VSP Vision Care
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Better Benefits Strategies? Follow the Leaders!

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At VSP® Vision Care, we’re passionate about helping companies stay in-the-know when it comes to the latest benefits trends and what employees really want (and need).

Here’s what benefits leaders say they’re doing to stay competitive and meet the needs of their changing workforce:

“It’s time to shake up the benefits plan. Not your standard health, dental, vision, and life, long-term disability. It’s thinking out of the box because most places offer those types of benefits. To attract and retain talent in today’s day and age, we need things that go, ‘Oh, I haven’t seen this offered before’.”

–Angela Davidson
Human Resources Benefit Manager

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Hear from HR professionals and benefit managers on how they’re mixing up their employee benefits to stay competitive and meet the needs of their changing workforce. View the four-minute video or transcript.

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1. Offering more benefits

The most common theme? More! Here are some of the top additions and changes leaders noted that they’re making:

  • Paying more: Covering the full premium for medical and vision insurance and increasing their 401k match.
  • Providing more choice: Offering more than one choice for core benefits like medical and dental.
  • Adding non-traditional benefits: Including options like pet insurance and elder care is a great way to stand out.
  • Giving the gift of time: Giving employees more time off through paid time off (PTO) and parental leave.

“For parental leave, we’re not just looking for our females to have leave options. We’re also looking at our males to be able to … take leave when their significant other has a child.”

–Carla Crittendon
Director of Compensation, Benefits, and Wellness

The great news? According to the VSP Vision Care 2026 Workplace Vision Health Report, nearly seven out of 10 leaders say their company already offers PTO for employees to get preventive care, including eye exams.1 This benefit can be invaluable for workers struggling to find time for care due to a busy schedule.

2. Changing insurance carriers

An alarming 81% of employees and 90% of HR leaders surveyed aren’t completely satisfied with their current carrier.2 Even those who aren’t dissatisfied with their carrier have numerous improvements they’d like to see with their vision coverage.

The top improvements they’d like carriers to make are:3

  • 1. Lower costs
  • 2. A better selection of plan options
  • 3. A larger network
  • 4. Increased customization
  • 5. Faster and more convenient access to care
  • 6. More innovative product offerings
  • 7. Higher-quality doctors and facilities
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3. Communicating benefits in a new way

One HR guru reminded us that you don’t have to change the benefits you offer to make a difference. You can improve the way you promote your offerings by making your benefits more relatable and using channels employees prefer.

Their preferred methods include:4

  • 1. Emails or e-newsletters
  • 2. Company intranet or benefits portal
  • 3. In-person sessions (e.g., benefit fairs, meetings)
  • 4. Printed materials (e.g., brochures, fliers)
  • 5. Virtual sessions (e.g., webinars, Q&A sessions)
  • 6. Mobile apps
  • 7. Text messaging or SMS
  • 8. Videos or podcasts

Getting Creative
Jennifer Sawyer, a Senior HR Generalist in the automotive industry, shared how her company takes a unique and fun approach to talking about benefits and wellness:

“We’re all about communication. We communicate all our benefits as cars … If they need a tune up, we talk through what they need to do with their car/benefit to make it work better for their needs at the time.”

Getting a little help from AI

AI-powered technology can help us in many ways, one of which is by enhancing communications about benefits. That said, it comes as no surprise to learn both employees and employers are open to using it for this purpose.

Three out of four workers workers welcome the use of AI to better understand their vision care plan or to receive eye health education.5

In fact, nearly half (46%) of HR leaders say their company already uses AI to support employees’ vision care experience in some capacity.6 And over 95% say their company would be open to having AI provide information and education to their employees about eye health, vision care options, and more.7 However, most AI technologies that support patient care are still in their infancy and should be viewed as tools that can assist—but not replace—a qualified vision care provider.7

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About VSP Vision Care

Celebrating 70 years in business, VSP was founded in 1955, and remains the only national not-for-profit vision benefits company in the United States. VSP Vision Care provides members convenient access to eye care through the nation's largest doctor network of 137,000 access points.

Footnotes

1-7. 2026 Workplace Vision Health Report: Cultivating an Eye-friendly Workplace. Workplace Intelligence study on behalf of VSP Vision Care.

Legal Disclaimer: Information received through VSP Vision Care's online channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.