Top benefits challenges:

1. Offering robust benefits while staying within budget/cost constraints
2. Understanding the changing health care landscape

• Only 39% of health care employers say they understand health care reform legislation very/extremely well.

Top benefits objectives:

1. Taking care of my employees
2. Retaining employees
3. Increasing productivity by maintaining a healthy workforce

• 46% of health care employers say their company’s overall benefits package is equally/slightly less competitive than others in their industry.
• 48% of health care employers say it is important to tailor benefits offerings at different employee levels or life stages; however, only 40% do so. 
• 66% of health care organizations do not have a company-sponsored wellness program.
• 64% say their current benefits package meets their employees’ needs very/extremely well; however, only 31% survey preferences or needs of employees when it comes to benefits options.
• 67% use a broker or benefits consultant, a higher percentage than any another industry.

• 42% say it is extremely/very important to tailor their benefits communications to employees at different levels or life stages; however, only 31% do so.
• 46% of health care employers say their company communicates somewhat/not very effectively with employees about benefits offered.
• Health care employers are the most likely to say workers are very/extremely knowledgeable about employer benefits (48%); however, 33% of health care employers only communicate to employees at open enrollment or new hire enrollment.
• 67% say employees understand their benefits communications; however, only 33% survey employee understanding of benefits communications.

Top voluntary benefits challenges:

1. Having employees with an interest in purchasing voluntary benefits
2. Getting employees to understand their different options

• More than one in three (32%) of health care employers offer voluntary insurance benefits, and only 7% say they would not consider adding new voluntary insurance benefits.  
• The majority (77%) incorrectly choose “false” when asked if voluntary insurance policies pay employees cash benefits directly, and 70% incorrectly choose false when asked if the policies help employees cover daily living costs like mortgage, gas, etc.
• 47% of health care employers say their employees are only somewhat knowledgeable about voluntary benefits; another 16% say they are not very knowledgeable.

Decision-makers at health care organizations believe an overall benefits package has a major influence on:

1. Loyalty to the employer
2. Job satisfaction
3. Willingness to refer friends

• When asked if employees take full advantage of company benefits, 45% say they only somewhat agree. An additional 22% say they somewhat/strongly disagree. 
• 53% of heath care employers believe worker productivity is lost because employees are concerned about personal/health issues. 
• 46% believe adequate insurance coverage would help employees cope with personal/health issues at work.
• 64% agree that employees need to be more engaged in making benefits decisions.
• Health care employers are most likely to somewhat/strongly agree that employees are satisfied with their benefits offerings (64%); however, only 30% say they survey employee satisfaction with benefits offerings.

The 2012 Aflac WorkForces Report was conducted January 24–February 23, 2012, by Research Now on behalf of Aflac.