Almost three out of four employers (73 per cent) say they intend to enhance their employee benefits packages in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
These finding were contained in Gallagher’s latest Benefits Strategy and Benchmarking survey.
The report found that seven out of 10 workers were working remotely at the height of the UK lockdown, and several large corporations have signalled a more permanent move to home working.
Furthermore it found 62 per cent of employers now allow employees to work from home regularly, with several companies intending to maintain more flexible working practices long term.
Gallagher’s found half of the organisation surveyed intend to invest in multi-channel digital capability for internal communication to improve and enhance employee connection and engagement under these new circumstances. A total of one in two 1 in 2 internal communicators surveyed, said their organisation’s digital set-up just isn’t good enough at present.
Overall Gallagher says report identified three main priorities for employers, as companies adapt to ‘the new normal’.
The first was implementing an effective digital platform to support flexible working patterns.
The second was to establish and communicate a clear purpose narrative; and the third was to strengthen environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) commitments to align with individual benefits.
Gallagher’s UK Employee Benefits Consulting Division CEO Nick Burns says: “In a post-Covid world, where workforces are more disparate and borderless than ever before, benefit communications will play a key role in re-engaging employees.
“Investing in these digital channels and ensuring they are fit for purpose will be key for boosting morale and maintaining a productive workforce.
“It is also clear from this year’s reports that with so many people now working from home, creating a sense of belonging has had to be approached differently. Those who focus on aligning a company’s purpose with their benefit offering, ESG strategies and general governance will come out on top.”