Less than a quarter (24%) of respondents are happy with their workplace benefits package, according to research by health and wellbeing provider Benenden.
Its survey of 2,000 employees also found that 28% of respondents believe a good benefits offering increases their loyalty to their employer.
The survey also found:
- 23% of respondents say that a strong benefits package boosts their morale and makes them feel like their employer cares about them.
- 76% of respondents think that their employer should do more for staff in relation to employee benefits.
- Around a fifth (21%) of respondents cite healthcare as their top ranked benefit, followed by a workplace pension (19%) and a monetary bonus (10%).
- 76% of respondents do not currently have a healthcare offering, but of those respondents that do receive this benefit, 78% value it highly.
- 8% of respondents aged 18-24 value a gym membership as part of their benefits package, compared to 1% of employees aged 55 and over.
- 9% of respondents aged 35-44 and 45-54 years old highly rate flexible working, compared to only 4% of respondents aged 18-24 years old and 5% of those aged 55 and over.
- 41% of respondents did not have a workplace pension prior to the introduction of auto-enrolment, yet 77% highly value pension schemes.
- 17% of respondents would value bringing their pet to work, 14% would like the benefit of freezing their eggs for fertility purposes and 9% rate having a fruit bowl in their place of work.
Helen Smith, business development director at Benenden, said: “There’s clearly a disconnect between the benefits being provided to employees and the benefits they want and value. It’s important that employers understand what motivates their staff and implement benefit packages that make a difference.
“It has become increasingly common for employers to offer weird and wonderful sounding benefits, in an attempt to stand out and attract employees in an increasingly competitive market. However, the more traditional benefits such as healthcare packages, pension schemes and bonuses are clearly still the most valued.”