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In an ideal world, employees would be offered a bounty of benefits to meet all their health and wellbeing needs—and employers would have an unlimited budget to make it happen! In the real world, there’s no magic formula to achieve this benefits nirvana, but we can get close—by making sure the benefits offered are ones employees actually want.
In MetLife’s annual employee benefits satisfaction study, they found a significant gap between what companies think employees want and what employees say they want. On average, nearly 22% more employers than employees state that their employees’ needs are being met, which means it’s crucial to discover whether your benefits are giving your employees enough support.
Which is why we’ve assembled the most desired benefit offerings in the country. It might take a little legwork, but it’s worth it to compare, research, and get a head start on offering a varied and comprehensive benefits package that will keep your employees satisfied.
The workforce has changed rapidly in the past few years. With an increase in remote working environments, the added stress of the economy and inflation, and the lingering concerns of the pandemic, employees are looking for ways to make time spent at work (and away from work) productive, rewarding, and balanced.
Flexible work hours and working from home have become extremely popular in the past few years. Being able to work around appointments, childcare, emergencies, and other needs plays a significant role in job satisfaction.
Early-leave Fridays and four-day work weeks have been in the spotlight lately. While these offerings won’t work for every workplace, new studies have shown that workers are actually more productive despite a reduction in work hours/days—showing as much as a 40% increase in productivity gains and an increase in job satisfaction.
Employees are asking for time off for more than just vacation or sick days. When job hunting, many workers look for a company’s policy on mental health days, miscarriage leave, or family leave beyond state requirements, such as parental leave for both mothers and fathers.
Fertility benefits are becoming increasingly sought after by many employees who wish to start or grow their family. From infertility help to childcare support, and even adoption assistance, these benefits show you care about your employee’s family and future.
Companies that provide mental health benefits, such as access to meditation and therapy apps, coaching programs, or an Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), have seen an increase in employee engagement, wellbeing, and productivity. With mental health care usage on the rise, these benefit offerings will continue to be important for years to come. In a similar vein, gender support, often through the medical carrier, has become a popular addition to benefit suites too—with the bonus of promoting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.
With the future unclear, many employees, especially those nearing retirement, value financial security more than ever. According to the MetLife study, over 55% of employees claim they do not feel financially healthy, but you can change that.
Fewer companies are providing pension programs than in years past, so it’s important to help employees become retirement-ready. Consider adding a company-sponsored retirement plan or increasing the company’s contribution to a 401(k) plan. Giving your employees the opportunity to save for their future can ease financial stress now and throughout retirement. Plus, they’ll have an emergency fund if they need it, which helps them in times of need.
Supplemental health benefits bring your employees comfort too, and are often employee-funded, which makes it a lower-cost benefit to offer. With programs, such as accident, critical illness, or hospital indemnity insurance, employees benefit from lower group rates and receive cash payments if they experience medical challenges.
Our pets are an important part of our family. Pet insurance is a meaningful, cost-saving benefit for those with furry loved ones. Employees can save money on premium costs, spend less on veterinary care, and have a healthy pet by their side—with the added bonus of a mental health boost.
Many of us would welcome the opportunity to improve ourselves. This could mean becoming more successful at our job, learning skills to advance our career, and being the healthiest version of ourselves. By investing in your workforce, you also get to reap the benefits of a qualified, fulfilled, and healthy workforce.
Build a culture of wellness with programs that encourage healthy lifestyle choices. Add low and no-cost fitness and wellbeing options from carrier-sponsored benefits and discounted fitness tools to apps and programs that help employees quit smoking, manage chronic conditions, improve musculoskeletal issues, encourage exercise, and more.
Offering options for mentorship or training programs can help get your workforce certified or build a stronger culture, both things that employees value greatly.
If your workforce is on the younger side, providing student loan assistance or a tuition reimbursement program can mean the world to them, especially if it opens the door to higher level positions for them in the process.
Last but not least, are reasonably priced, core benefits. These are crucial to a healthy, supported workforce. With health care costs continuing to rise, it can be difficult for employers to offer rich benefit programs at affordable prices—but it’s not impossible. Basic benefits like medical, dental, vision, and life insurance are still vital for employees.
Provide the best options possible and then remind employees about the resources available to them throughout the year via postcards, emails, or intranet messaging— but don’t stop there. Show employees the full value of their benefits by providing personalized compensation statements every year.
When it comes to benefits, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Open communication and a willingness to respond to what employees want will ensure a happy, healthy workforce. With a little creativity and a lot of heart, employees will not only feel supported—they’ll feel valued.
Want employees to know you hear them? We can help you get the word out!
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Providing the highest level of hospitality is important to us. Surveys give us the feedback we need to continually meet this goal. We’re pretty proud of our Net Promoter Score (NPS). Here’s why:
NPS is based on the percentage of survey respondents who are promoters, passives, and detractors:
Scores range from -100 to 100. The higher the score, the higher the percentage of promoters versus detractors.
| Above 0: Good |
| Above 20: Favorable |
| Above 50: Excellent |
| Above 80: World Class |
*Bain & Company, creators of NPS
