Kristina Singleton
03-08-2026
Employee benefits are often discussed in terms of financial value, engagement and return on investment. But behind every successful benefits strategy is something much more human: the opportunity to help people feel valued, supported and connected.
That’s why tastecard is proud to be sponsoring the opening keynote at Employee Benefits Live 2026, presented by global relationship expert, coach and bestselling author Paul C. Brunson.
This continues tastecard’s support for the opening keynote at Employee Benefits Live, following our sponsorship of Jill Scott’s session in 2025. After seeing the energy and conversation last year’s keynote created, we’re delighted to once again support one of the event’s standout sessions.
Taking place at 9:45am on Tuesday 13 October, “The power of human connection in the workplace” will open this year’s employee benefits conference at ExCeL London and explore a subject with growing relevance for employers and their people.
Why human connection matters in the workplace
Paul C. Brunson has built a global platform around helping people understand their relationships and create healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Alongside his television appearances on Married at First Sight UK and Celebs Go Dating, Paul hosts the relationship-focused podcast We Need To Talk and is the author of three books exploring how people can find, build and maintain stronger relationships.
While his work reaches far beyond the workplace, its central themes are highly relevant to employee wellbeing. The relationships people have with colleagues, friends, family and their wider communities can all shape how supported, engaged and fulfilled they feel.
For employers, this creates an opportunity to think about workplace wellbeing more broadly and consider how their employee benefits proposition can support life both inside and outside work.
Employee benefits can create opportunities to connect
Employee benefits cannot create meaningful relationships on their own. However, they can make it easier for people to enjoy the everyday experiences around which those relationships grow.
That might mean meeting a colleague for coffee, sharing a meal with friends, taking the family to the cinema or planning an affordable day out together.
These may feel like small moments, but they can play a meaningful role in helping people switch off, spend quality time with others and enjoy a healthier work-life balance.
At the same time, continued pressure on household finances means employees may be cutting back on many of these experiences. Benefits that provide relevant, everyday savings can help salaries stretch further while making social and leisure activities more accessible.
That combination of practical financial wellbeing support and real-life relevance can turn an employee benefit from something people simply receive into something they genuinely value and use.
Building employee benefits around real life
The strongest employee benefits strategies recognise that employees are individuals with different interests, routines and responsibilities.
Offering choice across frequently used categories such as dining, coffee, cinema and days out gives employees the flexibility to access value in ways that work for them. It can also create more regular opportunities for engagement than benefits designed only for occasional or unexpected moments.
For employers, this can support an employee benefits proposition that:
Ultimately, employee benefits are at their most powerful when they reflect how people really live.
Join us at Employee Benefits Live 2026
Paul C. Brunson’s opening keynote, “The power of human connection in the workplace”, will take place on Stage 1 at 9:45am on Tuesday 13 October.
The tastecard team will also be exhibiting throughout EB Live 2026, taking place on 13–14 October at ExCeL London.
Visit us on stand E41 to discover how tastecard can bring relevant, everyday value to your employee benefits proposition, support financial wellbeing and help employees make more of the moments that bring people together.
Everyday employee benefits that make a difference
At Ello Group, we help organisations create employee benefits propositions that support financial wellbeing, work-life balance and everyday employee engagement. Through our tailored loyalty and rewards solutions, employees can access relevant benefits they’ll genuinely use, including dining discounts, coffee rewards, and cinema savings and entertainment benefits.
Whether tastecard is included within a wider employee benefits platform or offered as a standalone employee discount scheme, it can help employers provide meaningful everyday value, stretch employees’ salaries further and encourage ongoing benefits engagement.
Get in touch with the Ello Group team to explore an employee benefits solution shaped around your organisation and its people.
