Benefits Communications Survey: employees want more direction

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of 2017 ALEX^® Benefits Communication Survey is to explore what employees think of the ways their companies talk to them about their benefits. Specifically, the survey focuses on whether employees understand the benefits communication material that is put in front of them, and it tries to provide insights on how employers can help employees improve their ability to make informed decisions about their healthcare options.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey was conducted online from February 24 to March 17, 2017, by Harris Poll on behalf of Jellyvision. It included 2,043 US adults (ages 18+) who were employed full-time, eligible for company-provided benefits and did not currently have health insurance through Medicare, Medicaid or the VA. Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, income, marital status, household size and propensity to be online for aligning them with their actual proportions in the population. Results of this research were compared with Jellyvision’s April 2016 survey of 2,105 employed adults.

Findings

Of the employees whose companies offer health insurance benefits, approximately half (49 per cent) say making health insurance decisions is “always very stressful” for them, and 55 per cent say that they would like help from their employer when choosing a plan. One in five employees (21 per cent) say they often regret the benefit choices they make during open enrollment. Further, while 89 per cent say they generally understand their options, only 59 per cent can actually identify the different elements involved in the full cost of their health care. In terms of communication preferences, 65 per cent of employees prefer to look over benefit enrollment instructions outside of working hours.

Originality/value

Jellyvision commissioned this study to provide employers with valuable insights about how employees process and respond to benefit communications. The data can help employers understand the sources of enrollment-related stress and critical gaps in health insurance and benefits knowledge, which can lead to poor decision-making and regret among employees. The survey also reveals employee communication preferences, which employers can use to optimize their content, drive engagement, and empower employees to make more informed benefit enrollment decisions.

Citation

Harkin, J. (2018), "Benefits Communications Survey: employees want more direction", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 99-102. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-01-2018-0003