Staff not interested in their employee benefits? Here’s the answer!

Half of UK directors are seeing a poor uptake of employee benefits, according to a survey by Nous.

So, what’s going on?

A few issues seem to be leading staff to turn away from the employee benefits available to them.

Thankfully, they can all be remedied.

Let’s delve deeper…

Need help finding the best employee benefits for your workforce? Contact our friendly award-winning team on 01273 222805 or drop us an email at [email protected].

Data from Nous: why the lack of interest in employee benefits?

Nous’s survey of 500 UK HR Directors revealed some of the key reasons for staff disinterest:

• Three in five (62%) agreed that the benefits they currently offer ‘don’t address what people really need’ or were ‘only useful to some of the workforce’.
• One in five (18%) of respondents said employee benefits were difficult to access.
• A third (32%) of respondents agreed that leveraging certain employee benefits required too much effort.
• Twenty percent of HR leaders admitted that there was either a lack of onboarding for employee benefits initiatives or onboarding was inadequate.
• A further 20% believe employees were unaware of available benefits on offer.

How to overcome staff disinterest in employee benefits

Communicate across the business:

It’s important to tell employees all about their new benefits, how to access them, and how to make claims.

Because let’s be honest: if your employees aren’t aware of the benefits on offer and how to access them, what’s the point of investing in them in the first place?

Keeping staff in the loop is so important, but you can also train managers to signpost the support that’s there for staff.

We suggest arranging:

• Group meetings
• Group presentations
• One-to-one meetings
• Group messaging via WhatsApp, email, or any other work channel
• Poster campaigns
• Employee benefits platforms

Note: Hooray often helps businesses introduce benefits to their teams, whether that’s through training videos, webinars, online Q&As or written guidance.

Tell staff exactly what’s on offer:

Even if staff know what’s available from employers, they might not know what those benefits do. Most employee benefits do what they say on the tin, but providers also include “added-value” services within products.

But staff need to know about them!

Let’s use Group Health Insurance as an example. Group Health Insurance is a type of private medical insurance that gives staff access to a wide range of medical treatments and services.

However, most Group Health insurers also offer added services, including one or more of the following:

• Employee Assistance Programmes: These programmes (usually housed on digital platforms) help staff with emotional and mental health support, including access to counselling services and a variety of self-service support services.
• Dental care / Optical coverage: Often purchased within a private health insurance scheme, this extra cover is useful to all staff members – we all have to look after our teeth and eyesight, right?!
• Virtual GP services: Often accessible via online or digital apps.
• Health Screening: Helps flag-up any potential health problems in advance, enabling early treatment or avoiding a health problem altogether.
• Discounted gym memberships / wellbeing classes: Often offered within a health insurance scheme at a discounted rate to help staff get their regular dose of fitness.

Need help finding the right employee benefit at the right price? Introduce yourself to our friendly team and we’ll be happy to answer all your questions. PLUS, we’ll provide quotes especially for your business. Email [email protected] or call 01273 222805 for FREE one-to-one advice and support.

Make it user-friendly with employee benefits platforms:

Using online benefits platforms will keep all your employee benefits information and services in one place, easily accessible to staff 24/7.

How can employee benefits platforms help?

• Easier to access for staff – they don’t have to ask a manager or HR department when they need to use or access a benefit.
• Employees can sign up just for the benefits they want with clear guidance in place.
• Offers flexibility to staff, giving them more control of their health and wellbeing.
• Streamlines the onboarding process, making products and schemes easier to access for staff.
• The value and usage of each benefit can be tracked by businesses! This means you can see which benefits are most useful to staff and which aren’t, eliminating that ‘lack of interest’ and sifting out the most unpopular services.

Find out what staff really want:

Start by asking them! This might seem too obvious, but it’s surprising how many businesses we come across that have missed this initial step.

Each member of staff will inevitably have different priorities and needs when it comes to employee benefits. We would recommend, off-the-bat, providing a list of options for staff to rank in order of importance, so all needs are covered. For example the list could include:

• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Dental cover
• Mental health support
• Gym discounts
• Health cash plan
• Income protection
• Retail discounts
• Flexi or remote working arrangements

With the depth and range available in the market, there is something out there for everyone!

Your employee benefits offerings must be staying ahead of the game. This means keeping up with current trends in health and wellbeing (such as interest in menopause support or support with cost-of-living) and responding to the changing needs of the workforce.

For example, the Nous survey outlines the most popular benefits currently offered by surveyed employers were:

• Flexible working
• Enhanced pension
• Enhanced holiday leave
• Private health and / or dental care
• Free food / drink at work

But this list can change just ‘like that’.

Enlist the help of an employee benefits broker

At Hooray, we talk you through all options available across the market. Our award-winning service comes at no extra charge, so you’ve got nothing to lose from contacting our team. You can quiz us about health and protection schemes or collect quotes tailored to your business.

Contact us at [email protected] or call 01273 222805 for FREE one-to-one advice and support.