Johnson Lambert Builds Flexible LSA With 88% Cumulative Engagement Rate

Background

Johnson Lambert LLP is a multi-office CPA firm with a national client base that serves clients in 43 states, coast to coast, and the District of Columbia. Johnson Lambert is also an independent member of DFK International/USA, a worldwide association of independent accounting and management consulting firms. The company operates from eight office locations, with employees working hybrid schedules or remotely across 27 states. 

Revamping benefits to be more flexible and inclusive

“The main reason we wanted to make a change was to give employees autonomy in what they wanted to purchase.” - Roxanne Lounder, Senior HR Generalist

Before joining Benepass, Johnson Lambert operated an employee recognition program that allowed managers to acknowledge employees for their efforts and achievements. The rewards and recognition platform the team used would generate gift card options for employees to select from. While employees appreciated the recognition, the team felt this system was too restrictive to meet the needs of a diverse workforce. For example, employees who live in rural areas wouldn’t have much use for an Uber Eats gift card because they don’t have the same access to food delivery as their colleagues who reside in urban centers.

“Employees had no autonomy to make purchases for items or experiences they valued,” said Roxanne Lounder, Senior HR Generalist. “They had to pick a gift card from certain vendors they may not particularly like, but that was their best option.”

In February 2023, the team rolled out a recognition program with Benepass that gives employees more freedom over their spending. Employees receive a Visa card that the company pre-loads with monetary rewards so employees can purchase a wider variety of items and services. The company also implemented a lifestyle spending account providing employees with $250 semi-annually to spend on the following eligible categories: 

• Fitness
• Mental health
• Spa, beauty, and massage
• Nutrition
• Home cleaning services 
• Entertainment
• Food
• Charity
• Student loans 

Providing a user-friendly experience for admins and employees

“I can use the platform to see trends of how people are spending their benefits.” - Roxanne Lounder, Senior HR Generalist

Employees enjoy the autonomy provided by the Benepass platform and find the system intuitive and easy to use. While the company’s previous rewards and recognition platform offered limited options, Benepass’s card decisioning logic allows employees to spend on a large range of items and services that are verified to be within the company’s unique benefit policies at the point of sale. 

“Employees love how easy it is to use,” Roxanne said. “They like the autonomy, especially the ability to shop in a variety of places to support their well-being. The options are pretty broad in terms of where you can go and spend your money. They value that more compared to the other program we had that was a bit more restrictive.” 

From the admin perspective, the Johnson Lambert team finds the Benepass platform to be user-friendly. Admins can easily enroll or deactivate employees through self-service functionality within the Admin Dashboard. It’s also intuitive for the team to generate reports and track spending data within the platform. 

“It’s easy to navigate,” Roxanne said. “I can get to what I want without having to navigate through a ton of screens. The settings are easy to read and the charts and graphs help me track spending. It’s just very accessible for me from an admin perspective and I can get the data I need.” 

For example, Roxanne’s team pulls balance reports at the end of the year to see how many employees have outstanding balances. The team then reminds those employees to spend their Benepass funds to boost engagement. Spending reports allow Roxanne’s team to understand how employees are spending their benefits so they can measure the program’s impact and make any necessary adjustments. 

By the end of the year, 88% of employees had engaged with their Benepass benefits. Knowing that employees are the reason for the company’s success, the team is happy to provide flexible benefits with high rates of engagement—especially during busy seasons when employees are experiencing higher levels of stress and working longer hours. 

“We want to do whatever we can to help them with their mental and physical health, especially during busy season when they’re under a lot of pressure,” Roxanne said. “We want to support them through that and allow them to go to a spa or get their nails done, whatever they can do to relax and recharge.” 

Key results 

“Benepass aligns with and advances our values at Johnson Lambert because the lifestyle spending account supports our employees’ mental and physical well-being.” - Roxanne Lounder, Senior HR Generalist

• Equitable benefits for a diverse workforce: Benepass’s flexible card-first technology gives employees more freedom over spending so Johnson Lambert can equitably serve a diverse, geographically distributed workforce. 
• Benefits aligned with company values: The Johnson Lambert team uses Benepass to show appreciation for employees during busy season and to support employee health and well-being throughout the year. 
• Intuitive, user-friendly platform: Employees and admins enjoy an intuitive platform that provides greater flexibility and gives admins more insight into the success of their programs. ‍
• Robust program data: The Benepass platform makes it easy for the Johnson Lambert team to track employee spending, identify notable trends, and take actions that boost engagement.