HR leaders in the UK appear far more confident about the quality of working life than the people actually experiencing it. Although 84% of HR leaders believe their workforce would describe their overall experience as excellent or good, only 60% of employees agree, according to research by benefits platform Benifex.
British employees are among the least satisfied of the seven countries surveyed. Workers in Canada (69%), Sweden (66%) and Germany (63%) were more positive about their experience, while only Singapore (56%) reported a lower score than the UK.
Despite this, 95% of UK HR leaders rate their organisation’s employee experience as good or excellent. The gap between perception and reality remains stark.
Two‑thirds of HR leaders (66%) say they have broadened their benefits package in the past year, and 88% believe investment in wellbeing is already improving business and financial outcomes.
Benifex’s findings suggest much of this effort is not being recognised:
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Only 29% of UK employees say their employer has added or expanded benefits in the past year
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48% believe their benefits have stayed largely the same
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11% think their benefits have actually been reduced
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A further 11% are unsure
Nearly half of employees (47%) say they struggle to access or understand the full value of their reward and benefits.
While 72% report some positive impact on their wellbeing from what their employer provides, the improvements are limited: 31% feel better able to balance work and life, 26% feel more productive, and only 23% feel more engaged or positive about work.
Gethin Nadin, chief innovation officer at Benifex, said: “Employers are investing in benefits and wellbeing with genuine intent, and the evidence is clear that when that investment works, it has a real impact on how people feel, perform and whether they stay. But investment that employees can’t find, access or connect to their own lives may as well not exist. It doesn’t matter how generous the offering is if it isn’t reaching people.
“This is a design and delivery problem, and it’s one we as an industry know how to solve, not by spending more, but by being more deliberate. Better data on what’s actually being used and felt, offerings that are easier to navigate, and a clearer line correlation between action and impact. Done well, that’s not just better for people, it makes the entire investment easier to justify, sustain and build on.”
The research draws on responses from 600 HR, reward and benefits professionals in Sweden, the UK and the US, and 7,000 employees in Canada, Germany, India, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden and the UK, all working in organisations with more than 200 staff.
This article is based on a piece written for Personnel Today
