2020 Employee Benefits and Perks Statistics

Posted by Ashley Autry on Dec. 7, 2020

We're about ready to wrap up another year. And it doesn't look a thing like any of us could have predicted.

2020 brought a pandemic, natural disasters and uncertainty that has impacted just about everything we do. Especially our work.

Beyond plexiglass, facemasks and remote-work arrangements, HR faces the never-ending battle of finding the best employee benefits to engage their talented workforce.

Here at Access Perks, we've made it a habit to gather stats of all things related to workplace benefits. We look at all different kinds of perks and what kind of merit they have with employees.

For insight into these topics and more, feel free to comb through the sections below. 

You may even want to bookmark the page since we add to our collection regularly.

Need more? These and stats from recent years are all included in our Ultimate Collection of Employee Benefits database. We also maintain a huge collection of employee engagement and loyalty stats, to help you get a complete picture of what's happening in offices across the country.

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We used to keep these statistics on our employee engagement and loyalty stats page, but we feel like benefits are complex enough to merit their own collection. Like each of our stat pages, we'll update this one on a weekly basis.

Have data you'd like to see on these pages? Drop us a link in the comments.

This page is brought to you courtesy of Access Perks, provider of America's best employee discount programs. Visit our site to learn more!

2020 Benefits and Employee Engagement/Retention/Recruitment Statistics

  • 82.39% of employees say a lack of progression would influence the decision to leave their jobs (CareerAddict.com)
  • Employees said the three most contributing factors to quitting their jobs were a lack of career advancement opportunities, low pay, and the absence of a salary pay raise (CareerAddict.com)
  • Of those who had already quit their jobs, 35% would consider returning if they were offered a better salary or a higher position (CareerAddict.com)
  • Companies rated highly on compensation and benefits saw 56% lower attrition (LinkedIn)
  • Companies rated highly on employee training saw 53% lower attrition (LinkedIn)
  • Companies rated highly on flexible work arrangements saw 137% higher headcount growth (LinkedIn)
  • 73% of employees say they’d stay at their company if there were more skill-building opportunities (LinkedIn)
  • 36% of Gen Z, 25% of Millennials, 20% of Gen X, and 21% of Baby Boomers view investment in employee training as a top factor when considering a new job (LinkedIn)
  • The top three reasons Millennials left their job were: better compensation and benefits, more advancement and more of a challenge (LinkedIn)
  • The top three reasons Gen X left their job were: more of a challenge, better compensation and benefits, and more advancement (LinkedIn)
  • The top three reasons Baby Boomers left their job were: more of a challenge, better fit for skills and interests, and to make more of an impact (LinkedIn)
  • 39% of employees struggling financially are fully engaged at work (WTW)
  • 42% of people who are financially stressed are 10x more likely to not finish daily tasks at work, 9x more likely to have troubled relationships with coworkers and 2x more likely to be looking for a new job (Salary Finance)
  • Those with money worries are 2.3 times more likely to be looking for another job, 1.6 times more likely to be unhappy in their current role but planning to stay, and 1.4 times less likely to be happy with their job (Salary Finance)

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2020 Salary and Base Compensation Statistics

  • Of employees who are actually paid above market, 35% believe they are paid below, 45% equal to and 21% above (PayScale)
  • Of employees who are actually paid at market, 6.4% believe they are paid below, 30% equal to, and 6% above (PayScale)
  • Of employees who are actually paid below market, 83% believe they are paid below, 14% equal to, and 3% above (PayScale)
  • Nearly 82 million workers in the United States are paid hourly, representing 58.5% of all wage and salary workers (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • 43% of U.S. workers are satisfied with their financial situation (WTW)
  • 38% of employees live paycheck to paycheck (WTW)
  • 18% of employees making more than $100,000 annually live paycheck to paycheck (WTW)
  • 51% of those making less than $25,000 a year say they’d work two more hours a day if their debt could be forgiven (Salary Finance)
  • 65% of workers say they’re paid by the hour, 30% indicate they are salaried, and 6% are compensated in other ways, and 32% are paid a commission (TSheets)
  • 29% of workers say their pay didn’t meet their needs when they worked their ideal schedule, 52% said their pay did meet their needs and 19% said their pay exceeded their needs (TSheets)
  • 25% of women and 34% of men are salaried (TSheets)
  • 13% of workers say they’re paid an hourly wage but are not paid for hours worked outside their schedules (TSheets)

2020 Healthcare and Wellness Benefits Statistics

  • 39% of employees could not come up with $3,000 if an unexpected need arose within the next month (WTW)
  • 32% of employees have financial problems that negatively affect their lives (WTW)
  • 27% of employees are classified as struggling - living paycheck to paycheck and have difficulty controlling spending (WTW)
  • 39% of struggling employees said money concerns keep them from doing their best at work (WTW)
  • 49% of employees who are struggling financially reported suffering from stress, anxiety or depression over the past two years, compared with just 16% of employees without any financial worries (WTW)
  • 69% of employees who were given the most access to several tools and resources said their finances are heading in the right direction versus just 51% who had no access to tools (WTW)
  • 66% of workers with the most access to financial management resources said these resources met their needs, compared to 39% with less access to resources (WTW)
  • 64% of workers with the most access to tools said the resources encouraged them to improve their financial situation verses 40% with just some access to tools or resources (WTW)
  • 36% of all employees, regardless of financial wellness, say they’re unhappy with their current level of savings (Salary Finance)
  • 79% of employees with financial stress trust their employer to keep their personal financial situation private, and 73% of them say they feel their employer cares about them and their wellbeing (Salary Finance)
  • 83% of employees ages 16-34 feel their employer cares about their wellbeing vs. 79% of those ages 35-44, 71% of those ages 65+, 70% of those ages 45-54, and 64% ages 55-64 (Salary Finance)
  • The most commonly offered employee benefits include health insurance (58%), employee assistance program (29%), discounts on company products/services (21%), free or discounted parking (20%), paid time off for caregiving (18%), gym membership (16%), healthcare check-ups during/at work (16%), discounts on leisure activities (16%) and free/discounts public transit (10%) (Salary Financial)
  • The most desired benefit for workers ages 16-34 is earned income access tools, for ages 35-44 it’s discounts on vacation providers or homes, for ages 45-54 it’s salary-linked savings tools, for ages 55-64 it’s healthcare check-ups during/at work, and for ages 65+ its salary-linked savings tools (Salary Financial)
  • 62% of all employees, 66% of those ages 45-54 and 65% of those that make $100K+ income agree a salary-linked saving account would be of value to them (Salary Financial)
  • 41% of all employees, 52% of those ages 44 and under, and 47% of those making $100K+ income agree salary-linked low-cost loans would be of value to them (Salary Financial)
  • Employee financial stress costs employers an estimated 13-18% of annual salary costs (Salary Finance)
  • Employees who are financially stressed lose three hours a week on money worries, take 1.6 sick days a year for financial stress, and lose 29-39 productive days annually (Salary Finance)
  • Employees who have health insurance through their employer are less likely to have financial stress (Salary Finance)
  • 36% of employees who have health insurance through their employer are financially stressed vs. 51% of those whose employer does not provide them health insurance (Salary Finance)
  • 41% of employed Americans want a work environment where employees are encouraged to have a work-life balance (Cigna)
  • 91% of Gen Z and 85% of Millennial employees say employers should have a mental health work policy in place (Zapier)
  • 77% of Gen Z and 78% of Millennial employees say discussing mental health openly at work is important to them (Zapier)

2020 Retirement Benefits Statistics

  • 70% of employees are saving less for retirement than they think they should (WTW)
  • 64% of employees believe their generation is likely to be much worse off in retirement than that of their parents (WTW)
  • 35% of employees have no 401(k) plan balance, rising to 66% for Millennials (Salary Finance)

2020 PTO, Vacation and Time Off Statistics

  • 30% of working Americans would choose to go without a vacation for five years if their debt could be forgiven (Salary Finance)
  • 40% of employed Americans want a workplace where they are encouraged to use their allotted paid time off (Cigna)
  • Paid paternity leave (10%) and paid maternity leave (12%) are at the bottom of the list of benefits employed Americans report either having used or are willing to use (Cigna)

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2020 Flexible Working Statistics

  • 94% of U.S. workers say they would benefit from work flexibility, with the top gains being less stress/improved mental health, and better integration of work and personal life (Deloitte)
  • One out of three professionals say that nothing would keep them from taking advantage of workplace flexibility (Deloitte)
  • Nearly 30% of workers say potential consequences to their professional growth and lack of trust from leadership would prevent them from using flexible work options offered (Deloitte)
  • 82% of professionals whose companies offer flexible work options say they have used them (Deloitte)
  • One in three professionals say work flexibility would increase their job satisfaction and morale, and almost 30% say it would increase their overall productivity or efficiency at work (Deloitte)
  • 52% of professionals say the CEO or management has the greatest impact on advancing flexibility within their organization (Deloitte)
  • 90% of workers say they value flexibility (Deloitte)
  • 82% of workers say they have taken advantage of flexible work options (Deloitte)
  • 43% of workers say that work flexibility results in less stress and better mental health, better work-life integration (38%), increased job satisfaction/morale (33%), and increased productivity or efficiency at work (29%) (Deloitte)
  • Nearly 50% of all professionals say they value remote work and flexible work hours the most (Deloitte)
  • 35% of professionals say their company offers remote work and 41% say they have used this option, while 44% say their company offers flexible work and 48% say they have used it (Deloitte)
  • Two out of five employees said they are allowed to work off-site up to a few times per month, and when they do, 79% choose to work in their home rather than a coffee shop or dedicated co-working space (Olivet University)
  • 58% of employees say they’re less productive at home and 80% admit to multitasking more when working from home (Olivet University)
  • 56% of employees say they communicate less with their coworkers than they normally would when working from home, leading one in three to feel isolated or lonely (Olivet University)
  • Employees said the hardest things about working remotely are:
    • Distractions (46%)
    • Signing off at the end of a workday (18%)
    • Collaborating or communicating with coworkers (18%)
    • Being accountable (9%)
    • Miscommunication (5%)
    • Finding reliable Wi-Fi (4%) (Olivet University)
  • 42% of employees say it is difficult to work with remote coworkers (Olivet University)
  • Employees say the reasons why it’s difficult to work with remote coworkers include:
    • Availability (42%)
    • Collaboration (25%)
    • Different time zones (20%)
    • Miscommunications (13%) (Olivet University)
  • 47% of employees said their company provides the option to work off-site, and of those, 70% take advantage of the perk and work from home and 6% do their job from another location (Robert Half)
  • Of the 47% of employees whose company provides the option to work off-site, 24% don’t take advantage of the perk because of not having the right technology (39%), being less productive due to distractions (38%), missing out on opportunities/assignments when not in the office (29%), and feeling lonely (22%) (Robert Half)
  • 56% of senior managers said their organization has expanded remote work opportunities for employees in the past three years (Robert Half)
  • More men (77%) than women (64%) work from home (Robert Half)
  • 74% of working parents work from home compared to 64% of those without children (Robert Half)
  • 40% of employed Americans work in an in-person office environment, while 10% work remotely (Cigna)
  • 54% of remote workers always or sometimes feel their relationships at work are not meaningful vs. 45% of those who work in an in-person office environment (Cigna)
  • Remote workers are more likely to say they feel alone vs. non-remote workers (57% vs. 52%), lack companionship (53% vs. 49%), and feel there is no one they can turn to (46% vs. 43%) (Cigna)
  • 31% of employed Americans report working from home or telecommuting frequently, and 15% do sometimes (Cigna)
  • Those who telecommute frequently are lonelier, with an average score of 47.3 than those who work remotely just sometimes (45.1) or rarely/never (44.7) (Cigna)
  • 58% of frequent telecommuters report always or sometimes feeling left out vs. 49% of people who rarely or never telecommute (Cigna)
  • 56% of employed Americans say they have utilized or would utilize flexible hours in the workplace (Cigna)
  • 76% of workers report being either satisfied or very satisfied with their work schedules (TSheets)
  • 56% of workers said their employer or manager generally determines their work schedules (TSheets)
  • 32% of workers say they can generally choose their schedules, and 12% say their schedules are determined by their clients or customers (TSheets)
  • 62% of organizations predict a further increase in remote work (U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation)

2020 Benefits Management Statistics

  • 48% of talent professionals say their company should improve their compensation and benefits, simple administrative processes (40%), open and effective management (38%), intuitive tools and technologies (38%), training opportunities (38%), company culture that inspires employees (38%), and work-life balance (37%) (LinkedIn)

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2020 Employee Perks and Other Miscellaneous Benefits Statistics

  • 6% of companies in the U.S. offer childcare benefits, even though both parents are employed in 63% of American families with children (Clutch)
  • 13% of women are dissatisfied with their company’s childcare benefits compared to 3% of men (Clutch)
  • 50% of women are satisfied with the childcare services their company offers vs. 61% of men (Clutch)
  • 38% of women and 37% of men are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied when it comes to the childcare services their company offers (Clutch)
  • 80% of professionals agree that a traditional work setting is important for advancing their career (Deloitte)
  • Maintaining or improving education and workforce partnerships is a priority to 61% of HR Professionals’ organizations (U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation)
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  • 60% of employees believe that when they do a good job, people in their organization will recognize those contributions, versus 77% of employers (WTW)
  • 59% of organizations have made learning and growth a priority over the past three years (WTW)
  • 42% of organizations report they have a good process for continuous learning (WTW)
  • 16% of organizations report they have programs in place to reskill any employees impacted by automation, offshoring or use of nonemployee talent (WTW)

Topics: Employee Engagement + Loyalty, Benefits Trends

Ashley Autry

Written by Ashley Autry

Ashley Autry is a Marketing Professional at Access Development. She's an expert proofer, gatherer of loyalty stats, research ace, writing queen, and overseer of various marketing projects.