How Do Maslow's Flexible Benefits Work?

What are flexible benefits?

Flexible benefits are a compensation model where the company allocates a budget to each employee and lets them distribute it across the categories that matter most to them: health, food, education, transportation, wellness, technology, and more. Unlike traditional benefits packages — where everyone receives the same thing regardless of their needs — a flexible approach recognizes that each person has different priorities. A younger employee might prefer to invest in education and technology, while one with a family prioritizes health and food. According to Mercer data, 78% of employees value a personalized benefits package more than a generic one of higher monetary value. Maslow implements this model through a digital wallet that centralizes the allocation, usage, and management of benefits on a single platform.

How does Maslow's flexible benefits platform work?

The process is divided into four simple steps that allow the company to set everything up in minutes and employees to start using their benefits right away.

Step 1: The company defines the budget and the rules

The HR team sets the monthly amount per employee, team, or segment. They can define which categories are available (for example, health and education only for interns, all categories for full-time employees), maximum amounts per category, and specific rules by country or business unit. Everything is configured from the Maslow admin panel with no technical support needed.

Step 2: Employees receive their digital wallet

Each employee accesses the Maslow web platform or mobile app and sees their available budget. From there, they can explore the enabled categories, browse the merchants and services available in each one, and decide how to distribute their budget. The interface shows in real time how much they have used and how much they have left in each category.

Step 3: Employees use their benefits

Usage is immediate. Employees can apply their budget across more than 10,000 merchants and services in 25 countries. Discounts and benefits are applied directly through the platform, with no manual reimbursements or additional approval processes required. Geolocation helps find nearby options from the mobile app.

Step 4: The company monitors and optimizes

The admin panel provides detailed usage reports by category, department, location, and demographics. This allows HR to understand which benefits employees value most, adjust budgets based on real data, and demonstrate the program's ROI to leadership. Reports can be exported in standard formats and integrated with major payroll systems.

What benefit categories can be offered?

Maslow allows companies to configure categories based on their specific needs. The most common ones are:

• Health and wellness: Supplemental insurance, medical consultations, mental health, gyms, nutrition.
• Food: Meal cards, restaurants, supermarkets, delivery.
• Education: Courses, diplomas, certifications, languages, books.
• Transportation: Fuel, public transit, parking, ride-sharing.
• Technology: Equipment, software, internet, home office accessories.
• Entertainment: Streaming, movies, events, travel, experiences.
• Family: Childcare, family insurance, children's activities.

Each company chooses which categories to enable, with what spending limits, and for which employee segments. Categories can be adjusted at any time without disrupting the service.

Why don't traditional benefits work anymore?

The traditional corporate benefits model has three fundamental problems that affect both the company and its employees:

Low utilization. When everyone receives the same package, a large portion of the budget is wasted on benefits nobody uses. SHRM studies indicate that up to 40% of spending on generic benefits generates no real impact on employee satisfaction.

Operational complexity. Managing agreements with multiple providers, processing manual reimbursements, and handling exceptions by country or segment consumes HR team time that should be focused on strategy.

Generational disconnect. A multigenerational workforce has radically different needs. Offering the same package to everyone ignores this reality and diminishes the perceived value of the benefits program.

What results do companies achieve with Maslow?

Companies that implement flexible benefits with Maslow report measurable improvements in their talent metrics:

• Benefits satisfaction: +35% within the first 6 months.
• Budget utilization: 85-95% vs 40-60% in traditional models.
• Talent retention: 20-30% reduction in voluntary turnover.
• Administration time: -70% of hours spent on benefits management.
• Employer branding: improved Glassdoor scores and internal surveys.

98% of employees consider their well-being to be just as important as their salary, and 88% of HR leaders say that wellness programs improve retention. Flexible benefits are the most direct way to meet these expectations.

How is Maslow implemented at a company?

Maslow's implementation follows a guided process that requires no technical development:

1. Initial assessment (week 1): The Maslow team analyzes the current benefits structure, identifies improvement opportunities, and proposes an initial configuration.
2. Platform setup (week 2): Employees are loaded into the system, business rules are defined, categories are configured, and payroll integration is set up if needed.
3. Launch and communication (week 3): Maslow provides internal communication materials and training so employees understand how to use the platform.
4. Ongoing monitoring and optimization: Regular meetings with the Customer Success team to review usage metrics and fine-tune the configuration.

The platform integrates with the leading HR and payroll systems on the market, including SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, and local systems in each country. It also offers SSO for simplified login.

Frequently asked questions about flexible benefits

Do flexible benefits cost anything for the employee? No. The budget is allocated by the company and the employee distributes it freely. There are no hidden costs or additional salary deductions.

In which countries is Maslow available? Maslow operates in more than 25 countries, with a strong presence in Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Peru) and operations in the United States, Spain, and other markets.

How long does implementation take? The standard process takes between 2 and 3 weeks from kick-off to launch. For companies with more than 5,000 employees or complex integrations, it can extend to 4-5 weeks.

Can it integrate with our current payroll system? Yes. Maslow offers native integrations with SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, and open APIs to connect with any payroll or HRIS system.

What level of customization does the platform allow? Full customization. Each company can define categories, amounts, spending caps, segment-specific rules, and even the platform's visual appearance with their own branding (white-label).