KUNO

A fruit basket in the office, a meal allowance, maybe a pizza night – and the feeling that “something is being done for employees.” For many companies, that was enough.

Today, different approaches are needed. Not because benefits have become less important, but because the reality of work and life has changed. Teams work in hybrid or fully remote setups, life models have become more individual and diverse, and expectations toward employers have shifted. What used to be seen as a nice extra is now measured by whether it actually helps in everyday life.

This is where the gap appears: many benefits are still standardized – but the people behind them are not.

Why many benefits miss the mark today

In practice, a recurring pattern emerges: benefits are often designed from a company perspective. They are easy to implement, relatively low-cost, or based on what “others are doing.”

On paper, this creates a solid offering. In reality, the impact is often limited.

A meal allowance has little effect if teams rarely meet in person. Benefits built around traditional office presence – such as structured lunch formats or after-work routines – lose relevance in flexible working environments. At the same time, some offerings are tailored to very specific life stages, while the workforce itself has become far more diverse.

The issue is not the benefit itself. It is the lack of alignment.

Employees may be aware of available benefits, but often do not use them because they do not connect to their actual needs. As a result, benefits shift from being valuable to becoming a cost factor.

The real shift: from offering to relevance

The key question has changed.

Before: “What benefits do we offer?”

Today: “What problems could we solve for our employees?”

This may sound like a small difference, but it is strategically significant. It shifts the focus away from visible initiatives toward real impact. And impact only happens when benefits address actual life situations.

Mental health support is a good example. A few years ago, it was rare. Today, it has become a standard in many organizations – not for branding reasons, but because mental strain is a real factor in everyday work.

Other areas are evolving in a similar way. Financial well-being, flexible working models, and support across different life stages are gaining importance because they address concrete challenges.

And this is where the next, less visible development begins.

Health topics that are rarely discussed

One area that has long been overlooked involves health topics that strongly affect private life – yet remain largely invisible in the workplace.

This includes hormonal changes, chronic conditions such as endometriosis, as well as topics like menopause and men’s health. These are not niche issues. They affect a significant part of the workforce, often over many years. And yet, they rarely appear in traditional benefit structures.

The reason is simple: these topics are sensitive. They are rarely discussed openly, neither within teams nor with managers. At the same time, they have a direct impact on focus, energy levels, absenteeism, and long-term performance.

What is not visible is rarely addressed in a structured way. This is exactly where new approaches are emerging.

Onuava as an example of a new generation of benefits

One example of this development is Onuava. Founded by Dr. Julia Reichert and Katharina Jung, the platform brings a topic into companies that has so far been largely overlooked: reproductive and hormonal health across different life stages and life realities.

Around one in eight people are affected by reproductive health challenges – making this far more relevant than many organizations assume.

Menopause, for example, has nothing to do with family planning, yet it can influence energy levels, concentration, and overall work capacity for years. Conditions such as endometriosis often remain undiagnosed for long periods, even though they have a significant impact on everyday life. At the same time, same-sex couples or single individuals with a desire to have children face very different structural and financial challenges compared to traditional family models.

This means the topic operates on multiple levels – from health stability to individual life planning and questions of access.

Companies that actively address these topics expand their understanding of benefits. It is no longer just about offering perks, but about creating conditions that allow different life realities to coexist with work. This also has a tangible business effect: supporting employees during challenging health phases helps reduce absences, increases stability, and retains knowledge within the organization.

Onuava goes far beyond traditional fertility offerings. It covers a broad spectrum of topics, including family planning, endometriosis, menopause, and men’s health – all areas that play a role in employees’ lives but are rarely part of a structured benefit portfolio.

What makes the approach particularly effective is not only the content, but also the access: Employees can use the service completely anonymously. For sensitive topics, this is not just a feature – it is essential. A benefit will only be used if employees feel safe doing so.

At the same time, the offering is designed as ongoing support rather than a one-time solution. It combines reliable information, individual medical guidance, and structured programs, including financial support elements for treatments such as fertility care.

Why does this matter for companies?

Because it addresses topics that would otherwise remain invisible – yet have real consequences. When employees deal with long-term health challenges without support, the impact eventually becomes noticeable in the workplace. Not loudly, but clearly.

Onuava closes this gap and makes a previously overlooked area tangible, structured, and accessible.

What modern benefits need to deliver

The comparison to traditional benefits makes the shift clear.

A fruit basket is nice. A pizza night can strengthen team spirit. A gym subsidy is valuable – for those who use it.

Many of these offerings serve a clear purpose. At the same time, they reach their limits when more complex or individual life situations come into play. That is why benefit strategies are evolving.

Beyond approaches like Onuava, other areas are also developing. Mental health support has moved from optional add-ons to actively used services. Flexible benefit models allow employees to prioritize based on their current life stage. Financial support programs are increasingly tailored to specific situations.

What connects these developments is not the type of benefit, but the intention behind it: benefits should not just exist – they should make a real difference.

How companies can find the right approach

The biggest challenge is not choosing a specific benefit. It is understanding what is actually needed.

Successful companies take a step back. They look beyond what is offered and focus on how their workforce actually lives and works.

Which life stages are represented? Which challenges appear repeatedly? Which benefits are used – and which are not?

Only then does a meaningful setup emerge.

It is also important not to view benefits in isolation. Topics such as tax treatment, system integration, and communication are just as important as the benefit itself.

This is often where support becomes relevant – not in choosing a specific benefit, but in evaluating, implementing, and integrating it into existing structures.

Conclusion: fewer benefits, more impact

The biggest mistake today is not offering too few benefits.

The biggest mistake is offering the wrong ones. Companies do not need to add more. They need to choose better.

This also means letting go of traditional assumptions and being open to new topics – especially those that have been largely invisible so far.

Onuava is a strong example of how benefits are evolving: away from generic offerings toward solutions that address real-life situations. And that is where long-term impact is created.

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