HR Management & Compliance

Flex, Fitness, Financial planning, Free Food, Concierge? Benefits Survey Results

By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR
Editor, HR Daily Advisor

Nearly 1,000 readers responded to our recent survey on Employee Benefits Other than Health Insurance. For years, BLR and HR hero have been surveying employers to find out what’s happening with benefits in the real world, and this year’s survey offers interesting results.

For example:

  • About 38 percent offer wellness programs
  • About one third offer flextime, only about one fifth offer telecommuting, and nearly 64 percent offer a flexible spending account
  • About 21 percent think their benefits are more generous than their competitor’s and about 42 percent think their benefits are about the same (although 30 percent don’t know).
  • About 56 percent think costs will rise, but only 14 percent think the rise will be significant.

As for “atypical” benefits:

  • 15 percent offer an onsite fitness center
  • 16 percent offer financial planning assistance
  • 15 percent offer a legal assistance program
  • 6 percent offer sabbaticals
  • 134 percent offer commuter benefits
  • 12 percent offer free or low-priced meal
  • 1 percent offer concierge service

Respondents represented all 50 states, with a good mix of type of business and number of employees. About 80 percent of respondents make decisions or recommendations on employee benefits.


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Here are the detailed results:

Which of these benefits do you offer to your employees?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Health insurance 

977

92.96%  

Dental insurance 

930

88.49%  

Vision insurance

748

71.17%  

Short-term disability 

714

67.94%  

Long-term disability 

777

73.93%  

Life insurance

912

86.77%  

Employee assistance program 

623

59.28%  

Paid sick days

610

58.04%  

Paid holidays

873

83.06%  

Paid vacation days

693

65.94%  

PTO (paid time off with sick and vacation lumped together)

364

34.63%  

Defined-benefit retirement plan (traditional pension plan) 

197

18.74%  

Defined-contribution retirement plan (such as a 401(k) or 403(b)) 

860

81.83%  

Flexible spending account

670

63.75%  

Stock options

56

5.33%  

Tuition reimbursement

523

49.76%  

Profit sharing 

191

18.17%  

Flex time 

340

32.35%  

Telecommuting

218

20.74%  

On-site childcare 

31

2.95%  

Health and wellness program 

401

38.15%  

None of the above 

2

0.19%  

Other

155

14.75%  

Do most of your business’ competitors offer similar non-wage benefits?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Yes, about the same

425

42.29%  

No, our company’s benefits are MORE generous than our competitors

214

21.29%  

No, our company’s benefits are LESS generous than our competitors

48

4.78%  

Don’t know

293

29.15%  

Other

6

0.60%  

No answer

19

1.89%  

What type of retirement benefits do you offer your employees?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Traditional 401(k)

682

64.89%  

Roth 401(k)

258

24.55%  

Company pension plan (defined-benefit plan)

171

16.27%  

Profit sharing

149

14.18%  

403(b) plan

130

12.37%  

457 plan

111

10.56%  

Employer stock options

34

3.24%  

ESOP 

36

3.43%  

Union-sponsored pension plan (9)

19

1.81%  

SIMPLE or SEP 

33

3.14%  

Other

72

6.85%  

Do you outsource the administration of any of your benefits plans?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Health plan 

455

43.29%  

Retirement plan 

589

56.04%  

Flexible spending plan 

462

43.96%  

No, we do it all in-house 

227

21.60%  

No, we don’t offer these benefits 

14

1.33%  

Other

36

3.43%  

How does your organization determine what benefits it will offer to employees?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Survey employees to see what they are interested in 

272

25.88%  

Work with a consultant to create a plan 

409

38.92%  

Evaluate benefits packages offered by other companies and our competitors 

446

42.44%  

Not sure 

123

11.70%  

Other

135

12.84%  

When was the last time your organization did a comprehensive evaluation of its benefits package?

Answer

Count

Percentage

2010

388

40.54%  

2009

61

6.37%  

2008

28

2.93%  

2007

16

1.67%  

before 2007 

90

9.40%  

Other

226

23.62%  

No answer

148

15.46%  

If your organization has a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, what is the status of your employer match?

Answer

Count

Percentage

We have never had an employer match. 

127

13.34%  

We stopped our employer match for a while but have reinstated it.

48

5.04%  

We stopped our employer match but plan on reinstating it. 

53

5.57%  

We have an employer match and haven’t stopped it in the last few years. 

504

52.94%  

We have an employer match and plan on stopping it. 

4

0.42%  

Other

88

9.24%  

No answer

128

13.45%  

If your organization has a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, do you automatically enroll employees in it?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Yes

250

26.18%  

No 

515

53.93%  

No, but we are planning to start automatic enrollment. 

31

3.25%  

We don’t offer a 401(k) or 403(b) plan.

44

4.61%  

Other

19

1.99%  

No answer

96

10.05%  

Which of the following "atypical" benefits to you offer your employees?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Sabbaticals (both paid and unpaid) 

63

5.99%  

Pet insurance

53

5.04%  

Childcare beyond assistance and referral options

19

1.81%  

On-site fitness center

155

14.75%  

Flex work arrangements 

283

26.93%  

Financial planning assistance

163

15.51%  

Legal assistance program 

158

15.03%  

Commuter benefits 

136

12.94%  

Free or low-priced meals for employees 

121

11.51%  

Concierge service 

11

1.05%  

Other

94

8.94%  

How do your benefits offerings (other than your health insurance package) compare with last year’s?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Less generous this year

52

5.49%  

About the same 

774

81.65%  

More generous this year 

92

9.70%  

We don’t offer any other benefits besides health insurance 

2

0.21%  

We don’t offer any benefits 

5

0.53%  

Not sure 

6

0.63%  

Other

4

0.42%  

No answer

13

1.37%  

What changes do you think your organization’s benefits costs (other than health care costs) will experience in 2012?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Costs will rise significantly

134

14.27%  

Costs will rise, but the change won’t be very significant 

395

42.07%  

Costs will stay pretty much the same with a small rise due to inflation

309

32.91%  

Costs will go down 

24

2.56%  

Other

18

1.92%  

No answer

59

6.28%  

What types of changes are you planning to make to your benefits offerings (other than your health insurance package) in 2012?

Answer

Count

Percentage

None 

458

49.14%  

We plan to make significant changes 

14

1.50%  

We plan to make moderate changes 

105

11.27%  

We plan to make minor changes 

237

25.43%  

Other

40

4.29%  

No answer

78

8.37%  

Do you offer benefits (other than health insurance) to your employees’ unmarried partners?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Yes 

190

20.47%  

No 

661

71.23%  

Not Sure 

28

3.02%  

Other

27

2.91%  

No answer

22

2.37%  

Is your organization private sector, nonprofit, or public sector (government)?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Private 

632

68.10%  

Public (government) 

103

11.10%  

Nonprofit 

191

20.58%  

No answer

2

0.22%  

How many employees does your organization have?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Less than 50

189

20.68%  

50-200 

334

36.54%  

201-500 

151

16.52%  

More than 500 

240

26.26%  

No answer

0

0.00%

Do you have unionized employees?

Answer

Count

Percentage

Yes 

143

15.70%  

No 

768

84.30%  

No answer

0

0.00%

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