Ryan FowlerNew research from Towergate Employee Benefits has revealed that fewer than 4 in 10 employers believe their staff fully understand the benefits available to them, as hybrid working and fragmented communication channels continue to limit engagement.
The data shows that only 39% of employers feel their employees have a good grasp of the full range of support on offer. Hybrid working has complicated communication efforts, with 38% of employers saying it is now harder to reach staff due to remote or flexible working patterns.
In response, 62% of employers have increased the frequency of communications about health and wellbeing support. However, 43% still find it difficult to target messages effectively to different workforce segments, indicating that general awareness does not always lead to meaningful understanding.
Debra Clark, head of wellbeing at Towergate Employee Benefits, said: “It’s positive to see that employers are clearly aware that communication of employee benefits is important, however in many cases, the current processes are not sufficient. What needs to happen now is for employers to fully understand the options open to them and to harness the tools to improve benefits communication.”
Digital platforms are playing a growing role, with 55% of employers now focusing more on digital health and wellbeing tools, including apps. These are seen as more suited to reaching dispersed workforces and supporting personalised communications.
The most common reasons cited for using digital platforms include ease of access to all benefits in one place (34%), improved communication (33%), and allowing benefits to be accessed at any time (32%).
Clark added: “Employee understanding of benefits needs to be a core priority and this will only come with careful communication. If employees do not know about, and understand the benefits on offer, then they will not make use of them, and the employers will not receive the value for the business.”
