You don’t need to know their story to support them

Rethinking how we design benefits communication

For many HR and Reward leaders, one question keeps coming up: How can we communicate around life moments when we don’t actually know what our employees are going through?

Unlike age, tenure or role, life moments are rarely visible. People don’t formally announce that they’re under financial pressure, supporting a loved one, training for a personal goal, or quietly planning their future.

Because of this, organizations often fall back on familiar segmentation models – particularly generational groupings. But new research suggests those shortcuts may be missing the mark. Life moments, not age, are often the more meaningful way to connect.

The good news? You don’t need perfect insight into employees’ lives to communicate effectively. What matters is creating space for discovery – helping people recognise themselves and choose the support that fits.

Start with what you already know

You may not have a complete picture of every employee’s situation, but valuable insight already exists within your organization.

Line managers, employee networks, and internal communications teams regularly encounter real-life experiences that highlight where people need support. These insights don’t require personal disclosure to be useful; they reveal patterns.

For example, a manager supporting someone balancing work with a partner’s illness can highlight a broader theme: caring responsibilities. You don’t need to retell the individual story. Instead, you can design communication that reflects the wider experience, allowing others in similar situations to recognize themselves.

This becomes especially important in global organizations, where life moments are shaped by different cultural contexts. Focusing on shared themes, rather than specific narratives, creates communication that travels well and resonates widely.

Move from targeting people to highlighting needs

Life-moment communication isn’t about identifying or categorizing employees. It’s about making support visible at the moments it matters.

Instead of asking:

• Who are the parents?
• Which generation are we speaking to?

Shift the focus to:

• What challenges or priorities might employees be navigating right now?
• What support could help?
• How easy is it to find and act on that support?

This leads to a different style of messaging. One that invites, rather than labels:

• “If your finances are feeling stretched…”
• “If you’re thinking about what’s next…”
• “If caring for someone is part of your day-to-day…”

The relevance is determined by the employee rather than the employer.

Let stories do the work

People connect with experiences, not categories.

When communication reflects real-life scenarios – using natural language and relatable situations – employees are far more likely to engage. A story about managing unexpected costs, for example, could resonate with someone early in their career, a parent juggling expenses, or someone planning retirement.

This approach removes the need for assumptions. Instead of being told a benefit is “for them”, employees recognize it on their own terms.

Think beyond the platform

Benefits don’t exist in isolation, and neither should your communication.

To truly support employees through life moments, consider the full ecosystem: policies, workplace practices, and cultural support. A parental leave policy, for example, can be just as impactful as a formal benefit.

When communication reflects this broader picture, it strengthens your Employee Value Proposition and helps employees understand the full range of support available to them.

Design for continuous discovery

Life doesn’t follow a benefits calendar. That’s why communication shouldn’t be limited to enrolment windows.

An effective life-moment strategy is always on. It allows employees to explore support at any time, with clear explanations available when they need them, and gentle prompts that encourage re-engagement.

When benefits are positioned as an ongoing resource – rather than a once-a-year decision – employees are far more likely to engage when their circumstances change.

What this means for HR leaders

You don’t need full visibility into employees’ lives to create meaningful communication. What you need is the right conditions for relevance.

When your approach is:

• grounded in context, not demographics
• driven by stories, not labels
• informed by behavior, not assumptions

employees can find what matters to them, when it matters most.

It’s a shift away from trying to define who employees are – and toward supporting what they’re experiencing.

If designing around life moments feels like the right direction, you’re not alone.

Our latest research, exploring the views of 3,450 HR leaders and employees, looks at the decline of generational thinking and the rise of more flexible, personalized approaches to benefits. Get the report.