mobile app allows employees to manage accounts on the go, while employers benefit from robust HR integration, reporting, and spending controls.
Perhaps most importantly, Edenred has a track record of seamless migrations from other vendors. The hands-on project management Edenred has, and their customer-focused service make transitions smooth and stress-free, ensuring benefits are a long-term success rather than a short-term fix.
Why This Matters for the Future of Work
The workplace is changing. Employee expectations are rising. Organizations that fail to invest in holistic benefits risk disengagement, burnout, and turnover. On the other hand, those that embrace wellbeing-focused solutions like lifestyle spending accounts and commuter benefits create more motivated and loyal employees and a productive workforce.
Edenred’s recent acquisition of Reward Gateway only strengthens this mission. By combining cutting-edge engagement technology with decades of commuter benefits expertise, Reward Gateway | Edenred now serves more than 4,500 clients and 10 million employees worldwide. This scale allows them to continuously innovate and stay ahead of workforce needs.
As one customer from Harvard University put it: “Edenred Benefits has become a tremendous asset to the community. Their technology and logistics are both effective and flexible, and the quality of customer service and dedication to client satisfaction is second to none.”
Get in touch with Reward Gateway | Edenred today!
Employee wellbeing isn’t a trend. It’s the foundation of a sustainable workplace. Today’s employees want more than financial compensation; they want care, flexibility, and balance. Reward Gateway | Edenred is leading the way in making this possible, helping employers provide benefits that improve lives, reduce stress, and create workplaces where people truly thrive.
Reward Gateway | Edenred offers a proven, flexible, and compliant path. By investing in the right benefits today, companies can build stronger, healthier, and more resilient teams for tomorrow.
For more information, contact:
Jacqui Patel – jacqueline.patel@edenred.com
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