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Guest Blog by Sarah Falk, Wishbone
The most successful Professional Employer Organizations have always been early adopters of benefits trends that help their clients compete for talent and improve employee satisfaction.
From telehealth and financial wellness programs to lifestyle benefits, PEOs have a history of identifying emerging needs and bringing solutions to market before they become standard offerings.
Pet benefits represent the next opportunity for PEOs to help clients modernize their benefits strategy.
Pet ownership in the United States has reached a level that benefits professionals can no longer overlook. Approximately two-thirds of U.S. households own at least one pet, meaning a significant portion of today’s workforce is managing the financial and emotional responsibilities that come with pet ownership. For many employees, pets are considered part of the family, and the benefits they receive from their employer increasingly reflect that reality.
For PEOs, this shift creates an opportunity to provide additional value to clients through a voluntary benefit that is relevant, affordable and easy to implement.
Why Pet Benefits Are Becoming More Relevant
The workforce continues to change, and employee expectations around benefits are evolving with it. Employees are looking beyond traditional health and retirement offerings and seeking benefits that support their overall lifestyle.
Millennials and Gen Z employees, who now represent a significant portion of the workforce (36% and 18%, respectively, according to 2024 data from the U.S. Labor Department, the most recent available), have helped accelerate demand for benefits that address personal priorities. Pet ownership is particularly common among these generations, and many employees view support for their pets as an important part of their overall financial and personal well-being.
At the same time, veterinary costs have increased significantly over the past several years—faster than inflation. Unexpected veterinary expenses can create financial stress for employees, particularly when emergency care is required. Benefits that help employees manage these costs can provide meaningful value while supporting broader employer goals around employee satisfaction and retention.
Pet Benefits as a Strategic Advantage for PEOs
PEOs differentiate themselves by helping clients navigate challenges and offering solutions that improve employee experience. A strong voluntary benefits strategy can be an important part of that value proposition.
Pet benefits can help PEOs:
- Strengthen client relationships: Introducing relevant benefits before clients request them demonstrates a proactive approach and reinforces the PEO’s role as a strategic partner.
- Support employee attraction and retention: As competition for talent continues, benefits that reflect employees’ everyday needs can help clients stand out in the marketplace.
- Enhance benefits offerings without increasing employer costs: Many voluntary benefits are employee-paid, allowing organizations to expand their benefits portfolio without adding employer expense.
- Create differentiation in a competitive market: For PEOs competing for new business, a broader and more modern benefits offering can become a meaningful point of distinction.
Understanding the Pet Benefits Landscape
As demand for pet benefits grows, it is important for PEOs to recognize that employees have different needs when it comes to caring for their pets. Some employees are looking for ways to reduce everyday pet-care expenses while others are focused on preparing for larger, unexpected costs.
Today’s pet benefit solutions can support both needs. Everyday pet-care benefits can provide access to savings on routine veterinary services, prescriptions, pet supplies and other common expenses, which helps employees receive value throughout the year. Additional resources, such as virtual veterinary support and pet wellness tools, can further enhance the employee’s experience.
For employees seeking additional financial protection, pet insurance can help offset eligible veterinary expenses associated with accidents and illnesses.
For PEOs, the opportunity is to offer a pet benefit strategy that is inclusive, practical and relevant to a wide range of employees. Solutions that deliver ongoing value while remaining simple to implement can strengthen the overall benefits package and reinforce the PEO’s role as a strategic partner.
What PEOs Should Consider When Evaluating Pet Benefit Partners
As with any voluntary benefit, successful implementation depends on choosing the right partner. PEOs should consider several important factors:
- Integration capabilities: Solutions that work with existing payroll and benefits administration systems help reduce administrative burden and create a smoother employee experience.
- Ease of administration: The strongest voluntary benefits require minimal involvement from HR teams and PEO service teams after implementation.
- Employee communication support: A benefit’s success depends on awareness and understanding. Partners that provide enrollment materials, education and ongoing support can improve participation.
- Flexible plan options: Different clients have different workforce demographics and needs. Offering solutions that accommodate a variety of employees can increase overall adoption.
- Experience with employer-sponsored benefits: A partner familiar with PEO and employer environments understands the importance of operational efficiency, compliance considerations and scalability.
Taking the Next Step
For PEOs considering adding pet benefits, the process does not need to be complicated. Start by evaluating current voluntary benefit offerings and identifying opportunities to expand the overall benefits strategy.
Gathering client feedback can also help validate demand and provide insight into how pet benefits should be positioned. Many PEOs find that introducing new benefits during open enrollment or client review conversations creates a natural opportunity to demonstrate additional value.
A pilot program with select clients can also provide valuable insight before expanding the offering more broadly. This approach allows teams to evaluate communication strategies, enrollment processes and employee engagement.
The Future of Voluntary Benefits
As employee expectations continue to evolve, PEOs have an opportunity to lead rather than follow. Pet benefits are becoming an increasingly relevant part of the broader voluntary benefits landscape. This gives PEOs another way to help clients provide meaningful benefits while strengthening long-term relationships.
Organizations that identify emerging benefit trends and make them accessible to their clients are better positioned to remain trusted advisers in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
About Pet Benefit Solutions
Wishbone is a PrismHR Marketplace partner providing a fully integrated benefit through PrismHR Benefits Enrollment. Designed with PEOs in mind, the solution is built for a streamlined implementation experience, which allows organizations to add pet benefits without creating additional administrative burden.
With an affordable plan design, broad employee appeal and a focus on everyday pet-care savings, Wishbone helps PEOs deliver a benefit that employees value and actively use. The company’s simple implementation process, technology integration and strong enrollment engagement make it a practical addition to modern voluntary benefit strategies.
Sarah Falk is vice president of voluntary benefits at Wishbone. Falk has 10 years of experience specializing in strategic partnerships across the PEO, HRO, ASO, TPA, and broker markets. Sarah’s focus is on creating solutions that are easy to implement, scalable and valuable to employers and employees. Throughout her career, Sarah has led benefits administration integrations and collaborated with organizations to successfully launch and expand voluntary benefit programs across diverse client populations.
