Two-thirds of employers who track employee appreciation of benefits believe their staff highly value them, but only 21 per cent of employees agree, according to Grid
According to Grid, around 81 per cent of employers measure employees’ appreciation of the employee benefits that they receive.
Employers use various methods to gauge employee appreciation, including informal feedback to managers or HR (46 per cent), feedback/suggestion boxes (46 per cent), official staff surveys (45 per cent), employee benefits forums (40 per cent), and online activity tracking (39 per cent).
Grid suggests that employers should highlight the value of benefits, ensure employees understand them, and simplify access to improve appreciation. If appreciation remains low following these efforts, employers should reconsider the adequacy of the benefits provided.
Gris also believes that quantifying appreciation is important, but it must be combined with effective communication. Benefits, particularly group risk (life assurance, income protection, critical illness), should be updated on a regular basis to ensure that employees appreciate their importance in terms of mental health, rehabilitation, and prevention needs.
Grid spokesperson Katharine Moxham says: “We know that communication and appreciation are inextricably linked, as employees tend to value benefits more highly when they have a good understanding of what is available.
“We saw how quickly employee benefits providers pivoted to offer support for Covid during the pandemic and, while this was an extreme situation, providers are constantly evolving their products to reflect employee and employer needs.
“Ensuring employees appreciate the employee benefits they are offered goes hand in hand with sentiment towards their employer as a whole. Organisations who clearly demonstrate that they care about their staff by offering appropriate employee benefits are more likely to earn the loyalty of their people.