Employers admit that too few employees fully understand their workplace benefits, according to research from Towergate Employee Benefits.
The research, with 500 HR decision makers, showed that just 39 percent of employers believe their employees have a good understanding of the full range of employee benefits provided.
Researchers found that the rise in hybrid working is having some impact on communicating benefits to employees. Almost one in four (38 percent) employers said they now find it more difficult to communicate the support on offer because many employees work from home some or all of the time.
As a result, 62 percent of employers said they now communicate health and wellbeing support more regularly. However, 43 percent of employers said it is difficult to target specific messages to specific groups of the workforce, suggesting that ensuring communications are relevant for employees is still an issue.
Debra Clark, head of wellbeing at Towergate Employee Benefits, said: “It’s positive to see that employers are clearly aware that communication of employee benefits is important, however in many cases, the current processes are not sufficient. What needs to happen now is for employers to fully understand the options open to them and to harness the tools to improve benefits communication.”
The use of digital communication channels has increased, as 55 percent of employers said they now concentrate more on digital health and wellbeing messaging via apps and digital platforms. Researchers said this is possibly in response to the increase in hybrid working as it enables employers to reach more people on a more individual basis.
In addition, more than a third of employers said sharing information digitally made it easier for employees to see all their benefits in one place (34 percent) and that it made it easier for employees to use their benefits (32 percent).
A third of employers said apps and digital platforms have helped them communicate company benefits (33 percent) to staff, with 32 percent highlighting that it enables employees to access their benefits at any time.
Just under a third (31 percent) said it helps employees make personal choices about which benefits to choose.
Clark said: “Employee understanding of benefits needs to be a core priority and this will only come with careful communication. If employees do not know about, and understand the benefits on offer, then they will not make use of them, and the employers will not receive the value for the business.”
