Most employers look to get feedback from their employees on a variety of topics that touch on the worker experience.
Valuable information can be found through the talent acquisition process, exit interviews and employee reviews on sites like Glassdoor.com. Many employers use regular employee engagement surveys, pulse surveys or focus groups, while others gather information through questions and feedback from all-hands meetings or town halls.
All of these sources usually include feedback about employee benefits, but when employers formally ask questions about these programs, they tend to focus on plan comprehension, communication, administrative and service experience, program value and whether the benefits plan meets employees’ needs.
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While this is important information to gather and assess, employers may be missing opportunities to receive additional feedback that can be enormously valuable when designing benefits programs. Here are some questions that employers can ask themselves when seeking feedback on employee benefits:
Adequacy of coverage: Do employees feel the benefits program includes enough coverage for the things they value most or is that value eroded by the coinsurance level, low annual maximums, per script or per visit maximums? Is the slate of eligible practitioners covered by the plan too narrow compared to the practitioners they choose to, or are able to, access in their communities? Are there opportunities to look at the number of cost-containment levers in place to reduce perceptions of being ‘nickel and dimed’ by the program while still keeping the plan sustainable?
Barriers to accessing coverage: Can plan members easily navigate benefits coverage information? Are there language barriers that make plan information difficult to understand? Is the claims process and submission system easy to use and understand? Are supports available to help plan members access specialty drugs or understand what’s required for things like durable equipment claims? Does the plan’s coverage reflect the realities of the health-care environment in which employees live? Has the plan’s design been modernized to include coverage for newer technologies or treatment modalities?
Read: Global employers say parental leave, EAPs among most prevalent minimum employee benefits: survey
Proactivity: Does the breadth of coverage provided by the benefits plan focus on reactive care in treatment of a disease or condition, or does it also include coverage for care that helps people proactively manage their health? Are employees using any available personalized assessment tools offered through the program in managing their health and wellness? If not, why not? Are benefits and well-being services communicated as one program or are they viewed as separate?
Alignment of plan design to other initiatives: Do employees view the benefits programs as aligned to company culture, vision and values? Does the program support diversity, equity and inclusion values or is it lacking in this regard? Does the program stand up well when compared to peer organizations from which talent could be drawn? Does it make sense when taken in context with pay programs and philosophies?
Say/Stay: Would employees be proud to talk about their benefits plan at an industry networking event, to their extended family or to their neighbour? Would the perceived value of the benefits program make it difficult for an employee to leave for another company?
Read: 70% of U.S. employers say benefits critical to attraction, retention efforts: report
Employee feedback can identify highlights in plan design as well as areas of opportunity and actionable insights. It’s important that employers consider this feedback in a broader context of benchmarking information and a review of the organization’s benefits philosophy.
When a survey or other feedback mechanism focuses on one particular program like employee benefits, employers create the expectation among employees that something’s going to happen with that program. If that’s not the intention, or if the period of consideration will be protracted, it’s good to manage expectations through transparent communication.
An employee benefits plan is a living thing that requires regular tending. Objective employee feedback gives employers a fresh perspective on what’s working and what needs work. By engaging employees and taking actions based on their input, employers reinforce the notion that they’re invested in employees’ well-being.
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