Lessons from Walmart on Creating a Digital Benefits Experience

Walmart, which recently created a digital benefits experience for its employees, has a simple message for other total rewards leaders considering how to start on a similar journey: Listen to employees about their needs and wants.  

“We always start with a field-first approach. Most of our business associates are in stores, clubs, distribution centers, so we go out and survey them. We listen to them about what they need, what they like, what they want to see. It’s often how we build our tools,” said Karen Light, vice president of total rewards at Walmart, at the recent WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference in Orlando, Fla. “Listening is a really key component. It’s part of our DNA, and it’s really important.”  

Walmart recently launched a consumer-grade digital experience — Total Pay and Benefits — to ensure its employees have a simple and accessible way to understand the full value of their total rewards package. Through Total Pay and Benefits, Walmart created a personalized experience that highlights the full scope of compensation and benefits available to associates, Light explained. 

“We knew that associates wanted tools that would better allow them to engage with our products,” she said. “And from a total rewards perspective, we wanted it all.”

So what advice regarding benefits communications and digital experiences can other employers — including smaller ones — glean from the nation’s largest private employer? Light shared these suggestions. 

Make sure other teams at the company buy in. “We can’t do something like this alone,” Light said. “So while we might have the idea and see the need, we need our partners at the table with us running this experience and on board.” Walmart, for instance, was able to create the digital platform with the help of its products, technology, and business teams. “Having clear roles and responsibilities was really important to the success and the agility in which we operated,” she said. “We also had a shared vision and priorities.”

Measure. “At Walmart, we measure everything,” Light said, explaining that this involves looking at how associates engage with digital platforms — “where are they clicking on the app, what’s happening with program use, what’s happening with associate engagement.” All of those behaviors are things the retailer is “keeping our eye on, and are informative to how we build our programs and how we build our strategy out for the future,” she said.

Lean on your vendors. Light said that although Walmart is a large employer with many resources, small employers can also create a similar digital benefits experience with the help of their vendors.

“Put the pressure on your vendors,” she said. “Tell them, ‘These are my ideas,’ and have conversations with them and ask them how they can help you get there. That’s what they are here for — to get you to a better place.” 

Don’t be afraid to try things and then make changes. Light said Walmart’s digital experiences were initially soft launched. “We listen and we watch and we iterate. We aren’t afraid to try something, knowing we probably will change going forward. We want to put our toe in the water and see how associates react,” she said. “We think getting out in front of the associates faster and sooner is a way to go.”

Continue to listen to employees. “Our associates are the heartbeat of our company, and we want to make sure we’re meeting them with what they need when they need it,” Light said. She suggested employers get feedback from surveys, one-on-one conversations, and focus groups, as well as casual interactions.