Age-Inclusive Benefits: How Benefits Support a Multigenerational Workforce Through Every Life Stage

Today’s workforces are made up of multiple generations. In some Canadian workplaces, as many as four or five generations may all be working together. You might have people as young as teenagers working alongside people in their 60s and beyond. That means building a benefits plan around one ‘typical’ person isn’t your best strategy for truly supporting your employees. Age-inclusive benefits are benefits designed around people, not assumptions. That’s why employers need a plan that gives their people meaningful access to the support that matters to them - at different ages, stages and circumstances.

What does an age-inclusive benefits plan actually look like? 

While age gets a lot of attention when we talk about benefits, life stage is often a more useful lens. Age inclusion isn't about creating a separate “senior benefits plan” or catering to any other specific age group in particular or more than others. It's about looking at whether the existing plan can support employees through changing needs. An employee might be managing a chronic condition, caring for aging parents, raising young children, navigating changes in vision or hearing, prioritizing mental health, preparing financially for retirement or working longer because they want to - or need to. 

A good benefits plan doesn't assume what employees need based on their age; it gives them options. There are several main categories of support that are useful frameworks to help you evaluate your benefits plan design. 

Chronic condition support

Coverage for prescription drugs, ongoing treatment, clinical services and other health expenses can become increasingly important when employees are managing chronic conditions.

Paramedical coverage

Physiotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic care, counselling/psychological services and other paramedical services can support employees with both ongoing health needs and preventative care. This can benefitemployees across generations, not just older workers.

Vision and hearing

Vision and hearing needs can change throughout life, making coverage for things such as glasses, contact lenses and hearing-related expenses a practical component of an inclusive plan.

Life and critical illness coverage

These benefits can play different roles at different stages of life. For one employee, life insurance may be about protecting young children; for another, it may be about protecting a partner or other dependents later in life.

Although different age groups and life stages may benefit from all of the same categories, the same benefit can have a different meaning depending on where someone is in life. 

The point of an age-inclusive plan isn't that every person in an age group needs the same thing; it's that people’s needs - and what matters to them - change over time. A plan designed around flexibility and choice can support every generation. 

Give employees more choice with flexibility

Instead of trying to predict what every employee will need, employers can build plans that give employees some choice. Here are three ways you can do that:

Spending accounts

Health Spending Accounts and Wellness Spending Accounts can give employees money they can use toward eligible expenses that are meaningful to them. One employee might need physiotherapy, another might prioritize vision care, while another may prefer to have funds for a gym membership or to pursue a hobby thtenhances their wellbeing.  With spending accounts, the employer provides the benefit but the employee has more say in how they use it.

True flex plans

Some flexible benefits plans allow employees to actually select the benefits that matter most to them in the first place. Rather than every employee receiving exactly the same mix, a true flex plan can give employees choices within the plan design. These plans typically give employees a set amount of employer-allocated credits to customize their coverage across a broad menu that includes health, dental and disability options. Importantly, employers shouldn't assume “we're too small for flexible benefits.” This flexibility isn't necessarily reserved for large corporations; there are flexible benefits options available for smaller organizations too.

Workplace flexibility

Flexibility isn't just about benefits; workplace flexibility is just as important. An age-inclusive workplace might also consider:

• flexible hours

• remote/hybrid work

• part-time arrangements

• job sharing

• phased retirement

• flexibility around caregiving responsibilities

Canadian government guidance on age-friendly workplaces specifically identifies flexible hours, telework, job sharing and phased retirement among practices that can support older workers. But these aren't just “older worker accommodations.” Flexibility can support a parent with young children, someone caring for a spouse, an employee managing a health condition, or someone gradually transitioning toward retirement. That's what makes flexibility genuinely multigenerational.

Alberta Bill 11: Benefits don't automatically end at a certain age anymore

October 1 is both National Seniors Day and the date important Alberta Bill 11 provisions take effect. Under the new Alberta rules, employers cannot terminate or reduce certain prescription drug and supplemental health benefits solely because an actively employed employee has reached a certain age.

It’s important to note, however, that other benefits - including life insurance, disability, dental, travel and spending accounts - can still have age-based terms depending on the plan. Employers should understand exactly which of their benefits are affected and which aren’t, how their carrier is implementing the changes and whether their current plan design still makes sense for their workforce. 

If you want to learn more about this new legislation, you can read our dedicated blog on navigating Alberta Bill 11 or speak to Shannon if you’d like to understand how the changes might impact your specific plan.

How should employers evaluate their current plan?

Your employees don’t stay the same over time - and neither should their benefits. The goal of an age-inclusive plan is to create a benefits strategy that recognizes that people have different needs at different points in their lives. 

Here are some questions you can ask to help evaluate your benefits plan and its age-inclusiveness:

1. Does our plan reflect the actual demographics of our workforce?

2. Are employees able to use their benefits in ways that are meaningful to them?

3. Do we provide enough flexibility for different health and life circumstances?

4. Are there gaps in areas such as paramedical, vision or hearing coverage?

5. Could a spending account give employees more choice?

6. Would a flexible benefits structure make sense for our organization?

7. Are we clear on how age-based benefit provisions apply to our plan?

8. For Alberta employers, have we reviewed the implications of Bill 11?

The most valuable benefit isn’t actually another benefit at all; it's giving employees more flexibility in the benefits they already have. Evaluating your plan through the lens of age is a good place to start. 

If you haven't reviewed your benefits plan through a multigenerational lens recently, this may be a good time to take a closer look - particularly with Alberta's Bill 11 changes taking effect October 1. Reach out to Shannon if you’d like some support reviewing your plan.