Research from GRiD, the industry body for the group risk sector, has found two in five employers admit that the take-up of employee benefits is left for employees to initiate themselves. This has revealed a key gap between simply informing employees that benefits exist and actively encouraging them to engage.
In the same research, GRiD found that 71 per cent of employers anticipate that they will struggle with recruitment this year, and 95 per cent of those say that it will have an impact on their business such as reduced productivity (32 per cent), disruption to business continuity (30 per cent), negative impact on other staff, for example, from increased workload, (27 per cent) and a lack of expertise in the business (26 per cent).
“We would very much encourage employers not to leave it to staff to take up employee benefits themselves,” says Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD. “Proactive communications on health and wellbeing support must be prioritised by employers to help retain their current employees and reduce the challenge of finding and hiring new staff.”
In terms of the ways employers currently communicate the employee benefits they offer to employees:
- 30 per cent do so in a welcome pack
- 28 per cent in a staff handbook
- 24 per cent inform employees on day one of employment
- 22 per cent via email campaigns
- 21 per cent inform staff before day one of employment or in an offer letter
- 21 per cent use staff noticeboards
- 20 per cent share information via a company intranet
- 19 per cent do so before recruitment, for example, in job adverts
- 19 per cent make use of support from benefit advisors, providers and suppliers, such as running employee benefit days
- 18 per cent have employee benefits or wellbeing champions (staff)
- 17 per cent via benefits platforms and/or apps
Repetition matters
Consistently and regularly reinforcing employee benefits messages across multiple channels increases visibility and retention of messages. This is especially important and considered best practice, as employees will interact with various communication platforms and formats, depending on their preferences or role. Yet only around a fifth of employers communicate benefits before the first day of employment – leaving many new hires unaware of the health and wellbeing support available to them. Promoting the benefits on offer at a company can be a real support to the recruitment process. It visibly demonstrates that a company values its staff, and can encourage applications.
Katharine Moxham concluded: “Proactive, clear, and early communication around employee benefits isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s essential for retention, recruitment, and workplace wellbeing. When staff feel genuinely supported, they are more likely to stay with their employer, so while offering a comprehensive employee benefits package is important, equally important is how those benefits are communicated.
“In today’s competitive recruitment market, employees increasingly recognise that it’s not just about the benefits on offer, but what they signal: an employer that genuinely values and prioritises the health and wellbeing of its people.”
