An employee benefits platform brings workplace benefits together and helps employees understand and access them. HR software primarily manages employee records and HR processes, while an intranet stores a wider range of company information. Provider portals usually give access to one provider’s services.
These systems can overlap, but they are not interchangeable. For many SMEs, the right answer is not to replace an existing system. It is to identify the gap employees and HR are experiencing and choose a practical way to close it.
Why are these systems easily confused?
Terms such as HR platform, employee portal, benefits software and intranet are sometimes used loosely. Two products in the same category may also have very different capabilities.
The distinction is easier to understand by looking at the main job each system is designed to perform:
- HR software manages employee data and HR workflows.
- An intranet publishes general company information.
- A provider portal supports benefits supplied by that provider.
- An employee benefits platform presents the organisation’s complete benefits package.
Before selecting anything, employers should define the problem. Are employees unable to find benefits? Is HR duplicating administrative work? Does the business need payroll integration, flexible benefit selection or simply a clear communication hub?
What is an employee benefits platform?
An employee benefits platform is an online system through which employees can view and access workplace benefits. Depending on the product, it may support communication, benefit selection, administration, total reward statements, payroll integration or provider transactions.
Benefits Buddy is focused on communication, organisation and access. It gives employees a single place to see the benefits available to them, understand their purpose and find relevant documents, contacts and links. Employers can keep information current and issue messages or push notifications.
That is different from a complex flexible-benefits system that calculates selections and sends deductions to payroll. SMEs should therefore compare products by function rather than assuming every benefits platform performs the same tasks.
What does HR software do?
HR software, sometimes described as an HR information system or HRIS, normally holds core employee records and supports processes such as:
- holiday and absence management
- employee records and documents
- recruitment and onboarding
- performance reviews
- training records
- HR reporting
- policy acknowledgement
Some HR systems contain a section for benefits. This may be perfectly adequate if employees can easily find clear, current and useful information there.
In other cases, the benefits area may hold only a list or document library. It might not offer the employee-facing explanations, targeted communications or mobile access the organisation needs.
What is the role of an intranet?
An intranet is a private website containing company information. It may include policies, news, forms, department pages, directories and collaboration tools.
Its strength is breadth: it can be a central home for many types of information. Its weakness is that benefits must compete with everything else. Employees may need to navigate several menus or search through numerous documents before finding an answer.
An intranet can work well for benefits when the organisation has the resource to structure, write and maintain the content. A dedicated benefits platform may be more appropriate when the business wants a clearer, purpose-built experience or needs to reach employees who do not routinely use the intranet.
Why do provider portals not show the whole picture?
Provider portals allow employees to use a particular benefit. A pension provider may show contribution information and fund values. A medical insurer may allow an employee to start a claim. A health cash plan may provide an online claims service.
These portals remain essential. The difficulty is that each represents only one part of the employer’s benefits package. Employees still need to know:
- which benefits they have
- which provider operates each one
- whether they are eligible
- where to register or sign in
- what to do when they need help
A benefits platform can act as the starting point, directing employees to the correct provider portal or service.
How do the options compare?
Employee benefits platform
Best suited to bringing benefits together, explaining them consistently and directing employees to the right service. Capability varies considerably, so employers should distinguish communication platforms from full administration and flexible-benefit systems.
HR software
Best suited to employee records and repeatable HR processes. It may include benefits information, but the depth and employee experience should be checked.
Intranet
Best suited to broad company-wide information. It is flexible, but someone must create, structure and update the benefits content.
Provider portal
Best suited to accessing and administering a specific provider’s benefit. It does not normally present benefits from other providers.
Does an SME need to choose only one?
No. These systems can perform complementary roles.
An employer might use HR software for employee records, an intranet for company policies, provider portals for transactions and Benefits Buddy as the employee’s starting point for workplace benefits.
The most important consideration is avoiding unnecessary duplication. Decide which system is the authoritative source for each type of information, who maintains it and how employees are directed between systems.
Questions to ask before choosing a benefits platform
- What precise problem are we trying to solve?
- Do we need communication, administration, benefit selection or all three?
- Can the platform include benefits from all our existing providers?
- Is it straightforward for employees to use on a computer and mobile device?
- Can different employee groups see relevant information?
- Can we store documents and update information centrally?
- Can we issue targeted messages or notifications?
- What employee data does the platform require?
- How is that information protected?
- Who will implement and maintain the content?
- What are the setup and ongoing costs?
- Can we see a demonstration using benefits similar to ours?
When might Benefits Buddy be the right fit?
Benefits Buddy may be suitable when a business already has the benefits it wants but needs a better way to present and communicate them. It is particularly relevant where:
- employees work remotely or across several locations
- there is no dedicated employee benefits team
- information is divided between emails, documents and websites
- HR repeatedly answers basic access questions
- the business wants to keep its existing providers
- a large flexible-benefits implementation would be disproportionate
Benefits Buddy does not replace HR software, payroll or regulated employee benefits advice. It provides a simple, consistent layer that helps employees find, understand and use what their employer provides.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an employee benefits platform and HR software?
HR software primarily manages employee information and HR processes. An employee benefits platform focuses on presenting, communicating or administering workplace benefits. The exact capabilities depend on the products being compared.
Can an HR system be used as a benefits portal?
It can, provided it gives employees a clear and accessible experience and the employer can maintain accurate information. Employers should test how easily someone can answer practical questions rather than relying only on a feature list.
Does a benefits platform replace provider portals?
Usually not. It can show employees what they have and direct them to the correct provider, while the provider’s portal continues to handle claims, pension information or other transactions.
Is an employee benefits platform suitable for a small business?
Yes, if the product and cost are proportionate. A simple platform can be valuable to an SME with limited HR resource, multiple providers or employees working in different locations.
Can Benefits Buddy work alongside an existing intranet?
Yes. An intranet can remain the home for general company information, with Benefits Buddy providing a dedicated and mobile-accessible hub for employee benefits.
Choose the system that matches the problem
The right question is not whether an employee benefits platform is better than HR software or an intranet. Each has a different purpose. The right question is whether employees can easily find accurate benefits information and whether HR can maintain it without unnecessary work.
This article follows on from our July piece on getting full value from employee benefits and our August guide to ongoing benefits communication.
To see how Benefits Buddy can complement the systems and providers you already use, contact us.