In 2024, employee benefits are evolving to meet the diverse needs of employees and reinforce their commitment. We interviewed three companies that we believe represent the future of the sector: Totem, May and Teamstarter. Here's an overview of possible solutions, to inspire you without moderation!
Totem
Hello Julian and Louis! Can you tell us the story of Totem?
Hello Guillaume! Totem was created 7 years ago by Rafaël de Lavergne, Pierre Gallet and Stéfan de Lavergne. It was their first company, directly after their studies. Rafaël, after a trip to Berkeley in the United States, was impressed by the services available in offices, particularly the coffee and snack areas. He realized that in France, at the time, we didn't have this level of service. Back in Paris, they launched Totem with the idea of providing quality products in the office, with well-designed break areas. The first offering was the delivery of products to create a pleasant working environment. In 2020, during the lockdown, we lost 98% of our sales, which pushed us to evolve towards connected stores in the workplace, meeting various needs throughout the day.
Do you cater to all types of companies?
Our customers range from small companies with 30 employees to large groups like L'Oréal. Our core target is between 200 and 5,000 employees, but we are able to serve companies of all sizes. We work with some forty suppliers, and manage all logistics.
What user feedback have you received that has particularly impressed you?
Office managers appreciate the time savings offered by our services, since they can pool different services (coffee, food, events) with a single provider. On the user side, our diversity of products prevents fatigue, with menus that change every week and attractive prices thanks to the absence of operational costs passed on to the products. A starter-main course-dessert lunch with us starts at €6.70, which is very competitive with options such as bakeries. We've also seen a new use for take-away meals in the evening, improving the overall employee experience.
What impact have you observed on team commitment?
We have carried out a study, the Workplace Experience Audit, which enables us to track the use of our services and analyze their impact. We have noticed an increase in team lunches and new uses such as take-away meals for the evening. We've also observed that our promotions, such as discounts on dishes on Fridays, encourage staff to stay in the office longer.
In this way, our solutions have helped to strengthen the bond created at the office by almost 40%, as measured by the number of people using Totem spaces during lunch breaks. Thanks to our "rituals", we have seen a 143% increase in the number of people using our break areas on Fridays. By 2023, our solutions had saved 50,000 hours, an average of 1,000 hours per company. A Totem transaction saves at least 5 minutes per employee!
Can you tell us about your CSR approach?
We have set up an anti-waste ritual to offer dishes with shorter shelf lives at reduced prices. This is in line with our CSR policy, with anti-inflation and zero waste initiatives. Our customers also appreciate our intuitive application, which makes the user experience simple and enjoyable. We also encourage more responsible consumer choices by offering local products and educating employees about their benefits via our app.
On average, Totem enables an increase of 20% in fair trade products, 18% in plastic-free products, 30% in organic products and 35% in products made in France consumed at each site.
You mentioned your application. Can you tell us more about its role and functions?
Our application plays a central role in the user experience. It allows employees to scan products, open our connected cabinets and track their purchases. It's designed to be simple and intuitive, avoiding the frustrations often associated with complex processes. We also use the app to offer games and promotions, helping to maintain interest and encourage the discovery of new products. We've set up a system where users can earn discounts by trying new or more responsible products, which helps steer purchasing behavior in a fun way.
What other impacts do your services have on users and businesses?
Our services provide a real plus in terms of well-being at work. Having a pleasant, well-equipped break area, with quality coffee, fresh fruit and a variety of snacks, changes the dynamic in the office. It creates moments of relaxation and conviviality that strengthen bonds between colleagues. We've also put in place solutions for unexpected daily needs, such as band-aids, sanitary pads or even candles for an impromptu birthday party. These little extra services show that the company cares for its employees, which has a positive impact on their commitment and loyalty.
In terms of savings, our anti-inflation policy allows employees to save up to €100 a month, with discounts of up to 15% on our formulas.
What does the future hold for Totem?
For us, the future of Totem lies in the continuity and evolution of our office services, which currently account for 90-95% of our customers. We want to remain the most complete and attractive solution on the employee services market. At the same time, we are exploring new spaces where our concept can be applied, such as gyms, railway stations, hospitals and schools. We are also considering making our services available in places like cinemas. The idea is to extend our model outside the office, while continuing to enhance the user experience where we already have a presence.
How do you see employee benefits evolving over the next five years?
We believe that benefits are increasingly moving towards flexible, on-demand services, adapted to new ways of working. Companies are looking to offer services that make life easier for employees, such as passes to work in shared spaces or varied catering offers. Talent retention is becoming a priority, and non-monetary benefits play a key role in employee engagement and satisfaction. We are also seeing a trend towards services that can be modulated according to needs, with a customizable and scalable offering.
Thanks to both of you!
May
Hello Boris. Can you tell us how May came about?
Hello Guillaume! The genesis of May came about for two main reasons. The first is that in the 70s, lifestyles were very homogeneous. Everyone had similar needs in terms of work and benefits. Today, it's completely different. Needs vary according to each person's stage in life. The solutions of the 60s and 70s are no longer appropriate. In the pre-May world, benefits were siloed and evenly distributed, without regard for individual needs. For example, everyone was given the same amount for crèche or luncheon vouchers, but many people didn't use them. So we decided to give everyone the same amount, but that each person could spend it according to his or her needs. This flexibility reduced the rate of unused benefits to around 1%.
What feedback have you had from users?
Feedback has been very positive, both from HR and bosses, and from employees. HR and managers appreciate that all employees can find benefits that suit them, thus eliminating the usual complaints about irrelevant benefits. On the employee side, they find our solutions very useful and adapted to their essential needs, especially in the current context of purchasing power.
Can you tell us about the technological evolution you've brought to employee benefits?
Historically, employee benefits were managed using paper or additional cards, which made them difficult to use. We have now integrated these benefits directly onto employees' personal bank cards. As a result, they can use their usual bank card to claim benefits, greatly simplifying the process and reducing non-use rates.
What type of companies do you target?
Our solutions are aimed at all companies, but they are particularly useful for small businesses. Small businesses often lack employee benefits because of the complexity of managing them. With May, they can offer a wide range of benefits simply and efficiently. It even enables small companies to offer up to €10,000 in tax-free benefits per employee per year.
What impact have you observed on team commitment?
Offering an attractive benefits package boosts recruitment and retention. For example, one of our customers offers a €4,000 prize pool, which improves recruitment by 20-30% and reduces turnover by 20%. This is particularly crucial in sectors with a high demand for skilled labor, such as the craft industry.
What do you see as the future of employee benefits?
In the future, I see a much more flexible remuneration system, where employees can request an advance on salary or save directly via an app. The post-Covid era has already broken many rigid shackles, and I think this trend will continue.
And what about May?
We are working on responsible consumption programs and premium kitty schemes for certain employee segments, as well as options to modulate salary during the month.
Many thanks to you!
Teamstarter
Hello Claire. Can you tell us how Teamstarter came about?
Hello Guillaume! This year, Teamstarter is 5 years old. The company was founded by Vincent Desmares and Ségolène Mouterde at the Matters startup studio. The idea was born at Matters, where Vincent worked, following the observation that it was difficult to offer simple solutions to everyday problems, often due to overly complex processes. Teamstarter was therefore created to facilitate and liberate initiative-taking in companies. We enable managers to bridge their managerial gaps by giving employees the opportunity to put forward ideas and turn them into concrete projects. This can range from sharing skills in Excel to more operational needs: a step stool in a hospital, down jackets for construction sites...
Ideas are put forward on a platform, transformed into projects, and employees have a budget which they can allocate to projects they deem relevant, thus validating in a collective, bottom-up way.
What type(s) of business are you targeting?
Our core target includes multi-site companies where the human factor is essential, such as ESNs operating at the customer's site, or industrial companies with several plants. That said, we're useful for any company that believes in people, especially fast-growing ones. In general, if a company has more than 100 employees, Teamstarter can be beneficial.
What impact have you observed on team commitment?
We assume that our tool facilitates initiative-taking, which is linked to belonging, turnover and commitment. Although these aspects are multifactorial and difficult to measure directly, we find that initiative-taking has a positive effect on these elements. We primarily measure initiative to assess our impact and demonstrate ROI to our customers.
How do you see employee benefits evolving over the next few years, and what are your plans for Teamstarter?
In the future, employee benefits will need to be flexible and personalized. Companies can no longer afford to offer standardized benefits. They need to adapt to individual needs while maintaining a collective coherence. For example, instead of offering table soccer, it might be more appropriate to offer activities such as pétanque, if that's what employees prefer. Solutions like May's, which offer a range of benefits, demonstrate this trend. For Teamstarter, our aim is to continue to personalize our services and meet individual needs validated by the collective, enabling employees to grow together.
Many thanks for your time, Claire!
Do you want to attract and retain more talent? Let's talk about it over a coffee?
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