Hourly and gig workers are often the employees who would benefit most from good coverage - and the least likely to enroll. The reasons aren’t about caring less. They’re structural, and each one is solvable.

Barrier 1: Time

Frontline workers don’t sit at a desk with an open browser during enrollment. They’re on a floor, in a vehicle, or between shifts. A portal that assumes uninterrupted desktop time simply doesn’t reach them. The fix is mobile-first communication on SMS, WhatsApp, and voice, channels they already check.

Barrier 2: Language

Benefits jargon is hard in any language, and harder in a second one. When the only materials are English-first PDFs, a large share of the workforce is effectively excluded. Communication in plain English and Spanish, conversationally, removes that barrier.

Barrier 3: Trust and clarity

Workers who can’t tell whether a plan is a good deal default to skepticism, and to doing nothing. Decision support that explains, in concrete terms, why a given plan fits their life replaces doubt with confidence.

Designing around the barriers

  • Meet workers on mobile channels, not just a portal.
  • Communicate in the languages your workforce actually speaks.
  • Replace jargon with personal, plain-language guidance.
  • Make enrollment a few taps, not a 20-page reading assignment.

The payoff

When you design for how hourly and gig workers actually live, participation rises and the whole risk pool gets healthier. SKY was built from the ground up for exactly these workforces, meeting people where they are, in their language, with answers they can act on.