EXCLUSIVE: Seven in 10 cite engagement as the main issue driving benefit strategy

EXCLUSIVE: Seven in 10 (71%) respondents see driving employee engagement as the main issue influencing their benefits strategies, according to research by Employee Benefits.

The Benefits research 2019, published in May 2019, found that when it comes to the issues shaping benefits strategies, the same items sit at the top as in 2018, but the desire to improve employee engagement has moved back into first position, where it sat between 2011 and 2017, cited by 71% of respondents compared with 63% in 2018.

This is followed by the wish to be seen as an employer of choice (67%). Employee influence or expectations is the third key issue, identified by 46% compared to 53% in 2018.

Another notable difference is that the presence of a multi-generational workforce is shaping the benefits strategy at less than a third of respondents’ organisations (31%) compared with nearly half (49%) in 2018.

Perhaps due to the difficulty of planning for events shrouded in uncertainty, the vote for Brexit continues to influence a small percentage of employers, being listed by 3% in 2019 and 4% in 2018. It will be interesting to see how this changes when, or indeed if, Brexit goes ahead, and organisations are able to quantify and react to its impacts.

Click to download Employee BenefitsBenefits research 2019