One in five (20%) respondents do not understand what workplace wellbeing benefits they are entitled to, according to research by Friends Life.
Its survey, which questioned 829 employees, found that more than a quarter (28%) are happy with the wellbeing benefits offered by their employer.
Less than half (45%) of respondents said their employer is effective in communicating benefits, but 8% of respondents received no communications at all.
The research also found:
- 13% of respondents would prefer their employer to spend money on increasing wages.
- 10% of respondents never use the benefits available to them.
David Williams (pictured), director of group protection at Friends Life, said: “We are all aware that people’s personal budgets have been squeezed in recent years, so it’s understandable that some would prefer a pay rise over something like income protection. But this could, in part, come down to communication.
“Our research found that less than a third of employees are happy with the wellbeing package being offered to them. But if a large number of people don’t actually know what they’re entitled to, it’s not surprising they’re unhappy with it.
“If employers improve the way they tell employees about the benefits that are available, we may well see staff awareness and appreciation of these benefits increase.”