40% of employers admit take-up of employee benefits is left for employees to initiate

Two in five employers admit that the take-up of employee benefits is left for employees to initiate themselves, according to research from GRiD.

This highlighted a key gap between simply informing employees that benefits exist and actively encouraging them to engage.

In the same research, GRiD found that 71% of employers anticipated that they will struggle with recruitment this year, and 95% of those said that it will have an impact on their business such as reduced productivity (32%), disruption to business continuity (30%), negative impact on other staff, for example, from increased workload, (27%) and a lack of expertise in the business (26%).

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD said: “We would very much encourage employers not to leave it to staff to take up employee benefits themselves.

“Proactive communications on health and wellbeing support must be prioritised by employers to help retain their current employees and reduce the challenge of finding and hiring new staff.”

Consistently and regularly reinforcing employee benefits messages across multiple channels increases visibility and retention of messages.

This is especially important and considered best practice, as employees will interact with various communication platforms and formats, depending on their preferences or role.

Yet only around a fifth of employers communicate benefits before the first day of employment – leaving many new hires unaware of the health and wellbeing support available to them.

Moxham concluded: “Proactive, clear, and early communication around employee benefits isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s essential for retention, recruitment, and workplace wellbeing.

“When staff feel genuinely supported, they are more likely to stay with their employer, so while offering a comprehensive employee benefits package is important, equally important is how those benefits are communicated.

“In today’s competitive recruitment market, employees increasingly recognise that it’s not just about the benefits on offer, but what they signal: an employer that genuinely values and prioritises the health and wellbeing of its people.”