Today’s workforce expects more than perks. They want benefits that align with their real-life needs, values, and sense of purpose. When Total Rewards programs don’t reflect that, they fall short—especially for frontline and hourly workers—creating gaps in engagement, trust, and productivity.
This session brings together leadership from Varsity Brands and Canary’s Founder & CEO, Rachel Schneider, to explore how organizations can move beyond surface-level perks to create benefits that are meaningful, flexible, and human-centered. After sharing real-world examples—from disaster relief efforts to financial resilience programs—speakers will lead small-group, hands-on activities where attendees collaborate to design practical benefit solutions for realistic workforce challenges.

Participants will leave with actionable frameworks to rethink and redesign Total Rewards strategies that resonate with employees and strengthen trust and loyalty.

Key Takeaways:

• Identify gaps in traditional benefits programs that miss the needs of diverse and distributed employees
• Evaluate strategies for building purpose-driven benefits that enhance financial resilience, wellbeing, and career growth
• Apply practical tools to turn benefits into programs that build engagement, trust, and organizational impact