If the last year has taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected. Perhaps that's why voluntary benefits continue to see growth, both in terms of how many employers are offering them and how many employees are enrolling in them. In 2017, nearly half of large employers offered accident, critical illness and/or hospital indemnity. At companies where voluntary benefits are offered, 28 percent of eligible employees purchased at least one voluntary benefit in 2017. This is a 33 percent increase since 2014. 

Despite these trends, there is still massive opportunity for growth. When talking to employers who are on the fence or hesitant about offering voluntary benefits, here are a few talking points that I've seen help employees understand the value:

Voluntary benefits support physical and financial wellness. You've got to be living under a rock if you haven't been talking about wellness in the workplace.Employee stress from dealing with medical, legal and financial issues cost American businesses more than $300 billion a year.  At first glance, the use of voluntary benefits to help combat these issues might not be clear. However, benefits like legal insurance give employees the resources they need to solve these issues effectively and efficiently so they can get back to work. Another popular voluntary benefit, financial wellness programs, can help with huge financial stressors like student loans, debt consolidation and tax issues.