As the year winds down, many businesses are focused onprioritizing for 2016. A new year brings new opportunities to buildyour company and take your business to a new level.

But what if your business’ success was more dependent on yourinvestment in your employees than you assumed?

A recent workforce study by Towers Watson revealed thatemployee engagement is low--not justin the United States but across the globe--and only four in 10employees are highly engaged in the workplace.

About a quarter of employees are disengaged and up to 36 percentfeel either unsupported or detached at work. When business successis tied to employee performance, this is a trend businesses of allsizes can’t afford.

Developing a robust benefits program is an excellent way forbusinesses to build employee engagement and motivation. Industryresearch reveals it’s a clear way to succeed: a 2013 Gallup poll found that companies with engagedemployees had 10 percent higher customer ratings, 22 percent higherprofitability, and 21 percent higher productivity.

Investing in people can be a sound business choice that paysdividends in the long run.

As with any big decision, employers should do their homeworkbefore deciding what benefits to offer.

It’s important that a benefits program is in sync with yourcompany’s talent goals, broader business strategy and meets theneeds of every employee. Here are a few questions employers shouldconsider in advance:

• Connect the Dots on Talent--When it comes toyour employees, do you have specific talent goals? Are you at thestage where you’re trying to recruit new talent, better engage thestaff you currently have, or focus on retaining people? Ifrecruiting is a priority, for example, focus on offering benefitsthat cover key areas like health and wellness, financial securityand work-life balance. If your focus is on retaining people,however, do some research on the benefits that are most importantto your current employees and work to design a benefits programthat prioritizes those needs.

• Business Reality Check--Is your businessestablished, growing or running into some challenges? Determiningwhere your business stands will help you figure out the resourcesyou can dedicate towards creating and funding a benefits program.If you’re just starting out, chances are you won’t be able to offeras many benefits and will need to figure out which are mostimportant to keeping your employees engaged. Determine what you canafford to give and then design a benefits program that fits intothose parameters.

• Workplace Demographics--Is your employee base agenerational melting pot mixed with baby boomers, Gen X, andmillennials? Offering benefits can’t be a one-size fits allapproach. The benefits model that suits Gen Y won’t be the samemodel that appeals to baby boomers. Having a broad benefitsoffering that motivates a range of employees is key.

In addition to a dynamic benefits program, communicating theseoptions to employees is equally important. Each generation receivesand interprets information differently--Gen Y, for example, ismobile and social, whereas Baby Boomers may prefer to meet with abenefits professional 1:1 to learn their options.

An investment in your company’s most important asset--itspeople--can have a positive impact in 2016. It will help deepenrelationships with your employees, build a productive and healthyworkforce, and develop a foundation of trust and loyalty.

In today’s competitive business world, only the strongest andfittest survive.

Focusing on employees can be one way to ensure your businessstays on top.