More freedom of choice, efficient processes and less administration
How do you give employees greater control over their benefits without creating an overwhelming administrative burden? That's a challenge many organisations face, including Philips in Belgium. The company wanted to modernise its employee benefits package and offer greater flexibility. However, navigating complex legislation and working with limited HR resources meant Philips needed the right partner to make this happen. With the flexible benefits software from BCS, Philips Belgium uses one central platform for flexible benefits, overtime and mobility budget. Employees enjoy greater freedom of choice, while HR benefits from more efficient processes and less administration. The result is a more attractive benefits package that also strengthens Philips' position as an employer.
The need for greater employee choice
For Muriël Gabriëls, Rewards Manager at Philips Belgium, being an attractive employer goes hand in hand with giving employees the freedom to make their own choices. "Employees should feel at home with their employer, be able to be themselves and feel rewarded for the work they do," she explains. Philips saw an opportunity to improve in this area. Its existing benefits package was ready for an update, while employees were increasingly looking for greater flexibility.
Offering flexible benefits sounds appealing, but putting them into practice proved to be a complex challenge. Belgian legislation surrounding employee benefits is particularly complicated. While a cafeteria plan is designed to give employees more choice, every option comes with its own rules, tax implications and administrative requirements. This makes it difficult to introduce new benefits or respond quickly to changing needs.
At the same time, Philips faced another challenge. Alongside its plans to introduce flexible benefits, the company needed a different way to manage overtime. The search for a software provider therefore evolved into a broader project that also included time tracking and other flexible benefits arrangements.
"For us, the flexibility of the platform was the deciding factor. BCS offered a complete software solution that could be tailored to our needs."
Muriël Gabriëls
Rewards Manager
Finding the right solution
Philips had a clear objective: one platform that could process overtime promptly while bringing together its flexible benefits arrangements. Initially, Philips Belgium approached local software providers. However, most specialised in either overtime management or flexible benefits, rather than both. Many also worked with a limited selection of third-party suppliers.
Through colleagues in the Netherlands, Philips Belgium was introduced to BCS. Philips had already been working with BCS in the Netherlands since 2015, which provided reassurance, particularly from an IT perspective. "For us, the flexibility of the platform was the deciding factor," Muriël explains. "BCS offered a complete solution that could be tailored to our needs. The combination of flexibility, existing integrations and the ability to bring everything together in one system gave us the confidence to move forward with BCS."
Implementing the software step by step
Philips deliberately chose a phased approach to implementation. "We really took things one step at a time," Muriël explains. This approach gave the organisation room to learn, make adjustments and gradually expand the platform. Thanks to clear agreements and close collaboration with BCS , all milestones were achieved on schedule by mid-2024, allowing Philips to continue developing the solution.
Philips involved its employees in determining which benefits would be included in the cafeteria plan. "We listed all the available options and asked our employees to choose their top three. Based on their feedback, we started with additional leave, pension savings and multimedia benefits. That way, we could offer something relevant to different age-groups of employees. Of course, we would have liked to introduce many more options straight away, but in Belgium, every benefit comes with its own rules and procedures. That's why we decided to expand gradually, allowing us to build a system that was both effective and manageable at the same time."
"Our employees have real-time insight into their budget and spending. This means they always know exactly what options are still available to them."
Muriël Gabriëls
Rewards Manager
One platform for flexible benefits, overtime and mobility
The flexible benefits software from BCS has become a platform that delivers value across several areas for the HR operations of Philips Belgium. All employees in Belgium now use the system to some extent. The cafeteria plan allows employees to personalise parts of their benefits package, while giving them a clear overview of their individual budget. All relevant rules, calculations and payroll integrations are built into the system, preventing additional administrative work for HR.
A good example is the overtime module, which allows employees to register their overtime directly in the platform. Their manager then reviews and approves the hours before the information is automatically transferred to payroll. "This makes the process not only more efficient but also more reliable," says Muriël. "We now have greater control and confidence that all overtime is processed correctly."
The mobility budget has also been fully integrated into the platform. Employees can use their budget flexibly for options such as sustainable transport, public transport, shared mobility services or even housing costs. "Our employees have real-time insight into their budget and spending. This means they always know exactly what options are still available to them," Muriël explains.
The mobility budget as a strategic choice
The mobility budget is for Philips Belgium an important part of the platform, but introducing it was not without its challenges. Belgian legislation was still evolving, creating uncertainty for organisations that had already started implementing mobility budgets. Over time, however, demand within Philips continued to grow. "We noticed that some employees living in cities had very little use for a company car," Muriël explains. "In fact, we even had situations where employees simply left their company cars parked and hardly used them."
This insight, combined with the Belgian government's decision to make mobility budgets mandatory, encouraged Philips to accelerate its plans and implement the solution properly within the platform. While many providers rely on fixed agreements with specific suppliers, Philips and BCS deliberately chose to make the mobility budget as flexible as possible. "Our employees work across all of Belgium, from major cities to rural areas. Having just one provider for something like shared bicycles simply wouldn't work for everyone. We've designed the system so employees can choose the services that suit them best and easily submit their expenses."
Greater employee appreciation and employer appeal
The platform has not only given Philips greater control over its HR processes but has also had a positive impact on the experience of both existing employees and potential new hires. "We've received lots of positive feedback," says Muriël. "We also notice it during the recruitment phase. Candidates are enthusiastic about having the freedom to make their own choices when it comes to their benefits package."
At the same time, this new way of working brings a different dynamic. With the overtime module, for example, employees are responsible for registering their own overtime. Similarly, the mobility budget requires employees to scan and submit their own receipts. While this sometimes requires employees to take a more active role, it also creates greater transparency and ensures benefits and payments are handled more fairly. By combining greater employee autonomy with improved control for HR, Philips Belgium has taken an important step towards a more modern and flexible approach to employee benefits.
"I think we have a very strong customer-supplier relationship. We collaborate really well together, and the platform gives us the flexibility we need."
Muriël Gabriëls
Rewards Manager
Flexible software and a strong partnership
In day-to-day use, Muriël finds the platform intuitive and easy to navigate. "I genuinely think it's fantastic software. For employees its very straightforward, and people can start using it without any explanation. The administration side requires a little more knowledge, but you quickly get the hang of it." Muriël is equally positive about the collaboration with BCS. "I collaborate really well with the BCS team. They listen carefully to our needs. Changes and additional features can be implemented quickly. That allows us to keep improving the platform."
For Muriël, the real value of flexibility and employee choice lies not only in the software itself but also in the way Philips and BCS have developed the platform together. "We really built this together," she explains. "It wasn't a case of us saying, 'This is what we want, now make it happen.' Instead, we continuously explored what was possible within the software and what would work best for our organisation. That collaboration has helped us create a platform that genuinely fits our needs." And what is Muriël most proud of? "The fact that we've managed to build such a comprehensive and flexible benefits platform with relatively limited resources, while giving our employees genuine freedom of choice."
Continuing to develop the platform together
The latest addition to platform is the employee share plan, which went live just a few weeks ago. "That was an important milestone for us because it means we now have almost everything in one system," Muriël explains. "Our employees can see their entire flexible benefits package at a glance."
Beyond this latest addition, Muriël sees further opportunities for the future.
"I know BCS also offers functionalities to manage commuting allowances and expense reimbursements more easily."
The opportunities for further development, combined with the positive working relationship, give Muriël confidence in the future. "I think we have a very strong customer-supplier relationship. We collaborate really well together, and the platform gives us the flexibility we need." With BCS as its partner, Philips Belgium continues to develop a future-ready benefits package that gives employees genuine control over their choices, while providing HR with the efficiency and flexibility needed to support the organisation's evolving needs.
Would you like to offer your employees greater flexibility and freedom of choice? Discover how our flexible benefits software can help your organisation create a more personalised benefits package while simplifying HR administration. Book your personal demo today!
How Peterson Streamlined Flexible Benefits with BCS
