New research has claimed companies are failing their employees when it comes to workplace benefits by lacking those that are most desired, and even by offering some that are not.
Data from an Alight survey of 1,400 employees in the UK and Europe found only 38% of whom believe their workplace benefits meet their needs. However, a second survey of 420 mid-sized and large British and European businesses found as many as 57% of employers believe that workers’ needs are being met.
Looking ahead, it concludes that communication between employers and employees holds the greatest power for change, though this is made more challenging by the emerging AI environment that’s set to fundamentally change how we collaborate and communicate.
Are my workplace benefits good?
Over three-quarters (77%) of employers believe that their benefits exceeded local requirements, however precisely how far they had been exceeded remains unclear because only 34% of workers agreed that there was substantially more on offer compared with basic requirements.
As workers and businesses feel the pinch of a tightening economy, many fear that their benefits may not be what they once were. Medical protection and other financial assistance benefits will likely be the most desired in the year to come. Still, some businesses continue to offer token gestures that do very little to please their employees.
Alight Business Development VP Jan Pieter Janssen explained that organizations should take a “proactive approach” to bridge the evident gap between employer and employee sentiments, citing benefit awareness and utilization, higher ROI, enhanced employee wellbeing, and new talent acquisition as key benefits.
The report found that organizations fundamentally need to double down on communicating with workers, finding that omnichannel methods are most suitable for spreading the message and obtaining a better understanding, which includes AI chatbots.
