A survey of compensation and HR professionals indicates that 80% of employers have maintained their matching contributions to employee 401(k) plans throughout the recession. What's more, of the organizations that suspended their match, half say they will consider reinstating it this year.

Those are just two of the significant findings revealed by the survey, the first phase of the BLR® Employee Benefits Survey series. The 401(k)/pension survey was completed by 1,089 respondents over the 3-week period ending December 4, 2009.

The BLR survey supports predictions made in a survey conducted a year earlier. In that December 2008 survey conducted by WorldatWork, 74% of respondents said they were planning no change in their 401(k) contributions. That study also found that more than 9 out of 10 U.S. companies were offering an employee 401(k) plan. In addition, despite the widely reported drop in account balances, two-thirds (66%) of organizations indicated that at least 70% of eligible employees participated in those 401(k) plans in 2008.

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In this year's BLR survey, approximately 30% of respondents reported that 401(k) enrollment is automatic at their organization. Of those, half enroll employees at 3% of their salary.

BLR's survey found that employer-matching percentages are fairly evenly spread among three categories: less than 2%, 2–4%, and 4–6%. Of the organizations that match employee contributions, nearly half (45%) match more than 50 cents on the dollar, and 80% match at least 50 cents on the dollar.

More than two-thirds of respondents said that their organization allows employees to put 25% or more of their salaries into 401(k) plans, and 83% allow 15% or more to be contributed.

Other findings of the BLR survey include:

  • More than half of respondents said their organizations offer 15 or more investment options for 401(k) contributions.
  • While more than one-third of respondents provide 100% vesting in less than 3 years, fully half require 5–7 years for full vesting.
  • Seventy percent of respondents provide target date/life cycle investment options.
  • Virtually none of the respondents allow employees to add “cash outs” of unused vacation or sick time to their 401(k) accounts.

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For years, BLR has conducted surveys of employee benefits to find out what HR and benefits professionals saw in the preceding year and what they were expecting in the coming year. This year, BLR has expanded that program with a series of brief, targeted employee benefits surveys. The findings of these surveys will be analyzed and presented free to all respondents.

Get Free Paid-Time-Off Survey Results

In addition to the 401(k) survey, BLR recently polled employers about their healthcare benefits. Those results will be available soon. BLR is currently conducting a survey on paid-time-off (PTO) benefits. The survey can be accessed here. (Again, survey participants automatically receive the full analysis of the results.)

Other aspects of employee benefits that BLR will be surveying include:

  • Benefits for Part-Time Employees
  • Relocation and Business Travel
  • Incentive Plans/Bonuses
  • Disability Plans
  • Voluntary Benefits
  • Nontraditional Benefits