Employee morale remains well below 2008 levels, and research shows most employers aren't doing anything about it.
Unum's third annual survey of workers, done most recently following the 2010 benefits enrollment period, finds just 63 percent of employees think their employer values their work, down from 70 percent in 2008. Even fewer (56 percent) feel that their employer cares about their wellbeing—a 7 point drop since 2008.
"In this difficult economic environment, there may be many reasons employee morale has not bounced back," says Bill Dalicandro, vice president at Unum. "But our research shows that benefits education can be a highly effective, low-cost way to boost engagement."
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In an environment where nearly 30 percent of employees have seen colleagues laid off and one in four have experienced a salary freeze, employers should be spending more time communicating about benefits with their employees so that they feel valued.
But research shows they're not.
Employers continue to focus on other areas of their business affected by the economy, spending less time and fewer resources on employee engagement, particularly in relation to benefits education:
Unum's research finds that nearly a third of employees said the benefits education provided by their employers is insufficient. Only about half of employees said they received printed information or brochures, down from 70 percent in 2008. Just over a third of employees were offered a chance to attend an information and question-and-answer session about benefits, down from 52 percent in 2008. And the percentage who had access to online materials fell from 51 percent in 2008 to 36 percent in 2010.
The research shows just how big an impact a good benefits education program has on workforce satisfaction: 80 percent of employees who rated their benefits education highly also rated the employer as an excellent or very good place to work. Conversely, only 31 percent of employees who rated their benefits education poorly also said their employer was an excellent or very good place to work.
And some 77 percent of those who rated their benefits education highly said they would choose to stay with their current employer even if they were offered the same pay and benefits elsewhere.
"People are the lifeblood of any successful business, and in this challenging economy employers need to work even harder to demonstrate their concern for employees and their well-being," Dalicandro says. "Everyone benefits when they do."
The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive in December among 1,712 employed adults.
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