Employees value their benefits more than ever and half would turn down a job if there were no spouse benefits, a couple of new studies show.

According to Guardian's 2014 Workplace Benefits Study, despite employers shifting more of the cost burden to their shoulders, and moving more and more towards Consumer-Driven Benefits, employees still rank the importance of their benefits package on a scale of 1 to 10 as a 7.1 in 2014, up from 6.8 two years ago.1  In addition, a new survey conducted by Harris in January for Spherion staffing, found 46% of employees would turn down a new job that doesn’t offer benefits for spouses.2

“These findings illustrate that many workers are making their personal lives, their relationships and their families their top priorities, even ahead of their careers, in many instances,” says Sandy Mazur, Spherion’s division president. “For most employees, work/life balance is a top priority and their job responsibilities must be able to be integrated into their personal lives for them to define their careers as successful.”2

Even though the Guardian survey found that almost half of employers said they are planning on asking employees to take more responsibility for decision-making and in paying for their benefits, employees were more likely to agree that their benefits plan met their needs and were affordable than in 2012, agreeing that the plan had a positive effect on both their personal health & wellness as well as on their financial security.1  

More than 80 percent said that insurance and retirement benefits were an important factor in deciding to stay with an employer and in taking a job with a new one, and more than 80 percent get all of their disability and health insurance through their employer.1

Employees at firms who offer wellness programs rated their benefits package higher (7.7) than employees at firms who don't (6.3).1

The Spherion survey showed that nearly three out of four survey respondents whose employers offer
spousal benefits said they are more likely to stay with the firm because of these benefits; while more than three in four employees, or 78%, who don’t receive spousal benefits said they would be more likely to stay at their company if spousal benefits were offered.2

Likewise, 72% of workers who receive spousal benefits said they are more satisfied with their job because their employer offers these benefits; and 77% of respondents who do not receive spousal benefits said they would be more satisfied if their employer provided them.2

Interestingly,  the Spherion survey also found that 70% of employees believe it’s more important for them to prioritize their personal life over their career; and 72% of men and 73% of women said they were willing to focus less on their career for the sake of their partner’s career and family life.2

The Guardian study did expose the biggest challenge in moving to Consumer-Driven Benefits -- helping employees understand their plans in order to make the best decisions.  When it comes to health benefits, over 75% of employers surveyed admitted they are not prepared to discuss benefit plan changes with their employees.1  

“The reality within the industry today is that employees are being asked to shoulder increasing
responsibility for their benefits, so it’s extremely important they have a solid understanding of
their options and personal relevance of the benefits offered,” Phyllis Falotico, assistant vice
president of group marketing at Guardian, said in a statement. “While the responsibility of
benefits costs may be shifting, it’s still essential for companies to ensure that their employees
have expert financial planning advice and a clear understanding of which workplace benefits
are best for their particular situation.”1


For instance, employees making their own investment decisions without the assistance of an investment adviser, are not likely to be making much progress, Guardian found. When asked to rate their progress toward financial goals, DIYers lagged employees who are working with a financial professional in every category.1

In an effort to mitigate costs, about 40 percent of employers are adding employee-paid voluntary benefits and 31 percent are actually replacing their current benefit offerings with voluntary benefits, shifting 100% of the benefit cost and decision-making to employees.1

Sixty percent of employers outsource their medical and voluntary benefits to a third party administrator, while more than half use a third party to manage their non-medical benefits.1

Only 1 percent said they planned to drop their health insurance offering altogether, most said they were considering introducing wellness and prevention programs alongside high deductible plans.1

The take away?  Employees still value their benefits package, even with more cost sharing -- but they will need assistance in transitioning to primary decision-making.  We're here to help.


1 Benefits Pro 
http://www.benefitspro.com/2014/02/26/even-with-cost-sharing-workers-still-prize-benefit captured 3/3/14
2 Employee Benefits News
http://eba.benefitnews.com/news/half-of-candidates-would-turn-down-a-job-that-doesnt-offer-this-benefit-2739390-1.html captured 3/3/14