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Human Resource
~ What do Workers Really Want in a Benefit Package?
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by: Kim McLean
 In many firms, employee benefit offerings vary
little from year to year. The common mind-set is that what worked fine five
or 10 years ago suits us well now too. But the needs and expectations of
workers do change over time, and if the benefit package is outdated, it
could be a factor in your turnover rate and in recruiting.
A big challenge to adjusting a benefit plan to best serve employees is the
difficulty in finding out what they really want. The larger the firm, likely
the more difficult the task.
Many companies base their benefit packages on industry benchmarks that can
be tracked from industry-wide surveys. Some firms also use internal employee
surveys to track trends in benefit wants and needs, and employee
satisfaction.
 What surveys can show
It's interesting to note that employee surveys can produce surprising
results in terms of employee and employer perceptions about the working
environment, salary, and benefits. A 2004 Job Satisfaction Survey
highlighted some differences on the perceptions of the importance of
job-satisfaction factors between employees and human resources
professionals.
Each group ranked 21 factors according to their importance. Human resources
managers ranked them according to what they believed employees would most
value. Employees ranked "benefits" number one; HR pros ranked it number
three. "Relationship with immediate supervisor" was the top choice of HR
pros, while that factor ranked seventh on the employee side.
Some companies have found that certain
benefits improve retention for some groups of employees, but have little
impact on others. For example, according to a 2005 SHRM magazine article,
IndyMac Bank, a California mortgage lender, found that while stock awards
had an overall positive retention influence on all employees, turnover for
management was only slightly lower for those awarded stock than those who
weren't. But for operations staff granted stock, turnover was more than 50
percent lower.
 It may be that managers took stock options for granted and were motivated to
stay or leave based on other factors, while operations personnel saw stock
awards as above-average rewards, and were more likely to stay as a result.
There are a few lessons we can deduce from IndyMac's experience:
The impact of your benefit plan on employee satisfaction can be measured
with solid data.
Different employee groups value certain benefits more than others.
Analysis of surveys and turnover data gives insight into which benefits
impact turnover.
So, it makes good sense to survey employees at least every few years on
benefits. (It's also important to keep tabs on what the competition is doing
in this area.) If you have annual employee satisfaction surveys, add a
section on benefits.
 With any employee survey, its critical to share the
results with the whole firm. Then, decide what action steps are appropriate
and let everybody know about them.
The feedback and action step is critical. If you fail to address common
concerns cited in the survey, employees will likely perceive management as
being out of touch or of ignoring legitimate issues. That's not to say that
every item on the employee wish list needs to be fulfilled, but an
explanation of what is and what isn't practical is in order. At worst, this
lets everyone know that their concerns have been heard and noted.
Change is a constant
It's important to realize that societal changes have great influence over
which benefits employees value. Telecommuting wasn't very practical for many
workers 20 years ago, but it is a valued perk for many today. Elder care is
another benefit that bears watching.Firms that can accommodate employees on
this issue may have an edge in recruiting and retention.
Other benefits issues that impact employees
and society as a whole are bound to make their mark over the next decade.
For example, the so-called Generation X, now entering middle management
positions in large numbers, highly values more vacation time, more flexible
hours, and more training to help advance their careers.
Making sure that benefit plans are in sync with employees' expectations is
important in order to keep turnover down and aid recruiting. |
