Understanding and being responsive to employees’ benefit needs:

Employee benefits satisfaction surveys and employee benefits opinion surveys gather information about employees’ needs for benefits, their awareness about benefits and their satisfaction with employee benefits. Both internal company benefits planners and benefits planning firms get significant value from the information and insight gathered by these surveys.

Employee benefits are a key driver of employee satisfaction and engagement. Well-designed employee benefit plans are based on employee desires and needs, and they strengthen an organization’s ability to attract and retain employees.

Most employee benefits plans are very costly to both companies and their employees. Designing benefits plans using employee feedback based on their needs can provide greater value from benefits dollars spent by both companies and employees, and help to avoid costs that provide little value to some employees. The data provided by employee benefit opinion surveys enables companies to customize their employee benefits programs to meet the ever changing needs of their diverse set of employees.

Employees with families need different benefits than unmarried employees without children. Younger employees’ needs are often different than those of middle-aged employees, whose needs are different than employees near retirement need.

Employee benefit surveys include questions about effectiveness of administration as well as determining satisfaction with the benefits themselves. Employees are often not aware of the details surrounding plans and specific employee benefits. Accordingly, these surveys should include questions about employees’ awareness of and their satisfaction with availability of employee benefits information and advice.

Employee benefits satisfaction surveys can focus on all or just specific benefits. Depending on your organization’s employee benefit program, employee benefits opinion surveys can include questions about medical and dental insurance, disability insurance, retirement plans, life insurance, child care, eldercare for aging parents of employees, and a wide range of other benefits.

Some of the topics that are typically included in an Employee Benefits Survey are:

• Familiarity with the program

• Awareness of where and how to get information about the program

• Effectiveness of people and service centers providing assistance and information

• Ease of signing up for and making changes

• Preferences for how to learn about available benefits

• Employees’ opinions about their cost for purchasing benefits

• Satisfaction with the program and with specific benefits

• Satisfaction with providers (e.g. health insurance & retirement plan providers)

• Identifying reasons why employees do not sign up for specific benefits

• Perception of current benefits plan vs. competitors' plans

• Likelihood of employee retention/attrition due to benefits plans

• Employees’ suggestions for improving the program

Employee benefits surveys generate a strong payback:

• Getting greater value from your company’s benefits dollars spent

• Making changes to the program and based on employee benefits survey results and what employees need

• Identifying changes to your company’s employee benefits plan that will help to attract new employees and retain existing employees

• Increasing employee satisfaction and performance, and enhancing your organization’s "employer of choice" status

Conducting an Employee Benefit Survey – Final Thoughts:

Employee benefits surveys provide actionable information from an organization’s employees about their needs and their satisfaction with the programs. Conducting an employee benefit opinion survey enables an organization to develop and provide better plans that are in tune with employees’ needs, leading to increased employee satisfaction and engagement and an enhanced "employer of choice" reputation for the organization.