2018 Employee Benefits and Perks Statistics

Posted by Ashley Autry on Jan. 7, 2019

It can be argued that employee benefits and perks have never played a more significant role in the workplace.

What was once something companies used to stand out from the crowd have become essential tools of engagement and productivity, not to mention vital to recruitment.

Need proof of just how important benefits and perks are throughout a successful office?

Check the stats below.

We're compiling every relevant piece of public data about benefits - how they impact employee retention and recruitment, how much they cost, which ones people want and which ones are falling flat, and so on.

Subscribe and check back regularly - we're constantly adding new stats to the list.

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! 

Benefits and Employee Engagement/Retention/Recruitment Stats

  • 12% of businesses are happy with current levels of employee engagement (CBI)

  • Retention (72%) and recruiting (58%) were the top reasons for increasing benefits (SHRM)

  • 80% of workers would keep a job with benefits rather than take one that offered more pay and no benefits (American Institute of CPA)

  • 55% of employees would be somewhat likely to accept a job with lower compensation but a more robust benefits package (Aflac)

  • 79% of employees cited a competitive benefits plan as an influencer, and 77% cited cost (Wellable)
  • 72% of workers are satisfied, but 60% are still looking around for a new job with higher wages (Addison Group)

  • 68% of employees did not choose salary as the most important factor to inform their decisions to take or reject job opportunities (Lexington Law)

  • Almost 40% of employees chose interests and passion as the most important factor that informs their decisions to take or reject job opportunities (Lexington Law)

  • 10% of employees said benefits are the most important factor that informs their decisions to take or reject job opportunities (Lexington Law)

  • 45% of employees said they consider a prospective company’s work-life balance a crucial factor when researching a job (Lexington Law)

  • 50% of employees said they have left a position to escape a bad manager (Lexington Law)

  • 78% of workers would likely remain with their employer because of the benefits it offers, up from 72% in 2016 (WTW)

  • Workers who have a good work-life balance are 10% more likely to stay at their companies than those who don’t (TINYpulse)

  • Employees said their top concerns during their job search would be their experience in the hiring process, the number of perks, programs and benefits a company offers to help workers with work-life balance and their connection with a company’s culture and values (Spherion)

  • Workers who are finding balance between their jobs and personal lives are twice as happy, more productive and show greater loyalty to their employers than those struggling to find balance (Robert Half)

  • More than 70% of employees agreed that fringe benefits would be a key consideration in evaluating future jobs (Zenefits)

  • 40% of employees agreed they would leave their current job within a year for another offering more fringe benefits, but 25% wouldn’t leave (Zenefits)

  • More than 60% of employees would take a job with a lower salary for better benefits (Zenefits)

  • 25% of employees would require at least a 20% increase in salary to justify making a move (West Monroe)

  • Nearly 60% of Americans would take a job they love over a job they hate, even if the preferred position paid half the amount of salary they would earn at the job they dislike (Lexington Law)

  • More than 50% of employees said they have left jobs after hearing the siren calls of better benefits elsewhere (Randstad)

  • 55% of businesses think that stronger engagement would improve their ability to either retain, recruit or carry out succession planning (CBI)

  • Top reasons for leaving a job: insufficient pay (44%), limited career paths (43%), lack of challenging work (30%), work-life balance (28%), and lack of recognition (27%) (Randstad)

  • 44% of businesses think improved employee engagement would lead to them better being able to retain, whilst 36% think it would have a positive impact on recruitment (CBI)

  • 42% of businesses report that their ability to recruit has been improved by their pension scheme (CBI)

  • 42% of businesses report that pension provision has a positive impact on employee retention (CBI)

  • 66% of firms believe educating staff about the benefits of saving through workplace pensions can help influence employee engagement on pensions, wider financial education (58%), the use of simpler language and minimal jargon in pension communication (63%), technology (54%), and individualizing pension communications as far as possible (49%) (CBI)

  • 63% of businesses include pensions in an employee’s induction process, 60% include guidance from an external provider, 54% a sign-post staff to publicly available pension guidance, 51% offer a digital information portal for staff and 49% deliver in-house webinars/seminars (CBI)

  • 64% of millennials say benefits are extremely or very important to employer loyalty (Qualtrics)
  • 23% of full-time employees do not receive any benefits from their employers (Clutch)
  • 52% of employees who aren’t satisfied with their benefits want more of a benefit they already have (Clutch)

  • 14% of employees want different benefits altogether (Clutch)

  • 32% of employees say that they feel neutral about, or are not satisfied with, the benefits they receive (Clutch)

  • Gen Xers are slightly more satisfied with their benefits than millennials (53% vs 52%), and 49% of boomers report they are satisfied with their benefits (LIMRA)

  • Dissatisfaction stems from employees’ need for additional benefits (57%), the desire for benefits they currently don’t have (24%), benefits they can’t use (22%) and benefits they feel pressured not to use (8%) (Clutch)

  • It’s to the employer’s advantage, even for small businesses, to offer benefits in the quest to attract top talent and keep their good employees from jumping ship (Clutch)

  • 46% of employees that discuss benefits face-to-face with an employer report being satisfied (Thomsons Online Benefits)

  • 81% of employees who can easily access their benefits said they feel loyal to their employer and 79% say they were proud to work for their organization (Thomsons Online Benefits)

  • 77% of employees who understand their benefits offering said they saw themselves staying at their organization for the foreseeable future (Thomsons Online Benefits)

  • 15% of employee candidates don’t ask about benefits at all during the interview process (Thomsons Online Benefits)

  • 80% of employees who said they have a good variety of benefits to choose from also said they identified strongly with their organization’s vision and values, as opposed to 40% of those who don’t (Thomsons Online Benefits)

  • Over 50% of employees say they can’t access their benefits in the way they prefer and 21% say they can easily access their benefits (Thomsons Online Benefits)

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  • Among employees who take a week or more of vacation, 65% say they feel strongly about working for their organization a year from now, compared to 51% who don’t take a week off in the summer (O.C. Tanner)

  • 63% of employees wouldn’t consider a job opportunity that offered fewer than 15 paid vacation days (Randstad)

  • 49% of employers know which total rewards programs employees value, while 47% know which offerings candidates value (WTW)

  • 47% of employees want to receive rewards spontaneously (Xexec)

  • 38% of employees want to receive rewards in exchange for good work (Xexec)

  • 52% of employees would rather celebrate rewards with their families than with colleagues (Xexec)

  • 73% of organizations have an employee recognition awards program in place (Globoforce)

  • 51% of employees would quit their job if training was not offered (Udemy)

  • Offering career training and development would keep 86% of millennials from leaving their current position (Bridge)

  • If a job lacks growth opportunities and avenues for leadership development, 67% of millennials would leave that position (Bridge)

  • The top four reasons retail employees leave their jobs – poor management, scheduling difficulties, lack of training, falling wages (WorkJam)

  • 62% of retail managers say they have lost employees due to scheduling conflicts (WorkJam)

  • Money is the number one motivator for 67% of job seekers and employees looking elsewhere for career opportunities (Glassdoor)

  • 43% of employees said they would leave their current jobs for another that paid better (Ajilon)
  • 44% of workers said they would leave their current job for one that pays more (OfficeTeam)

  • 50% of adults would leave their current job for better benefits (Yoh)

  • Men are more likely to leave for being underpaid compared to women (39% vs. 33%) (Ajilon)

  • 72% of workers didn’t accept the rationale for why they didn’t get a raise, and 71% who received no rationale said they planned to look for a new job within six months (PayScale)

  • Of employees that received some rationale as to why they didn’t get a raise, just over 25% actually believed it and of those who didn’t believe the rationale or didn’t receive one, more than 70% said they planned to seek a new job in the next six months (PayScale)

  • 57% of employees who believed the rationale they were given when not getting a raise and 42% of employees who did receive the raise they requested were planning to leave their job (PayScale)

  • 77% of workers said they’d be more likely to accept a job offer if they knew they could telecommute at least some of the time (Robert Half)

  • 86% of employees between the ages 18-34 said they’d sooner sign a contract with remote work options (Robert Half)

  • 65% of employees older than 55 said they’d sooner sign a contract with remote work options (Robert Half)

  • 61% of workers left or considered quitting a job because it lacked work flexibility options (FlexJobs)

  • Employees who feel their rewards meet their needs are seven times more likely to be engaged with work compared to employees who don’t feel that way (Alight Solutions)

  • 51% of employees would not consider a job that provides less flexibility than their current job (Alight Solutions)

  • More than 75% of workers would be more loyal to their organization if it offered flexible work options (FlexJobs)

  • 42% of adults said they’d jump ship for a flexible work option (Yoh)

  • 70% of millennials have considered leaving a job for another boasting flexible work options, but just 50% of older workers have felt the same pull (FlexJobs)

  • Almost 80% of millennials said they would be more loyal to an employer offering flexible work options, while just over 70% of older workers said they same (FlexJobs)

  • More than 80% of millennials say they seriously consider how a position will affect their work-life balance, but only 62% of older workers agreed (Flexjobs)

  • Roughly one-third of adults would leave their job for a higher-level position, a better company culture or a shorter commute (Yoh)

  • Employees with meaningful work stay on the job 7.4 months longer than other employees, put in an extra hour a week and take two fewer paid leave days a year (Betterup)

  • Health coverage is the reason 56% of employees remain on their current job (American’s Health Insurance Plans)

  • 83% of employees say health insurance is very or extremely important in deciding whether to stay in or change jobs (EBRI)

  • 88% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces plan to stay at the company for the next 12 months vs. 73% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • 72% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces would decline a job offer with another company at similar pay vs. 44% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • 91% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces feel fully engaged with their work vs. 65% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • More than 70% of HR professionals believe outmoded work practices, sketchy career paths and limits on advancement, development and mentoring are impacting attrition and 69% identified flexible work schedules, wellness programs, fast-track promotions and other perks as problematic (Allegis Group)

  • More than 20% of workers said they’ve left a job because they were denied the chance to transfer to a new location at the company (Topia)

  • More than 50% of workers who considered leaving said they would reconsider quitting for a chance to relocate, even if they weren’t given more pay or additional benefits (Topia)

  • 44% of workers would leave their job for one with better pay (Robert Half)

  • 57% of people say that if their employer proactively supported their mental wellbeing, it would help them to feel more loyal, be more productive and take less time off work (Health Shield)

2018 Salary and Base Compensation Stats

  • 67% of workers were unable to negotiate for their current salary (Monster)

  • For pay negotiations, 41.5% of workers said their company told them what they would make (Monster)

  • 4.4% of workers reported they were offered a pay rate higher than what they’d asked for (Monster)

  • 14.6% of candidates provided a salary range and the employer offered them a salary within that range (Monster)

  • 15.3% of workers said their final salary offer was less than what they requested (Monster)

  • 22% of workers were able to negotiate their vacation time and agreed that “The vacation policy is why I work here.” (Monster)

  • U.S. workers’ wages grew on average 3% over last year, an increase of $0.80 per hour, raising the average hourly wage to $27.46 (ADP)

  • Companies using a daily payment benefit were able to fill open positions 52% faster and reduce employee turnover by 41% (DailyPay)

  • Employees are willing to take a 13% reduction in pay in order to receive daily versus weekly pay (DailyPay)

  • The average total budget increase, including merit and promotional budgets, is expected to be 3.4% (Mercer)

  • 78% of organizations are concerned with talent retention, 73% with talent attraction and just over half a need to pay for performance (Mercer)

  • 80% of organizations have an annual salary increase budget to stay market competitive and reward individual performance (77%), but less than half do so for talent retention (Mercer)

  • Workers’ wages, in relation to inflation, dropped by 1.8% (Mercer)

  • With the rapidly rising Consumer Price Index, U.S. workers earned 1.4% less this year than they did in 2017 (Mercer)

  • 55% of full-time employees rank fair compensation as the first or second most valuable employer attribute (Clutch)

  • 65% of workers are confident they can leverage today’s candidate-driven market to their advantage, as 54% have negotiated with their current employer for a higher salary in the past year (Addison Group)

  • More than half of workers research compensation online to see if they’re competitive in the market (Addison Group)

  • U.S. employers project to give exempt, non-management employees average pay increases of 3.1% in 2019, compared to 3% in 2018 (WTW)

  • Nonexempt hourly employees can expect larger pay increases next year with 3% in 2019 vs. 2.9% in 2018 (WTW)

  • Male employees said they wanted an average annual salary of $444,958 while women wanted an average annual salary of $278,637 (MidAmerica Nazarene University)

  • Women make about 80 cents for every dollar men earn, which increases to 92 cents when education and occupation are factored in (Georgetown University)

  • When measured by total earnings across the most recent 15 years for all workers who worked in at least one year, women workers’ earnings were 49% of men’s earnings (Georgetown University)

  • Only 3% of companies plan to freeze salaries next year (WTW)

  • Average merit salary increases aren’t expected to reach beyond 2.9% in 2019 (Mercer)

  • Almost all HR certifications lead to a pay raise of some sort, with increases ranging from 2.9% to 28% (PayScale)

  • 90% of employees would forgo 23% of their earnings – an average of $21,000 a year – for more meaningful work (Betterup)

  • In entry-level roles, 82% of certified professionals report they’ve been promoted in the past five years vs. 68% of those who aren’t certified (PayScale)

  • About half of employers have a separate budget for promotional increase, which rings in at an average of 1.2% of payroll, with an average promotion salary increase at 7.8% of base pay (Mercer)

  • 79% of professionals found a heavy workload to be less stressful than not having enough work to do, and 74% would prefer a heavier workload and more pay to less work and less pay (Korn Ferry)

  • 88% of employers use performance as a driver of base salary adjustments (Mercer)

  • 52% of organizations reported a need to deliver “pay for performance” (Mercer)

  • Pay raises have hovered around 3% for the past decade, with 2008 showing the last significant increase in pay at 3.8% (WTW)

  • Star performers receive the highest possible ratings and were granted an average increase of 4.6% in 2018, 70% higher than the 2.7% increase granted to those receiving an average rating (WTW)

  • Wage growth for newcomers to the workforce dipped by .1%, while wages increased by 4.5% for workers age 55 and older (ADP)

  • Job switchers age 55 and older are seeing higher wages, up 6.3% - 1.5% higher than workers ages 35 to 54 (ADP)

  • 48% of hiring decision makers note salary and compensation is the most influential factor for a candidate decision on where to work (Glassdoor)

  • Workers said they would rank work-life balance higher than salary when considering a job prospect (FlexJobs)

  • The average debt-to-salary for 20-30 year olds is 60% to 70% or higher (PayScale)

  • 85% of managers claim they know how to explain pay decisions to employees, and only 37% of organizations agree (PayScale)

  • 59% of employers say they do not plan to make any changes to their executive compensation strategies (WTW)

  • 49% of professionals feel they are paid fairly at their jobs (Robert Half)

  • 46% of professionals feel they are underpaid at their jobs (Robert Half)

  • 5% of professionals feel they are overpaid at their jobs (Robert Half)

  • Cities with the most workers who feel underpaid: San Diego (62%), Austin (54%), Houston (53%), Nashville (53%) and Philadelphia (52%) (Robert Half)

  • Cities with the fewest professionals who report being underpaid: Miami (33%), Dallas (37%), New York (37%), Los Angeles (39%), San Francisco (39%) (Robert Half)

  • 31% of U.S. employees don’t believe their employers pay fairly when factoring in age or race, and 48% believe men are paid more than women (Begom)

  • 52% of workers ages 55 and older think they are compensated fairly, 44% ages 18-34 and 51% ages 35-54 feel the same (Robert Half)

  • 49% of women were more apt to feel underpaid compared to men (44%) (Robert Half)

  • Employees with a bachelors degree or higher, as well as those earning more than $100,000 per year were most likely to say they’re being paid fairly (50% and 57%) (Robert Half)

  • 67% of managers think employees are fairly paid, while only 21% of employees think their pay is adequate (PayScale)

  • 48% of younger millennials (ages 26 to 30) said they felt they were fairly paid, compared with 50% of older millennials (ages 31-35) and 54% of Gen Z (ages 18-25) (Comparably)

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  • 80% of employees would pay to keep co-workers from learning their salaries (UCLA & Harvard Business School)

  • About 50% of employees said they wouldn’t accept $125 in exchange for telling five of their peers what they earn (UCLA & Harvard Business School)

  • 89% of employees said they believe that if they ask coworkers about their salaries, they will get asked about theirs (UCLA & Harvard Business School)

  • When asked what their top priority would be if they became boss, 27% of Gen Z said they would increase employee pay while 35% of Gen Z and 32% of Millennials said they were likely share pay information with coworkers (Comparably)

  • 45% of U.S. workers know their colleagues’ pay rates, and 46% admit they shared or talked about their wages with colleagues (Begom)

  • Less than 19% of U.S. workers are comfortable talking about compensation with their managers or supervisors (Begom)

  • 44% of employees believe they are paid at or above market rate (Hays)

  • 19% of U.S. workers are satisfied with their current salaries (Indeed)

  • 60% of U.S. workers said it would take an extra $6,000 per year to feel comfortable/satisfied with their job (Indeed)

  • 60% of workers said they want a raise simply because they feel their performance merits one (Indeed)

  • 64% of workers feel uncomfortable negotiating higher pay with the hiring boss at a new job (Ajilon)

  • 39% of job finalists tried to negotiate a higher salary than the one offered (Robert Half)

  • Employers said they were more comfortable negotiating a higher salary with a new employer (54%) than they were asking for a raise in their current job (49%) (Robert Half)

  • Men are paid 18% less when they’re viewed as warm, agreeable, caring and sympathetic (Harvard Business Review)

  • More than 21% of men were dissatisfied with their earnings, compared with 16% of women (Indeed)

  • 53.1% of women and 52.9% of men plan to ask for a raise (Indeed)

  • 23% of female workers don’t feel like they are paid fairly compared to their counterparts (Randstad)

  • 40% of employees have discussed salary with a coworker before, and 49% of female workers would leave a job if they learned a male counterpart was making 25% more (Randstad)

  • 53% of employees believe unequal pay is the top factor impacting gender inequality, while 49% attribute outdated biases and stereotypes as the second-leading factor (Randstad)

  • 94% of employers think there should be equality of pay in the U.S. (CareerBuilder)

  • A third of women do not believe they are making as much as their male counterparts even though they have similar experience and qualifications; 12% of men feel the same way (CareerBuilder)

  • 35% of women don’t expect to reach a salary over $50,000 during their career, compared to 17% of men, while 47% of men expect to reach a six-figure salary, compared to 22% of women (CareerBuilder)

  • 15% of employers do not believe female workers make the same wage as their male counterparts at their organization (CareerBuilder)

  • 50% of HR managers think that female workers make the same wage as their male counterparts at their organization, and 35% said they would hope they do (CareerBuilder)

  • Men are offered higher salaries than women for the same work 63% of the time (Hire)

  • Companies pay women on average 4% to as much at 45% less than men in the same jobs (Hire)

  • 54% of women found out they were being paid less than a male peer in the same role, compared to 19% of men who learned they were paid less than a colleague (Hire)

  • Employers paid African-American and Hispanic women 90 cents for every dollar they paid white men in the same roles (Hire)

  • Women in education technology received 10% less than men doing similar work, and women in the health and finance industries were paid 7% less than their male peers (Hire)

  • The wage gap between men and women was 8% in the San Francisco Bay area and 11% in Seattle, which had the highest gender gap (Hire)

  • More than two-thirds of workers said they’d prefer additional benefits over a pay raise, citing healthcare (36%) first, followed by flexible work hours (35%) and yearly holiday leave (34%) (Indeed)

  • 45% of hiring decision makers note that salary is the top reason for employees changing jobs (Glassdoor)

  • 60% of organizations said they’re very concerned about worker retention in 2018, but 73% expect wage increases to remain at or under 3% as they were in 2017 (PayScale)

  • One of the most common recruiting methods is offering competitive salaries (43%) (Hays)

  • 62% of managers boosted a salary offer to woo a specific candidate (Hays)

  • 24% of Gen Xers say the desire for financial stability motivates them to stay in a job (Purchasing Power)

  • 48% of employers reported plans for increasing wages in 2018 compared to 58% in 2017 (LaSalle Network)

  • 53% of employers said they plan to make their pay decisions more transparent in the next three years (WTW)

  • Black women are paid 38% less than white men and 21% less than white women (Lean In)

  • A third of Americans aren’t aware of the pay disparity between black women and white men, and half of Americans don’t know about the gap between black women and white women (Lean In)

  • The disparity in black women’s wages amounts to $800,000 over the course of a career in lost earnings (Lean In)

  • 40% of people aware of the pay gap still underestimate its magnitude (Lean In)

  • Women of color are 19% less likely to receive a raise than white men and men of color are 25% less likely (PayScale)

  • 70% of workers received a wage increase with 39% receiving the amount they asked for and 31% receiving less (PayScale)

  • A third of workers reported getting a raise before they requested one (PayScale)

  • The most common justification for not granting workers a raise was budget restraints (49%) (PayScale)

  • Among the employees who were told a budget couldn’t accommodate their pay increase, only 22% believed this rationale (PayScale)

  • As long as workers believe their employer’s rationale for not giving them a raise, 50% had the same level of job satisfaction as employees who received a raise (PayScale)

  • 33% of employees who were denied a raise were provided no rationale (PayScale)

  • 76% of business leaders plan to raise wages (JPMorgan Chase & Co)

  • 44% of workers said their employers could improve their happiness by awarding a pay raise of 25%, and 33% said their happiness would improve with a 10% raise (One4all)

  • 46% of Millennials have asked for a raise in the last two years (Bank of America)

  • 80% of Millennials who asked for a raise got one (Bank of America)

  • 71% of employers raised salaries in 2017; 43% did so by more than 3% (Hays)

  • In order to receive an immediate 10% annual raise in salary, Americans would give up: dental care for the next five years (40.06%), all social media accounts for the next five years (53.55%), watching Game of Thrones for life (88.61%), exercise for the next five years (43.86%), the right to vote in all elections for life (34.98%), their child’s future or future child’s right to vote in all elections for life (9.13%), all alcoholic beverages for the next five years (73.42%), Social Security benefits for the next two years (17.93%), access to health insurance for the next five years (18.9%), watching movies for the next three years (50.65%), all their vacation days for the next five years (15.27%), and all caffeinated  products for the next two years (47.74%) (Hire)

  • In order to receive an immediate 10% annual raise in salary, Americans would: eat a single tide pod (5.33%), work one day every weekend for the next year (50.4%), work an extra 10 hours per week for life (55.9%), and break up with their partner or significant other (12.2%) (Hire)

  • 38% of U.S. hourly workers who make $20 or less per hour say they’re struggling to make ends meet (Snag)

  • 80% of underemployed workers are willing to work more than one job to earn a living wage, but 74% would prefer having one full-time, decent-paying job (Snag)

  • 47% of restaurant workers, 41% of retail workers and 38% of hospitality workers consider themselves underemployed (Snag)

  • 54% of underemployed workers are actively looking for a better-paying full-time job (Snag)

  • Nearly two-thirds of workers are accepting a promotion without an increase in pay (OfficeTeam)

  • 39% of HR managers said promoting employees without a raise is common in their organization (Office Team)

  • 72% of men and 55% of women said they’re receptive to a promotion without a pay increase (OfficeTeam)

  • 72% of workers ages 18-34 said they’ll take a new title without a pay hike, compared to 61% of workers ages 35-54 and 53% of those 55+ (OfficeTeam)

  • 61% of current tech workers say they are underpaid (Blind)

  • A little over one-third of tech workers said they were paid fairly and 5% said they were overpaid for their position (Blind)

  • 41% of tech employees feel they are paid unfairly (Blind)

  • 60% of tech workers said their current employer discourages talk about salary between co-workers (Blind)

  • More than two-thirds of employees in tech, healthcare and financial services reported they would be willing to take slightly less pay for a more empathetic employer (Businessolver)

  • 32% of employees would take a 10% pay cut for a job they’re more interested in or passionate about (Jobvite)

  • 36% of millennial workers plan to take a pay cut to work fewer hours (Working Families and Bright Horizons)

  • 16% of workers claim their jobs don’t offer them the opportunity to add money to their savings (Bankrate)

  • The annual media base pay in the U.S. grew only .9% year over year in January 2018 to $51,364 (Glassdoor)

  • The industry with the biggest wage gain was medical technology, in which the median salary rose 4.1% to $54,747 (Glassdoor)

  • The largest compensation gap exists in the retail sector, where the median employee only makes $13,000 a year, 669 times less than a typical retail CEO, who makes $8.7 million a year (Equilar)

  • Companies worth less than $700 million had an average pay ratio of 45-to-1, while those worth more than $25 billion had pay ratios of 250-to-1 (Equilar)

  • There is a large compensation gap in the healthcare sector, where the typical CEO makes 150 times more than the median employee (Equilar)

  • The energy sector showed the lowest pay disparity with CEOs making 72 times as much as the median worker (Equilar)

  • 63% of top-performing companies don’t plan to conduct audits of their pay practices to look for ethnicity and gender gaps (PayScale)

  • Minimum wage violations are causing affected workers to lose out on an estimated $15 billion in wages (Politico)

  • 41% of the wages states order employers to pay workers aren’t recovered (Politico)

  • 82% of employers said there should be transparency of pay in the U.S. (CareerBuilder)

  • 66% of employees said they’d rather receive two tickets to a concert of their choice than three times the value of those tickets paid into their paycheck over the course of a year; 34% of employees chose the money (Xexec)

  • 35% of employees chose a small token gift like cake, ice cream or chocolate, while 65% chose receiving 10 times its monetary value in additional salary (Xexec)

  • Cybersecurity professionals of color earn, on average $115,000 a year compared with $122,000 industry average (ISC)²

  • Whites in cybersecurity are more likely to receive a salary increase in the past year than those of other races and ethnicities (ISC)²

2018 Healthcare and Wellness Benefits Stats

  • Costs for employer sponsored-medical plans in 2018 are likely to rise 8.4% (Aon)

  • 71% of adults with employer-provided coverage are satisfied with their current health insurance plan, while 19% are dissatisfied and 9% say they have neither favorable nor unfavorable opinions (AHIP)

  • 61% of employees are satisfied with their benefits compared with 46% in 2011 (Aflac)

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  • 81% of employers that offer benefits agree their company’s benefits offerings increase employee satisfaction (Aflac)

  • 52% of adults with employer-provided coverage say their premiums and deductibles are reasonable, while 41% say their premiums are unreasonable and 36% say their deductibles are unreasonable (AHIP)

  • When asked if they had a medical emergency and were required to go to the hospital, 75% of adults with employer-provided coverage say their coverage would protect them from the majority of their medical costs, while 25% do not have confidence their plan would adequately protect them (AHIP)

  • 3% of large self-insured employers contract directly with an accountable care organization for healthcare services (National Business Group on Health)

  • Workplace stress accounts for as much as $190 billion in healthcare costs (Udemy)

  • Healthcare coverage was the most important employee benefit followed by retirement savings programs (Randstad)

  • 66% of HR managers say their organization’s health and wellness offerings have increased in the past five years (Robert Half)

  • More than 40% of small business workers say they depend on their workplace benefits for financial security and agree their benefits positively impact their overall health (Guardian)

  • 61% of small businesses, 70% of start-ups and 81% of high-tech firms aim to offer a better benefits package than competitors (Guardian)

  • When leaders recognized employees’ healthy actions and outcomes, there was more improvement in population health (91%) and medical plan cost (87%) than in companies that didn’t recognize employees’ success (HERO & Mercer)

  • Organizations whose leaders actively participated in health and well-being programs reported higher rates of employee satisfaction with health and well-being programs (83%) and employee perception of organizational support (85%) than organizations whose leaders didn’t actively participate (HERO & Mercer)

  • 56% of organizations have a formal, written strategic plan for well-being and report better outcomes on medical trends and health improvement than organizations that lack such plans (HERO & Mercer)

  • 89% of employees think their organizations support their health and wellness goals (Robert Half)

  • 55% of workers who feel their employer cares about their well-being want to stay at their company for 10 years or more vs. 33% who don’t believe their company cares (Guardian)

  • 66% of millennial small business owners agree their company creates a culture of well-being vs. 51% of baby boomer owners (Guardian)

  • 44% of professionals said they eat healthier when they work from home (Robert Half)

  • 10% of employees are not sure if their employer offers wellness benefits (CareerBuilder)

  • 30% of workers say their company provides gym passes, workout facilities or wellness benefits, but 19% of this group don’t take advantage of them (CareerBuilder)

  • 61% of workers say their employers do not offer wellness benefits, but if offered, 37% believe they would take advantage of them (CareerBuilder)

  • Many employees felt food habits were an obstacle to health and wellness goals, including food at office celebrations (30%), snacks brought by coworkers (22%) and free meals (10%) (Robert Half)

  • Employees identified wellness programs as the most import perk followed by education programs, financial wellness programs, free meals or snacks and commuter benefits (Zenefits)

  • 35% of employees said employers would spend more on wellness programs in 2018, while just 15% stated they would decrease spending (Wellable)

  • 62% of participants in wellness programs say their productivity has improved, 56% have had fewer sick days and 30% say they had a disease detected thanks to these programs (UnitedHealthcare)

  • 67% of participants in wellness programs reported reduced bodyweight and 23% quit smoking or other nicotine use (UnitedHealthcare)

  • 84% of baby boomers show interest in a wellness program (UnitedHealthcare)

  • 31% of employees take part in employer-sponsored wellness programs (Bank of America Merrill Lynch)

  • 79% of business and HR leaders said that employee well-being is important, while nearly 49% said the purpose of their well-being programs was about complying with requirements as opposed to being about caring for employees (Deloitte)

  • In 2018, 48% of companies offered financial counseling services either online, one on one, or in a classroom setting, up from 28% in 2014 (SHRM)

  • Of the three formats in which financial education is delivered, online is the most popular as 35% of employers use it, 34% offered one-on-one financial education and 29% offered group or classroom-style learning (SHRM)

  • Although about one-third of U.S. employees participated in some form of financial wellness programming last year, many report struggling financially (Bank of America & Merrill Lynch)

  • 95% of employers view their financial wellness programs as being effective in reaching company goals, with 7% saying that they help improve the bottom line (Bank of America/Merrill Lynch)

  • One-third of employees participate in financial wellness programs despite the fact that many say they are struggling (Bank of America)

  • 81% of employees say they prefer that financial wellness be offered as a bundled program rather than as stand-alone resources (Bank of America)

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  • 28% of employers made changes to their healthcare benefits, with 32% adding health insurance and 36% adding other healthcare benefits (Transamerica Center for Health Studies)

  • 59% of small business reps said their company offered healthcare benefits to full and part-time workers, vs. 85% of overall employers (Transamerica Center for Health Studies)

  • 28% of employers cited cost as an obstacle to offering health insurance (Transamerica Center for Health Studies)

  • 16% of employers said they think offering the best health benefits package is the biggest benefit-related priority (Transamerica Center for Health Studies)

  • 1% of employers currently offering health insurance said they won’t be providing it in two-three years (Transamerica Center for Health Studies)

  • 61% of benefits decision-makers said their company is aware of potential healthcare policy changes at the federal level (Transamerica Center for Health Studies)

  • 39% of employers anticipate health insurance quality improving in the next one to three years (Transamerica Center for Health Studies)

  • Only 7% of employees identify healthcare as an important building block of financial wellness, yet 53% have skipped or postponed at least one healthcare need to save money (Bank of America)

  • The top factors cited for job satisfaction were: having the latest digital and technology skills; savings or financial assistance programs and vacation (Randstad)

  • 23% of employers are planning to add a financial wellness program in 2018 (Castlight Health)

  • 83% of employers offer financial wellness programs, up from 20% two years earlier (Prudential)

  • 14% of employers say they plan to offer financial wellness programs in the next one or two years (Prudential)

  • 91% of employers plan to develop or expand their financial well-being programs (Alight)

  • 56% of employers believe their wellness programs have encouraged employees to live a healthier lifestyle, but only 32% of employees agree (WTW)

  • 46% of employees say they would participate in health and wellness programs only if offered incentives (WTW)

  • 62% of employers say they provide wellness programs, but only 40% of employees say their organizations offer them (Transamerica Center)

  • 53% of small businesses are helping workers make better benefits decisions and 44% are increasing employee financial education over the next five years (Guardian)

  • Employers said they’re moving to empower workers saddled with long and short-term money problems with financial education by offering (63%) or thinking about offering (19%) financial education to help their employees manage money, improve their investment decisions, understand their benefits and curb productivity losses caused by money concerns (IFEBP)

  • 39% of employees have a full understanding of their health insurance policy (Aflac)

  • About 90% of employees understood all their employer’s benefits when they took their current job, 86% have kept up to date with benefits changes, and 86% know where to get information on how to use their benefits (AICPA)

  • More than 40% of employees found dealing with multiple benefits vendors to be confusing (Health Advocate)

  • 73% of full-time employees want and expect to have 24/7 access to their benefits (Health Advocate)

  • 28% of employees are very confident they’re fully using their benefits (AICPA)

  • When employees were asked which three benefits would help them meet their financial goals, 56% cited a 401(k) match or health insurance, 33% cited paid time off, 21% flexible work hours and 15% working remotely (AICPA)

  • Americans overestimate their benefits’ value thinking they make up on average 40% of their total compensation, while data shows they actually account for an average of 31.7% of total compensation (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

  • 19% of employees did not feel confident they understood everything they signed up for after their most recent benefits enrollment (Aflac)

  • 93% of employees choose the same benefits each year rather than making changes during open enrollment periods (Aflac)

  • 56% of employees spent less than a half hour researching their benefits options during the last open enrollment, including 19% who didn’t do any research at all (Aflac)

  • Nearly 25% of employers reported having a financial education budget in 2018 vs. 14% in 2016 (IFEBP)

  • 20% of employers are considering adding a financial education budget (IFEBP)

  • 34% of employers said they are considering expanding financial education programs for workers (WTW)

  • If offered financial programs at work, 89% of Gen Xers would participate in them (Purchasing Power)

  • 68% of workers want comprehensive financial planning to help them plan for healthcare costs in retirement and figure out how much they need to save for their post-work years (EBRI)

 

  • 23% of employees said they are considering implementing student loan repayment benefits in the future (Clutch)

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  • Less than 40% of workers believed that counseling for student loan debt could be beneficial; younger workers were more likely to perceive this program, along with budgeting and debt counseling, as useful (EBRI)

  • 13% of employees report their employers offered student-loan-debt relief/payment assistance in 2017 (EBRI)

  • 48% of workers are interested in debt counseling, 47% day-to-day budgeting and 39% in student loan debt assistance (EBRI)

  • 78% of workers with student loan debt, including 65% of workers over age 55 with current or future loan debt, want their workplace to offer student loan benefits (CommonBond)

  • While student loan repayment is the most requested financial benefit, it’s only third on HR’s list of priority benefits (CommonBond)

  • 4% of organizations said they are offering a company-provided student loan repayment benefit, 35% are offering online financial advice services and 34% are offering such sessions in a one-on-one type format (SHRM)

  • It’s anticipated that 34% of employers will offer a student loan consolidation program by 2021, up from 8% in 2018, and 35% of employers will offer student loan refinancing arrangements by 2021, up from 10% in 2018 (WTW)

  • 31% of candidates encountered companies that offered some level of student-loan repayment benefits during their job search (Clutch)

  • 4-5% of U.S. companies currently offer student-loan repayment assistance (Clutch)

  • Top reasons employers don’t have a financial wellness program include: don’t know how/where to start (31%), not a priority (28%), lack of internal resources (28%), no leadership support (10%) and employees aren’t interested (4%) (EBRI)

  • 25% of employees lack health coverage (Clutch)

  • 71% of Americans are satisfied with their current employer-sponsored health plan (America’s Health Insurance)

  • 56% of Americans said their health plan is the reason they’ve stayed at their current job (America’s Health Insurance)

  • 71% of Americans worry that healthcare costs will continue to increase (America’s Health Insurance)

  • Comprehensive benefits ranked higher in importance among Americans (58%) than affordability of plans (42%) (America’s Health Insurance)

  • 46% of Americans said their health plan was either a deciding factor, or a positive influence, in the decision to take their current job (America’s Health Insurance)

  • Americans said the most important benefits are prescription drug coverage (51%), preventive healthcare (47%) and emergency services (47%) (America’s Health Insurance)

  • 62% of employers offer health care services such as diagnosis, treatment or prescriptions provided by phone or video, which is up 28% from last year (SHRM)

  • 55% of employees cited health coverage as the greatest driver of job satisfaction, followed by paid vacation (18%), overtime pay (11%) and retirement plans (10%) (Clutch)

  • More employers are offering supplemental health coverage, up 20% since 2015, to help workers pay for expenses not covered by their HDHP (Guardian)

  • 67% of employees report that their employers offered health insurance in 2017, up from 63% in 2013 (EBRI)

  • 38% of full-time employees don’t have a health insurance plan through their employer (Clutch)

  • 44% of millennials (18-34) name health insurance as the most important benefit they receive (Clutch)

  • 62% of Generation X and baby boomers say health insurance is the most important benefit to receive (Clutch)

  • 20% more employers are offering at least one HDHP compared to 2016 (Benefit Focus)

  • Employees in high deductible health plans grew by more than 60%, from roughly 50% in 2017 to 81% in 2018 (Benefitfocus)

  • HDHP offering rates have increased 76% in the West since 2016 (Benefitfocus)

  • Employees in the West made and received the highest HSA contributions, with employee contributions averaging $1,490 and employer contributions averaging $750 for individual plans, up 11% from 2017 and 19% from 2016 (Benefitfocus)

  • HDHPs are most prevalent in the Midwest, where 70% of employers offer them alongside traditional health plans, up from 46% in 2016 (Benefitfocus)

  • 37% of Midwestern employees selected an HDHP, the highest adoption rate in the country (Benefitfocus)

  • Employees in the Midwest play the lowest preferred provider organization premiums in the country, at less than $1,500 annually for single coverage (Benefitfocus)

  • Employees in the Northeast pay the most for their health plan premiums, both for PPOs ($1,692 for single coverage plans) and HDHPs ($1,237) (Benefitfocus)

  • The average employer HAS contribution (single coverage) has increased 10% year over year (Benefitfocus)

  • Southern workers carry higher-than-average financial responsibility for their health plans, paying the steepest PPO and HDHP deductibles in the country- $1,300 and $2,416 for single coverage; this is 28% higher than the nationwide average for PPOs and 11% higher than the nationwide average for HDHPS (Benefitfocus)

  • Growth in HSA-eligible health plans has declined since 2007, from a high of 70% down to 12% and then to 0% in 2017 (EBRI)

  • Participation in health savings accounts (HSAs) rose to 81% in 2018 (Benefit Focus)

  • While 76% of employees say they understand HSAs, only 12% could correctly identify common attributes of the savings accounts (Bank of America)

  • 72% of Culture of Health (CoH) companies recognize wellness as important to their overall business strategy vs. just 11% of non-CoH companies (Optum)

  • 60% of companies offer wellness programs to stay competitive when attracting and retaining employees vs. 14% of those companies with no identified culture of health (Optum)

  • Nearly 20% of 24-35 year olds said reputation for ethical behavior, diversity and inclusion as well as workplace wellbeing were important when choosing an employer (Deloitte)

  • 23% of organizations have a formal diversity and inclusion policy (TCRS)

  • 86% of employers offer financial incentives for participation in well-being programs, with an average incentive of $784, up from $742 last year and 50% higher than 2013’s average of $521 (Fidelity Investments)

  • Nearly 3 in 10 employers said they plan to continue increasing incentives over the next 3-5 years for participating in well-being programs (Fidelity Investments)

  • 67% of employers intend to offer well-being programs not focused on physical health in coming years (Fidelity Investments)

  • 92% of employers plan to expand well-being programs in emotional health, financial wellness (90%), stress management (77%), community involvement (72%) and social connectedness (60%) (Fidelity Investments)

  • 66% of Culture of Health employers believe wellness programs foster employee productivity compared to 18% of their counterparts (Optum)

  • 61% of companies plan to increase their wellness budget over the next three years (Optum)

  • 73% of full-time U.S. workers expect their employer to provide a high-level of employee self-service, allowing them to independently complete a variety of HR-related tasks (Paychex)

  • 21% of HR leaders are currently leveraging the power of a single HR technology, 48% are using several separate systems with some integrations, 15% are using different systems with no integration, and 15% are still completely manual (Paychex)

  • More than 75% of HR leaders feel their current HR technology solution is improving the overall employee experience (Paychex)

  • 62% of full-time workers in businesses with 50 employees or less said they expect any employer to offer at least some level of HR automation, and 60% of workers in businesses with less than 10 workers expect these offerings (Paychex)

  • More than 65% of companies with 20-500 employees currently offer tools to workers to perform simple administrative HR tasks via self-service, and 46% of companies with fewer than 20 employees are doing the same (Paychex)

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  • 95% of Culture of Health employers take advantage of these tools, just 55% of non-CoH companies do (Optum)

  • 99% of Culture of Health companies offer incentives, averaging $585 per year vs. 89% of non-CoH companies offering an average incentive of $485 per year (Optum)

  • Culture of Health employers believe their programs have made employees more confident in their health care navigation skills (64% vs. 11% of non-CoH companies) (Optum)

  • 50% of employees would most appreciate access to face-to-face counseling to help support any mental health issues they are dealing with (Health Shield)

  • 90% of employees said that struggling with mental health issues stops them from thriving at work and performing to the best of their ability (Health Shield)

  • Employees with mental health problems aren’t able to concentrate at work and are twice as likely to be distracted on the job as typically healthy workers (EAPA)

  • Common causes of productivity loss were related to mental health, such as anxiety/depression/personal stress (40%), marriage or family relationship problems (29%), work and occupational issues (18%) and drug or alcohol problems (4%) (EAPA)

  • 58% of workers would not be able to cover unexpected out-of-pocket medical costs of $1,000 or more, and 31% would not be able to cover an unexpected out-of-pocket medical bill greater than $500 (Aflac)

  • 68% of employers believe their employees have enough options available to help them meet their health care financial obligations, down from 73% last year (Aflac)

2018 Retirement Benefits Stats

  • 88% of employees say bosses should provide help saving for retirement, compared with 84% of employers (Alight Solutions)
  • 72% of employers think workers don’t think about retirement until their retirement draws near and only 40% of workers reported that this is true (TCRS)

  • 72% of employers think that offering a 401k or a similar retirement plan is important in attracting and retaining workers, while 81% of employees said retirement benefits make up a major portion of job search (TCRS)

  • 75% of employees wanted help calculating how much to save for a secure retirement, how much to anticipate spending each month in retirement (72%) and planning for health care expenses in retirement (72%) (EBRI)

  • 66% of workers would like more help from employers in reaching their retirement goals, but only 52% of employers believe that to be the case (TCRS)

  • 66% of workers would like more help from employers in reaching their retirement goals, only 52% of employers believe that to be the case (TCRS)

  • 81% of employees say that retirement benefits make up a major portion of a job search (TCRS)

  • 57% of employees report that their employers offered a retirement savings plan in 2017, up from 53% in 2013 (EBRI)

  • Two-thirds of millennials had not saved a single dollar for retirement savings (NIRS)

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  • 70% of employers added Roth features to their 401k plans, up from 54% in 2014 (WTW)

  • 20% of employers said they were considering accelerating contributions to defined benefit plans (WTW)

  • 73% of employers offer auto-enrollment in defined contribution plans and 47% found the enhancement too costly (WTW)

  • Across two-thirds of businesses, only 5% or less of eligible workers have opted out of Auto Enrollment (CBI)

  • Of the 25% of employers who increased their matching contribution during the past five years, 51% did so to encourage employees’ savings and engagement, and 44% did it to offset defined contribution plan changes (WTW)

  • 80% of employers added health savings accounts to defined contribution plans (WTW)

  • 78% of employers want to improve their efforts to educate employees about retirement plans, with 64% planning to offer guidance on how to draw down balances after employees retire (WTW)

  • 35% of employers measure the retirement readiness of their participants annually, and 88% only measure basic plan statistics (WTW)

  • 36% of employers say their employees are only a little bit or not at all prepared for retirement once they reach retirement age (IFEBP)

  • 69% of small business owners don’t feel fully prepared for retirement (Paychex)
  • 59% of small business owners don’t think they can afford a retirement plan (Paychex)

  • 44% of small business owners don’t see the need or benefit to offering a retirement plan (Paychex)

  • Across two-thirds of businesses, only 5% or less of eligible workers have opted out of Auto Enrollment (CBI)

  • 69% say a firm’s pension scheme is an important factor when looking for a new job (CBI)

  • 47% of businesses believe that recent pension freedoms have led to employees being more engaged (CBI)

  • Employees aged 50+ are almost twice as likely as those under 34 to be engaged in their pension (87% vs 48%) (CBI)

  • Workers on a higher wage (87%) are significantly more engaged in their pension than those on lower wages (33%) (CBI)

  • 70% of employees of more than ten years are engaged with their pension (CBI)

  • 86% of people want to retire at or before 65, but only 37% believe this to be an option (Cebr)

  • 20% of people believe they will never be able to retire due to poor financial planning (Cebr)

  • 50% of employees over 55 and 59% of those ages 18-34 believe their employers should be doing more to guarantee their financial stability in retirement (Cebr)

  • 45% of employers said that they would relish their employees working into their eighties (Cebr)

  • 80% of defined contribution plan participants say they would be very or somewhat interested in an investment option that guarantees income for life when they retire (EBRI)

  • 53% of workers ages 60+ say they are postponing retirement, with 57% of men putting retirement on hold compared to 48% of women (CareerBuilder)

  • 40% of workers don’t think they’ll be able to retire until 70 or older (CareerBuilder)

  • 24% of employees do not know how much they will need to save for retirement, and women are much more likely to be unsure of how much to save than men (31% vs. 17%) (CareerBuilder)

  • 20% of workers think they’ll need to save less than $500,000 in order to retire, 31% said $500,000 to less than $1 million, 14% said $1 million to less than $2 million, 5% said $2 million to less than $3 million, and 7% said $3 million or more (CareerBuilder)

  • 23% of workers ages 55+ and 40% of ages 18-34 said they don’t participate in a 401(k), IRA or other retirement plan (CareerBuilder)

  • 67% of workers in the South and 69% in the Midwest contribute to retirement accounts, compared to 73% in the Northeast and 71% in the West (CareerBuilder)

  • 17% of American workers say they are very confident in their ability to live comfortably throughout retirement (EBRI)

  • 68% of workers expect income from working to be either a major or a minor source of income in retirement, but just 26% of retirees say that this income is a major or minor source (EBRI)

  • 36% of workers expect Social Security to be a major source of retirement income, but 67% of retirees report that Social Security is a major source of income in retirement (EBRI)

  • 46% of workers reported they were very or somewhat confident in Medicare this year, down from 52% in 2017, while 45% were very or somewhat confident in Social Security, down from 51% in 2017 (EBRI)

  • 81% of workers say they expect that a workplace retirement savings plan will be a major or minor source of income, but only 52% of retirees report that a savings plan is a significant source of income for them (EBRI)

  • 76% of workers with a defined contribution plan are at least somewhat confident in their ability to live comfortably in retirement vs. 46% of those without a defined contribution plan (EBRI)

  • Saving for retirement, paying for children’s education and handling basic living expenses are negatively impacting the workplace through stress (79%), lack of focus at work (64%), physical health issues (36%) and absenteeism (34%) (IFEBP)

2018 PTO, Vacation and Time Off Stats

  • 32% of workers tried to negotiate for more time but were unsuccessful, and 21.3% were just happy to get hired (Monster)

  • Paid vacation time (65%) and health insurance (62%) are the most commonly offered benefits (Clutch)
  • Employees preferred 52 days of paid time off a year, a 38 hour work week and working remotely 11 days a month (MidAmerica Nazarene University)

  • 43% of employees said annual leave is the work-related benefit that would make them feel most loved at work, followed by public recognition (15%), team drinks (15%), training (10%), professional mentoring (7%), sleeping in once a week (7%), and getting a parking space for a month (2%) (Xexec)

  • 23% of millennials say that paid vacation time is their top priority, while 14% of Generation X and 12% of Baby Boomers say the same (Clutch)
  • 84% of employees report their employers offered paid vacation time in 2017 (EBRI)

  • Women prioritized vacation time in considering offers, while men favored corporate culture (Accountemps)

  • 26% of workers say vacation time and paid time off are the most important non-salary factors when considering a job offer (Accountemps)

  • Among employees who take a week or more of vacation, 70% say they’re driven to contribute to their organization’s success, as opposed to the 55% who don’t regularly take a week of vacation (O.C. Tanner)

  • Among employees who take a week or more of vacation, 63% say they have a sense of belonging at their company, compared to 43% who skip at least a week of vacation time (O.C. Tanner)

  • 40% of workers said they felt they couldn’t get ahead if they asked their managers for time off (U of M & Cal State U)

  • 58% of all workers and 64% of millennials want paid family leave from their employers, ranking at the top of in demand perks like flexible and remote work options (55%), sabbaticals (38%), student loan repayment assistance (35%), pet-friendly workplaces (15%) and pet insurance (15%) (Unum)

  • Just over half of employers offer paid leave to both mothers and fathers, but by 2019, those numbers could rise to as much as 75% for fathers and 80% for mothers (WTW)

  • 20% of LGBTQ employees are afraid to request time off to care for a loved one because it might disclose their LGBTQ identity (Human Rights Campaign)

  • 72% of HR managers say the day after the Super Bowl should be a paid national holiday for employees (OfficeTeam)

  • 51% of employees were uneasy about asking managers for time off during the holiday season (West Monroe Partner)

  • Distressed workers spend one-third of their time being unproductive and are out sick an average of one full day a month (EAPA)

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  • Employees without paid sick leave were 1.6 times more likely to say they were very worried about short-term expenses compared to those with paid sick leave (Florida Atlantic University and Cleveland State University)

  • When compared to employees with paid sick leave, workers without the benefit reported having significantly higher levels of psychological distress and were 1.5 times more likely to say their distress symptoms interfered a lot with their day-to-day lives and activities (Florida Atlantic University and Cleveland State University)

  • Workers without paid sick leave were three times more likely to have earnings below the poverty line and were more apt to face food insecurity and need welfare services (Florida Atlantic University and Cleveland State University)

  • 68% of Americans and 31% of part-time workers can access paid sick days, with Hispanic workers having the lowest rates of access at just 45% (Florida Atlantic University and Cleveland State University)

  • 21% of employees receive dedicated mental health support from their employer, and an average of 8.4 sick days are taken each year due to a mental health problem (BHSF)

  • 24% of employees worry that if they did need to take a sick day due to a mental health issue, they wouldn’t be taken seriously (BHSF)

  • 71% of employees report their employers offered paid sick leave in 2017 (EBRI)

  • 23% of employees said they would feel more supported if dedicated days off were allocated for mental wellbeing, and a further 22% would benefit from dedicated mental health support staff (BHSF)

  • 46% of employees said they would take a lower paying job with more flexible working arrangements (TSheets)

  • 32% of workers say they feel pressured not to take time off (TSheets)

  • 48% of employees said they do not get enough time off (TSheets)

  • 20% of managers feel overwhelmed by the high volume of vacation requests (Office Pulse)

  • Stress levels were found to be higher among employees who do not get PTO and 51% of them say they are often or always stressed, with 58% describing it as unhealthy (TSheets)

  • 84% of the workforce currently has access to paid time off and 65% did not use all of their PTO allocation last year, with 18% blaming their workload (TSheets)

  • U.S. workers get an average of 11 days paid time off per year and typically don’t use five of these days per year (TSheets)

  • 60% of employees who did take time off last year worked while they were on vacation (TSheets)

  • 74% of employees chose a raise when asked to choose between more PTO and a raise (TSheets)

  • 39% of workers said they would accept a job without PTO (TSheets)

  • 51% of employees admitted they had previously misled a manager about why they need to take time off (TSheets)

  • Top 3 reasons for misleading managers about taking time off are: insomnia (15%), mental health reasons (13%) and physical health reasons (12%) (TSheets)

  • 89% of employees come to work sick with 19% admitting to doing this more than once a month (TSheets)

  • 12% of employees believe employers should not provide sick leave (TSheets)

  • The most desirable PTO benefits are: paid holidays (91%), sick leave (88%), and paid vacation days (87%) (TSheets)

  • 50% of employees plan to take vacation time around July 4 (Office Pulse)

  • 22% of employees said employers should not provide maternity leave while 28% said employers should not provide paid paternity leave (TSheets)

  • 35% of employees indicated maternity leave was offered at their organization, followed by paternity leave (29%), adoption leave (28%), parental leave (27%), foster child leave (21%) and surrogacy leave (12%) (SHRM)

  • More than 40% of employers said they offer workers paid parental leave, a 16% increase from 2015 (Mercer)

  • The percentage of employers offering paid maternity leave increased from 26% in 2016 to 35% in 2018 (SHRM)

  • 57% of employees ages 55+ said they get more than 11 days of PTO per year while 52% of 18-22 year old employees said they get five days or less (TSheets)

  • 11% of ages 55+ get no PTO compared to 25% of 18-24 year olds (TSheets)

  • 73% of older employees said they did not use all of their PTO last year and 77% admitting to working while they were on PTO (TSheets)

  • Canada employers typically offer 10 days of PTO a year , Australian employers offer between 16-20 PTO days annually, and the U.S. usually offers 11 days per year (TSheets)

  • 16% of American workers say they get no PTO at all compared to 14% of Australian workers and just 8% of Canadian workers (TSheets)

  • 74% of U.S. workers would take a raise over more time off, in Australia this drops to 69% and in Canada to 65% saying they would take more money over more time off (TSheets)

  • 43% of companies offered PTO in 2016, up from 28% in 2002 (WorldatWork)

  • 40% of employers that made the switch from vacation and sick time to PTO reported that employees were more present (WorldatWork)

  • 14% of professionals said they resent their employer for their treatment of vacation time (Office Pulse)

  • 50% of workers said companies don’t need to go to a greater extent to help them “switch off” when not at work; 28% said companies should “somewhat” go to a greater extent to help them “switch off” and 22% said companies should “very” to “extremely” go to a greater extent to help them “switch off” (IBM)

  • Unplanned employee absences waste one hour for every 10 hours of budgeted in-store labor (Kronos)

  • 52% of retailers cited unplanned absences as one of their more time-consuming problems (Kronos)

  • Retailers are understaffed 25% of the time due to last-minute absences; 49% of U.S. retailers said that most of the time, they are given one to three hours notice when an employee is not going to show up for work (Kronos)

  • 55% of retailers have technology to manage unplanned absences, and 59% said that scheduling technology can positively impact their teams’ productivity (Kronos)

  • Retailers believe that new absence and shift-swapping solutions can reduce absenteeism by as much as 18% (Kronos)

  • 52% of employees reported having unused vacation days at the end of the year compared to 54% in 2016 and 55% in 2015 (U.S. Travel Association)

  • The average employee reported earning 23.2 paid time off days, an increase of more than half a day over the previous year (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 61% of employees leave vacation time unused for fear of looking replaceable, 56% because their workload is too heavy, 56% because of a lack of coverage at work, and 53% due to the cost of travel (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 38% of employees said their company culture encouraged vacation (U. S. Travel Association)

  • Paid vacation (45%) is the second most important benefit to employees after health care (53%), ahead of retirement plans (38%), flexible work options (25%), bonuses (14%), and sick leave (10%) (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 62% of employees say their company discourages, sends mixed messages, or says nothing about vacation time (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 40% of employees say they are not sure or do not think their company wants them to use all the vacation time they earn, and 54% feel the same when it comes to talking about their vacation with colleagues when they return (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 70% of executive and senior leaders feel strongly that the company wants them to use all their time off, and that they should talk about their vacation experiences when they return (64%) (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 10% of Americans have taken a workcation (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely) and 29% of all workers described the idea as appealing, while 70% called the concept unappealing (U.S. Travel Association)

  • The 10% of employees who reported taking a workcation (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely) report a much stronger affinity for the idea, with 55% of this experienced group calling it appealing (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 39% of Millennials, 28% of Gen X and 18% of Boomers say they find the idea of a workcation (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely) appealing (U.S. Travel Association)

  • Of those who feel they have a hard time getting away due to workload, 34% say a workcation (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely) is an attractive option, compared to 27% who say their workload does not make it difficult to take vacation (U.S. Travel Association)

  • Employees who are concerned about looking less dedicated or replaceable are far more likely to find workcations (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely) appealing than those who do not fear the optics of vacation (37% to 27%) (U.S. Travel Association)

  • Employees who took a workcation (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely)  last year are more likely than average to say they check in with work frequently or at least occasionally when they are on vacation (75% to 40%) (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 37% of Americans who used little or none of their vacation days said they found the idea of a workcation (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely) appealing, compared to 29% overall (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 84% of employees say it is important to travel with their time off, 87% of those who find workcations (proactive decision to travel somewhere with the intent to work a regular schedule remotely) appealing say the same (U.S. Travel Association)

  • Where the average employee is taking 17.2 days of vacation, 47% of that time - just eight days - is used for travel (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 23% of employees said they used none of their time off to travel (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 84% of employees say it is important to them they use their time off to travel (U.S. Travel Association)

  • The average Millennial takes 14.5 days off, 7.1 of which are used to travel (U.S. Travel Association)

  • Gen X uses 17.9 of their days off and dedicates 8.2 of those for travel (U.S. Travel Association)

  • Boomers take the most days off work at 19.8 and spend 9 days on travel vacations (U.S. Travel Association)

  • 48% of Americans don’t use a majority of their vacation time for travel (U.S. Travel Association)

  • Employees who used little to none of their vacation time for travel were 5% less likely than those who use all or most of their vacation time for travel to report a raise or bonus in the last three years (81% to 86%) (U.S. Travel Association)

2018 Flexible Working Stats

  • 32% of employees have flexible hours, and 41% of those with perks say that flexible hours are the most important perk they receive (Clutch)

  • 69% of Gen Z said flexible hours (69%) are a valued employee benefit, along with free health care (23%) and the option to work remotely (18%) (Sharefile)

  • More than half of workplaces worldwide now offer a remote work option or some hybrid form of it (Owl Labs)

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  • Remote jobs listings in math and economics, insurance, non-profit and philanthropy and seven other areas grew by more than 50% in just 12 months in 2018 (Flexjobs)

  • Over 50% of employees said their companies offered remote work options, and of those whose companies do, 91% said they’re as productive working remotely as they are in the workplace (West Monroe Partner)

  • 46% of employees said they would take a lower paying job with more flexible working arrangements (TSheets)

  • More than 60% of employers are considering increasing flexible work options and arrangements, and two-thirds anticipate improving their personalized communication during the next three years (WTW)

  • 89% of employers said flexible working options are important when it comes to staff attraction and retention (Hays)

  • 33% of employees said flexible working options were critical to their remaining in employment (Hays)

  • 63% of employees said flexible work hours were nice to have (Hays)

  • 4% of employees said flexible work was not important to them (Hays)

  • The number of younger people able to work from locations other than their employer’s primary site increased more than 20% compared to 2016 (Deloitte)

  • 84% of employees claimed to work in a job offering some degree of flexibility (Deloitte)

  • 15% or women and 11% of men say that working from home is their top employee perk (Clutch)

  • Employers try to support parents via flexible work locations or schedules (61%), additional unpaid leave (34%), parent support groups (15%), coaching and returning to work after parental leave (13%), overnight breast milk delivery for mothers who travel for work (9%) and concierge services for new parents (7%)  (WTW)

  • 40% of employees said that flexible/remote work options can lower workplace distractions, and 52% say they’re more productive when working remotely (Udemy)

  • Among Millennial and Gen Z employees who said they intend to stay with their current employers for at least 5 years, 55% note greater flexibility in where and when they work now compared to 3 years ago (Deloitte)

  • 61% of employees want appealing and comfortable workspaces, workplace flexibility (53%), perks (47%) and workspaces that provide learning opportunities (32%) (Clutch)

  • 34% of parents felt resentful about their employer’s approach to work-life balance, with more fathers than mothers expressing this sentiment (37% vs. 32%) (Working Families)

  • 46% of millennial fathers feel resentful about their employer’s approach to work-life balance (Working Families)

  • 37% of parents said that changing company culture to make work-life balance more acceptable should be a priority for employers (Working Families)

  • 11% of workers have refused a new job due to a lack of good work-life balance opportunities, while around 75% of workers would carefully consider their childcare arrangements before taking a promotion or new job (Working Families and Bright Horizons)

  • 23% of workers have reduced their working hours to try and get a better fit between work and family life vs. 14% who work flexibly on an informal basis to achieve this (Working Families and Bright Horizons)

  • 31% of workers are effectively prevented from working flexibly, and 35% who do work flexibly state that their work-life balance is not ideal for them or their family (Working Families and Bright Horizons)

  • 44% of workers feel that flexible working is a genuine work-life balance option for parents in their workplace; however, 34% of workers have faked being ill in order to meet family obligations (Working Families and Bright Horizons)

  • 34% of workers feel resentful towards their employer with regards to work-life balance; this increases to 46% for male millennial workers (Working Families and Bright Horizons)

  • 37% of workers think employers should make efforts to change organizational culture to ensure a good work-life balance, 35% believe more policies that support work-life balance should be implemented and 28% feel that employers should encourage their staff to use existing policies to help their work-life balance (Working Families and Bright Horizons)

  • 82% of U.S. workers say the ability to work from anywhere at any time allows them to maintain a healthy work/life balance, 62% still prefer to work in the office (Randstad)

  • Professionals in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco scored highest in achieving work-life balance while Nashville, Denver, Atlanta, Cincinnati, San Diego and Raleigh scored the lowest (Robert Half)

  • 39% of employees said employers were responsible for creating work-life balance (Robert Half)

  • 26% of business leaders cited work-life balance as an employee concern (Robert Half)

  • Nearly two-thirds of companies have employees who work remotely (Upwork)

  • Since 2005, the U.S. has seen a 115% increase in the number of employees who work from home at least half the time (Upwork)

  • 57% of companies lack a remote work policy (Upwork)

  • 77% of employees reported they are more productive when working away from the office (Upwork)

  • 65% of workers think they’d be more productive working at home than in the office (FlexJobs)

  • 75% of workers said they experience greater productivity at home because they encounter fewer distractions, fewer interruptions from colleagues (74%), less stress from commuting (71%) and less office politics (65%) (FlexJobs)

  • 60% of workers believe they and others will work from home (Braidio)

  • 66% of workers say they like the option of occasionally working from home or another location, but aren’t able to do so (Randstad)

  • 36% of workers report their workplaces support working from home anytime and anywhere they want (Randstad)

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  • 57% of employers lack an outline of short and long-term goals as well as equipping with secure technology for remote workers even though they have remote workers (Robert Half)

  • 35% of employees disagree that their employers provide the necessary technical equipment to enable them to work from home (Randstad)

  • 41% of employees said they would only work for an employer offering agile work options (Spherion)

  • 80% of workers say they like agile work (the ability to work from anywhere, anytime) because it increases their productivity, creativity and job satisfaction (Randstad)

  • 61% of workers don’t believe agile work (the ability to work from anywhere, anytime) interferes with their personal lives, or their ability to disconnect from work (Randstad)

  • 53% of small businesses are utilizing flexible talent, up 16 points from 2017 and anticipated to grow by 20% in the next 10 years (Upwork)

  • 60% of small businesses agree that remote work has become more commonplace compared to three years ago (Upwork)

  • 67% of small businesses have someone on their team who works a significant portion of their time remotely, up 13 points from last year (Upwork)

  • In the next 10 years, small businesses predict that 35% of their employees will work predominantly from remote locations (Upwork)

  • 86% of small businesses have made progress in developing a more agile, flexible talent strategy (Upwork)

  • 63% of small businesses agree dynamic team structures will become the norm (Upwork)

  • 81% of parents who said they worked flexibly said they still had to bring work home at evenings or weekends (Working Families)

  • 70% of organizations offer some form of telecommuting option to employees, up from 62% in 2017 and 59% in 2014 (SHRM)

  • 80% of workers said telecommuting all the time is the most in-demand type of flexible work arrangement, followed by flexible schedules (71%) (FlexJobs)

  • Almost 30% of workers would take a wage cut in order to telecommute (FlexJobs)

  • Less than 10% of older and younger workers would say they produce their best work in the office; more than 60% said they’d be more productive if they telecommuted and 41% said they don’t think they should have to exchange salary or vacation time for telecommuting options (Flexjobs)

  • 90% of HR leaders said they embrace digital practices like flexible scheduling and remote work, but just 15% of them have fully adopted digital practices (Allegis Group)

  • Traditional workers reported much less flexibility (27%) than the other two groups, who came in at 38% for contingent (temporary or on-call) and 58% for independent workers (contractors or online platform workers) (Gallup)

  • 56% of employers worldwide offer either a completely remote workplace or a hybrid form of remote work (OWL Labs)

  • Employees who work remotely at least once a month are 24% happier than those who never work off-site (OWL Labs)

  • Leading the pack of remote workers are finance and insurance professionals at 40% (OWL Labs)

  • 32% of employees never work remotely and 16% of companies worldwide are fully remote (OWL Labs)

  • 51% of remote workers are often stressed out and feel isolated from office activity (OWL Labs)

2018 Benefits Management Stats

  • 35% of employee wellness professionals said employers would spend more on wellness programs in 2018, while just 15% stated they would decrease spending (Wellable)

  • When determining benefits investment, 79% of employee wellness professionals cited a competitive benefits plan as an influencer; 77% cited cost (Wellable)

  • The cost to provide health benefits could near $15,000 per worker by the beginning of 2019 (NBGH)

  • More than 50% of small businesses have digitalized a majority of their benefits process (Guardian)

  • Roughly 30% of small business owners have increased their level of administration outsourcing in the last three years, and 24% believe outsourcing will be a top benefits strategy in the next five years (Guardian)

  • 60% of employers aren’t proactively trying to manage the waste in healthcare (Benfield Gallagher)

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  • 57% of employers think that up to 25% of treatments for employees and their dependents are wasteful, and 59% of employers don’t compile or analyze data to track waste (Benfield Gallagher)

  • 52% of employers said they believe virtual care will play a significant role in the future of healthcare delivery (NBGH)

  • 51% of employers said implementing more virtual solutions was their top healthcare initiative in 2019, and 95% have already implemented telehealth services for minor, non-urgent services (NBGH)

  • 49% of employers are taking a more active role in changing healthcare delivery through a range of actions, including experimenting with new payment and delivery models like accountable care organizations, centers of excellence and performance networks (NBGH)

  • 35% of employers indicated they would “actively pursue” an ACO or high-performance network strategy in 2019, either by direct contracting or by promoting ACOs and HPNs offered by their health plans (NBGH)

  • 67% of HR leaders have reevaluated their pay practices this year, with an eye on pay equity (Paychex)

  • 83% of HR leaders now have a discrimination and harassment policy in place with 65% having updated those policies in the last 12 months (Paychex)

  • More than two in five employers report an increased demand for financial education from employees in the past two years (IFEBP)

  • 63% of employers currently provide financial education for their workforce, and an additional 19% are considering such education for the future (IFEBP)

  • Among employers that offer financial education programs, 24% report that they have a financial education budget in 2018, which is significantly higher than the 14% of employers that had such a budget in 2016 (IFEBP)

  • An additional 20% of employers are considering adding a financial education budget, and more than 50% of employers with existing budgets are planning to increase those over the next two years (IFEBP)

  • 17% of employers currently offer financial education around life events like funding education, getting married, purchasing a home, divorce, having a child etc.; 23% are considering doing this in the future (IFEBP)

  • 57% of employers offering financial education report their program is successful, and 6% say their financial education program is unsuccessful (IFEBP)

  • 75% of HR executives think their benefits offering are innovative, but only 50% of workers agree (CommonBond)

  • 64% of hiring decision makers believe their organization is satisfactory/very satisfactory at clearly setting pay and benefit expectations within job postings (Glassdoor)

  • In response to the corporate tax cut, 20% of companies have provided enhanced benefits with 35% of those considering further changes to their benefits package (Pearl Meyer)

  • Of companies that have made changes to their benefits in response to the corporate tax cut, 95% said they have made structural changes to compensation first (Pearl Meyer)

  • In response to the corporate tax cut, 65% of companies handed out $1,000 one-time bonuses to employees, and 46% of employers increased the minimum wage (Pearl Meyer)

  • 90% of employers said the move to a benefits marketplace helped simplify their benefits administration process (WTW)

  • In response to the corporate tax cut, 9% of employers enhanced their benefits packages, with an additional 12% of employers increasing their retirement benefits (Pearl Meyer)

  • In response to the corporate tax cut, 20% of employers are considering making changes to retirement preparation and enhancing benefits (23%) (Pearl Meyer)

  • In response to the corporate tax cut, 15% of employers are considering reducing healthcare costs (Pearl Meyer)

  • In response to the corporate tax cut, 52% of employers are not planning any changes to their benefits package because they are unsure of or not anticipating a significant tax benefit (Pearl Meyer)

  • 65% of employees say employers should spend their tax savings on increases in annual and hourly wages (Aon Pulse)

  • 55% of mid to large size employers said they plan on using their tax savings for broad-based expenditures, and 29% plan on allocating savings to employees’ compensation and benefits (Aon Pulse)

  • 67% of brokers who were automation leaders ranked integrated benefits management platforms as a top priority to their clients (Maestro Health)

  • 24% of firms cited challenges around having insufficient resources within their business to communicate with employees about pensions (CBI)

  • 51% of businesses offer a digital information portal for staff and 49% deliver in-house webinars/seminars (CBI)

  • Companies’ top 3 challenges are training (44%), planning and budgeting (38%) and technology (37%) (Catalant)

  • To overcome technology gaps, employers said they plan to adopt change management strategies and new technologies to attract specialized or highly skilled talent (75%), find talent that can do the work faster (62%), speed up talent acquisition (57%) and reduce reliance on costly brand-name consulting firms (40%) (Catalant)

  • 70% of executives say employees’ desire for purpose is impacting HR’s ability to recruit and retain top talent (69%), and 65% report it is transforming traditional approaches to talent recruitment and development, including compensation packages (Covestro)

  • 68% of executives believe their employees would be more engaged in their work and perform at higher levels if they had opportunities to be challenged by working on purpose projects inside and/or outside the company (Covestro)

  • 62% of executives see SBV (small teams of employees engaging in short-term consulting projects that aid nonprofit organizations and their causes) as a way to attract top talent, increase employee engagement (70%), and develop future leaders at their companies (80%) (Covestro)

  • 75% of executives believe that in the next decade, in order to recruit and retain talent, compensation alone will not be enough (Covestro)

  • 45% of micro companies and 53% of small companies utilize social networking to recruit, compared to 73% of large businesses (HireRight)

  • 25% of micro businesses and 50% of small businesses rely on their corporate website to recruit and attract candidates compared to 80% of their large counterparts (HireRight)

  • 15% of micro companies are utilizing a mobile-friendly application and screening process (HireRight)

  • Roughly 70% of executives indicate that over the last 5 years they’ve seen an increase in the number of Millennials (71%), Gen Xers (69%) and Baby Boomers (46%) who want the opportunity for more social purpose work while on the job (Covestro)

  • 71% of executives say employees’ desire for purpose is prompting HR to rethink certain work policies and 67% say its compelling HR to work more closely with corporate social responsibility to create new policies and programs that give employees the opportunities to get involved in social projects (Covestro)

  • 83% of executives believe skills-based volunteerism (small teams of employees engaging in short-term consulting projects that aid nonprofit organizations and their causes) could help employees satisfy their desire for purpose and hone their teamwork and/or leadership abilities, develop new skills and/or strengthen existing ones (77%), and become more engaged and productive in their own work (67%) (Covestro)

  • In planning for 2019, 78% organizations reported concerns about retention, and 73% talent attraction (Mercer)

  • Only 26% of executives say their companies have utilized skills-based volunteerism (Covestro)

  • Organizations with poorly handled onboarding are twice as likely to cause new hires to seek new opportunities in the near future (Digitate)

  • The new hire onboard experience sets a tone which, if negative, can leave 25% of new hires unlikely to recommend the employer to a family member or friend (Digitate)

  • 60% of professionals expressed an optimism that automation may benefit their employees (Digitate)

  • 54% of C-level execs say they have more unfilled positions than ever before (Cielo)

  • 65% of C-level execs expect flexible workers, contingent workers and project-based workers will take over a significant amount of the work currently being done by full-time employees (Cielo)

  • Total talent acquisition, a consistent and comprehensive approach to recruiting and hiring, is a top priority among 90% of C-level execs (Cielo)

  • Responding to applicants no later than 72 hours from initial contact avoids losing the opportunity to schedule an interview (Hireology)

  • Texting job applicants reduces time-to-hire by a full 8 days, while increasing interview completion rate by 20% (Hireology)

  • 90% of HR executives believe that technology will substantially change their organizations’ operations, but less than half feel they have the resources for a digital undertaking (The Hackett Group)

  • 90% of employers agreed that it is beneficial to switch from paper-based training to mobile-based training (Inkling and Forrester)

  • More than 85% of employers say employees who have used mobile devices and software or apps specifically designed to train customer-facing employees are better able to meet customer expectations after learning to use such tools (Inkling and Forrester)

  • 40% of companies with 1,000+ employees outsource their FMLA management as do 27% of companies with 50 or more employees (DMEC)

  • 78% of employers offered workers live support services to help navigate their benefits (Health Advocate)

  • Employers have cited employee engagement strategies including: intranets and newsletters (78%), events and meetings (67%), and contributions to FSAs/HSAs/HRAs (65%) (Health Advocate)

  • 54% of employers have cited using employee engagement incentives like reduced insurance premiums, cash and gifts (Health Advocate)

2018 Employee Perks and Other Miscellaneous Benefits Stats

  • 23% of employees said their rewards are below or well below those of other companies, up from 15% in 2015 (Alight Solutions)

  • 54% of workers believe their overall total rewards meet their needs or the needs of their family (Alright Solutions)

  • 68% of employees said they think work perks are just as important as health coverage, life insurance, and other traditional benefits (Zenefits)

  • 42% of full-time employees have no employee perks at all (Clutch)

  • 53% of those who do have employee perks say that those perks give them a better quality of life (Clutch)

  • 66% of employees who receive perks are satisfied with them (Clutch)

  • 34% of organizations increased their benefits offerings in the past year (SHRM)

  • 80% of employees who ranked their benefits satisfaction as extremely or very high also ranked job satisfaction as extremely or very high (EBRI)

  • Nearly two-thirds of employees who ranked benefits satisfaction as extremely or very high ranked their moral as excellent or very good (EBRI)

  • 49% of employees say that receiving perks/benefits means they know that their employers are invested in them as individuals (Clutch)

  • 90% of employees in pet friendly workplaces and less than 65% of employees in non-friendly workplaces feel highly connected to their company’s mission, fully engaged with their work and willing to recommend their employer to others (Nationwide)

  • More than three times as many employees at pet friendly workplaces report a positive working relationship with their boss and co-workers (Nationwide)

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  • 83% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces feel their work is rewarding and exciting vs. 46% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • 88% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces would recommend their place of employment to others vs. 51% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • 91% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces feel the company supports their physical health and wellness and 89% feel the company supports their mental well-being vs. 59% and 53% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • 52% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces report a positive working relationship with their supervisor and 53% with their co-workers vs. 14% and 19% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • 85% of employees that work in pet friendly workplaces rarely miss a day of work for well-being and/or recuperation vs. 77% of those that don’t work at a pet friendly workplace (Nationwide)

  • 85% of employees see a growing need for voluntary insurance benefits, a sentiment that has grown significantly and is up from 63% in 2014 (Aflac)

  • Job satisfaction rises from 65% for the overall population to 69% among employees in organizations where voluntary benefits are offered, and 75% when enrolled (Aflac)

  • Voluntary benefits will meet employees’ diverse needs, from serious illness and identity theft (a 56% increase) and pet insurance (80%) (Benefitfocus)

  • There’s been a 138% increase in the share of employers offering at least three voluntary benefits since 2016 (Benefitfocus)

  • 51% of employers plan to increase their investments in on-site benefits (Randstad)

  • 42% of companies reduced the number of investment options they offer to plan participants over the past three years, and another 41% plan to do so by 2020 (WTW)

  • 59% of employees report that their employers offered dental insurance in 2017, up from 54% in 2013 (EBRI)

  • 88% of Americans think employers should offer disability insurance to protect their finances if they couldn’t earn a paycheck due to sickness or injury; 56% of workers say they’d even pay the full premium for disability coverage, but only 26% sign up for it (Unum)

  • 84% of workers want help in getting disability insurance, compared with 71% of employers (Alight Solutions)

  • Gen Xers and Boomers focus more on disability insurance (50% and 63%) vs their younger coworkers (33%) (LIMRA)

  • 29% of employees report their employers offered long-term disability in 2017, down from 32% in 2013 (EBRI)

  • 36% of employees report their employers offered short-term disability in 2017, down from 39% in 2013 (EBRI)

  • 50% of employees report that their employers offered life insurance in 2017, up from 47% in 2013 (EBRI)

  • 81% of workers want help getting life insurance, while just 68% of employers think they should provide that help (Alight Solutions)

  • 15% of employers offer accident insurance in 2017 (EBRI)

  • 50% of workers want help getting identity protection services (Alight Solutions)

  • 21% of full-time workers receive paid parental leave (Clutch)

  • 40% of millennials see parental leave as an important benefit (LIMRA)

  • 8% of full-time workers receive some kind of childcare stipend (Clutch)

  • 23% of women would take day-care services into heavy consideration when choosing a job (Fractl)

  • 24% of women would take paid maternity leave into heavy consideration when choosing a job (Fractl)

  • 45% of employees report their employers offered paid maternity leave in 2017 (EBRI)

  • 11% of men would take day-care services into heavy consideration when choosing a job (Fractl)

  • 14% of men would take paid paternity leave into heavy consideration when choosing a job (Fractl)

  • 26% of employees report their employers offered paid paternity leave in 2017 (EBRI)

  • 40% of employees age 24 and younger said they’d talk to their boss about making a career change if they had access to additional opportunities to learn and grow within the workplace (LinkedIn)

  • 40% of employees age 36 and younger and 67% of baby boomers described their companies’ learning and development programs as excellent (Harvard Business Publishing)

  • 42% of employees say learning and development is the most important benefit when deciding where to work followed by health insurance (48%) (Udemy)

  • 34% of employees feel it is the employer’s responsibility to pay for training (Udemy)

  • 42% of millennials said their current employers do provide learning, development and training opportunities (Udemy)

  • Workers ages 18-34 said career development matters most in accepting a job offer, while workers 55+ cited paid time off as their top factor (Accountemps)

  • 25% of full-time employees have paid professional development (Clutch)

  • 29% of employees said their organization has a formal mentoring program and 37% said they have an informal one (Association for Talent Development)

  • 71% of Fortune 500 companies have formal mentorship programs (ATD)

  • 90% of workers participating in a mentoring program said it helped them develop a positive relationship with another individual in the company (River)

  • 51% of workers said they are satisfied with their current jobs, but gave their employers’ development opportunities a poor grade (The Conference Board)

  • 89% of workers participating in a mentoring program said it allowed them to contribute to the success of their company (River)

  • 94% of workers participating in a mentoring program believe that a mentoring program demonstrates an organization’s commitment to provide career options and opportunities (River)

  • 83% of workers participating in a mentoring program admitted that their experience positively influenced their desire to stay at their organization (River)

  • 28% of employees said their employers offer mentorship or leadership programs geared toward women (Randstad)

  • When asked to what extent organizations should go to recognize workers’ achievements, 49% said “very” to “extremely” while 38% said “somewhat” and only 12% said “not at all” (IBM)
  • To foster diversity in the workplace, 49% of minority cybersecurity professionals said mentorship programs are very important (ISC)²

  • 97% of employees preferred choosing their own benefits, rather than have their employer choose for them (WTW)

  • 96% of employees said they were content with the enrollment and shopping experience for benefits (WTW)

  • Employee satisfaction with benefits rose to 95% in 2018 from 92% in 2016, while employer satisfaction with benefit offerings rose to 99% - a 22% increase from 77% in 2016 (WTW)

  • Employers are starting to support part-time workers with maternity and child care benefits, including unpaid leave (52%), adoption or surrogacy stipends (34%) and childcare support (23%) (WTW)

  • 21% of employers offer an app-based mobile phone fertility or maternity program, with 16% offering it through the health plan and 5% through other vendors (WTW)

  • 66% of employers say they expect to offer fertility benefits by 2019 (WTW)

  • Fertility coverage for same-sex couples will hit 81% among employers offering fertility benefits by 2019 (WTW)

  • 82% of businesses that currently offer fertility coverage say they will make no changes in 2018; 17% expect to enhance offerings and 1% plan to decrease benefits (WTW)

  • 81% of employers already offering financial assistance said the benefit would apply to same-sex couples next year, compared with 65% in 2017 (WTW)

  • 49% of employees report that their employers offered vision insurance in 2017, up from 44% in 2013 (EBRI)

  • 76% of employees are enrolled in a vision benefits plan (Transitions Optical)

  • The enrollment breakdown for vision care by generation is: Boomers (84%), Gen X (80%), Millennials (75%) and Gen Z (50%) (Transitions Optical)

  • 50% of millennials are confident they have a strong understanding of their benefits (Qualtrics)

  • Employees spend 30 minutes or less reviewing benefits materials before open enrollment (Unum)

  • Workers said that signing up for benefits made them feel stressed (21%), confused (22%) and anxious (20%) (Unum)

  • 52% of employees say they understand their health benefits and 43% indicate they understand their non-health benefits very/extremely well (EBRI)

  • 31% of employees indicate their employer or benefits company provides no education or advice on benefits (EBRI)

  • 39% of employees state that their employer provides education on how health insurance works, 24% say that their employer provides education n how a health savings account works, and 28% confirm that their employer offers education on how to invest money in their retirement plan (EBRI)

  • 48% of millennials report education benefits as an important employer-provided benefit (LIMRA)

  • 34% of Gen Xers and 20% of boomers consider education benefits important (LIMRA)

  • 80% of employees want to acquire more digital skills to guarantee their future employability (Randstad)

  • 76% of employees think their employers should provide them with more training in digital skills, but only 44% said their employers are doing so (Randstad)

  • 59% of employees are, to a certain extent, investing in their own upskilling (Randstad)

  • 90% of employees think employers are mainly responsible for upskilling staff (Coding Dojo)

  • 40% of workers said their employers were helping them develop skills (Gartner)

  • 58% of workers say they’d start a job with a lower salary if that meant working for a great boss (Randstad)

  • 40% of employees believe their manager is helping them develop the skills they need to perform their work (Gartner)

  • One-third of U.S. workers say they participated in no training to improve their skills in the past year (Gartner)

  • 25% of employers offer training to help workers understand the vulnerability of systems and how to avert breaches (Mimecast)

  • 30% of employees have the skills they need to perform their work today and only 20% of employees have the skills needed for both current and future jobs (Gartner)

  • 64% of managers say they don’t think their own employees will be able to keep pace with skills needed in the future (Gartner)

  • 31% of employees were offered no formal training in 2016 (Axonify)

  • Among managers who oversee one to two employees, 59% report having no training at all, the same measure stands at 41% among managers who overs see three to five workers (West Monroe Partners)

  • 42% of new managers admit they developed their style by observing and mimicking a previous manager rather than through any type formal training (West Monroe Partners)

  • Nearly half of managers who had 10+ years of managerial experience said they’ve only received about nine total hours of training and 43% who have been manager for less than one year have had no training (West Monroe Partners)

  • 43% of employees who received training found it to be ineffective (Axonify)

  • 93% of employees want training that is easy to complete/understand, 91% want it to be personalized/relevant, and 90% want it to be engaging/fun (Axonify)

  • 89% of employees want training anytime/anywhere they need to do their job, 85% want to be able to choose the training times that fit their schedule, and 80% believe frequent/regular training is more important than formal workplace training (Axonify)

  • 43% of women are satisfied with training and learning opportunities at their employer vs. 55% of men (CareerBuilder)

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  • 34% of women are satisfied with career advancement opportunities at their current employer, compared to 44% of men (CareerBuilder)

  • 30% of women do not feel they have the same career advancement opportunities as men who have the same skills and qualifications at their organization, compared to 12% of men (CareerBuilder)

  • Businesses with a strong learning culture enjoy employee engagement and retention rates around 30-50% higher than those that don’t (Robert Half)

  • 47% of organizations run training and development programs to help build employees’ skills and support career development (Robert Half)

  • Employers increased their per-employee spend on training in 2017, up nearly 2% to $1,296 (ATD)

  • Employees averaged over 34 hours of training per year, with technology-based learning accounting for 41% of all time spent learning (ATD)

  • Up to 59% of employees admitted they had no training whatsoever to do their jobs and that their skills had been mostly self-taught (ATD)

  • 67% of Gen X leaders said they would like more external coaching and 57% want external development (DDI)

  • 80% of employees see significant opportunity for artificial intelligence to create a more engaging and empowering workplace experience, yet admit a lack of transparency from their employers is a primary driver of fear and concern (The Workforce Institute)

  • 64% of employees would welcome artificial intelligence if it simplified or automated time consuming internal processes (Coleman)

  • 64% of employees would welcome artificial intelligence if it helped better balance their workload (Coleman)

  • 62% of employees would welcome artificial intelligence if it increased fairness in subjective decisions (Coleman)

  • 57% of employees would welcome artificial intelligence if it ensured managers made better choices affecting individual employees (Coleman)

  • 62% of U.S. employees felt artificial intelligence would simplify time consuming processes, and better balance their workload (64%) (Coleman)

  • 88% of global Gen Z employees believe artificial intelligence can improve their job in some manner, but just 70% of baby boomers feel the same way (Coleman)

  • 48% U.S. Gen Z employees see the biggest benefit of artificial intelligence as its ability to create an overall fairer working environment (Coleman)

  • 38% of U.S. baby boomer employees either don’t think or aren’t sure how artificial intelligence would improve their job (Coleman)

  • While 82% of employees see opportunity for artificial intelligence to improve their jobs, 34% expressed concern that AI could someday replace them altogether, including 42% of Gen Z employees (Coleman)

  • Of the 99% of employers that offer relocation or transfer programs, about 40% of their workers said they don’t know about these programs or their employer doesn’t offer them (Topia)

  • 94% of workers want a gift from their employers to make them feel valued, appreciated and happy this Christmas (instantprint)

  • 41% of employees ranked bonuses as their most preferred holiday perk (Spherion)

  • 46% of employees said their employers don’t give out any type of monetary holiday gifts (Spherion)

  • Holiday Perks in order of popularity include: a holiday party (36%), extra time off (28%), holiday bonus (26%), office close-down between Christmas and New Year’s Day (22%), an employee gift exchange (18%) and an employer-paid holiday meal (18%) (Spherion)

  • The most in-demand gifts that employees would like to receive from their employers during the holidays include: gift vouchers (29%), an early finish (28.8%), free bar at company Christmas party (20%), a physical gift (10.3%) and a charitable donation made in their name (7%) (instantprint)

  • IT professionals would prefer an early finish this festive period, with 35% in the IT department choosing this as their ideal Christmas gift (instantprint)

  • 11% of senior management would like a charitable donation to be made in their name, compared to the average demand for this present of just 7% (instantprint)

  • 33% of women want gift vouchers as the ideal present versus 23% of men (instantprint)

  • 22% of male employees prefer a free bar as the ideal present versus 18% of women (instantprint)

  • 42% of employers are unsure of the prevalence of prescription drug addiction and substance abuse within their organizations (IFEBP)

  • 30% of employers have conducted claims analyses to gain insight into the extent of opioid abuse in their workplaces; 3% of these reported a significant increase in opioid-related claims from the year before and 8% reported such a change over the past five years (IFEBP)

  • 51% of businesses are using a prescription drug monitoring program or a pharmacy benefit manager to reduce the growing number of claims (IFEBP)

  • 26% of businesses are limiting the amount of pain pills given out to post-surgery patients and the same amount are offering alternative pain management treatments (IFEBP)

 

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.