Employee Benefits Survey: A Strategic Tool to Enhance Workplace Happiness

Great Place to Work (GPTW), a consultancy renowned for helping businesses become top workplaces, embarked on a journey to improve its own employee experience. Here's how they transformed their culture: 

Following a period of internal transformation, GPTW recognized a need to revamp its employee initiatives. A company-wide survey revealed significant drops in employee satisfaction with rewards, communication, and involvement. With a high survey response rate (93%), leadership took action by appointing a Chief People Officer (CPO) to spearhead change. 

 The Executive Team conducted a "What do you want and need?" audit to understand employee desires. This insight helped them design a unique employee experience platform called "The Place." Moving beyond generic benefits, GPTW focused on work-life balance with initiatives like: 

Remote work: Two work-from-home days per week 

Summer hours: Early dismissal on Fridays between May and August holidays 

Parental leave: Increased maternity leave (16 weeks full pay, 8 weeks half pay) and extended paternity leave (6 weeks full pay)   

"My Time" day: One day off per year for volunteering, personal development, etc. 

"Live a Dream Lottery": A chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience 

Results- GPTW demonstrated its commitment to creating a truly great workplace – not just for its clients, but for its own people as well. 

It’s rightly said that in today's competitive job market, employee satisfaction is paramount. EY acknowledges the diverse needs of its global workforce. Their employee benefits survey uses targeted questions to gather insights from employees across different demographics and locations. This allows them to tailor their benefits program with regional variations, ensuring employees feel their needs are understood and addressed. 

A comprehensive employee benefits program goes beyond just offering a salary. It demonstrates a company's commitment to its workforce's well-being, leading to higher engagement, productivity, and talent retention. 

An employee benefits survey is a powerful tool that allows companies to gauge employee sentiment towards their existing benefits package. It helps identify gaps, understand employee needs, and make data-driven decisions to improve overall satisfaction. 

Why conduct an employee benefits survey? 

Here are some compelling reasons to conduct an employee benefits survey: 

Identify gaps: Are there any crucial benefits missing from your current package? The survey can reveal areas where your offerings fall short compared to industry standards or employee expectations. 

Prioritize needs: Not all benefits hold equal value. The survey helps determine which benefits employees prioritize, allowing you to focus resources on the most impactful areas. 

Improve communication: Sometimes, employees might not be fully aware of all the benefits offered. The survey process clarifies communication gaps and ensures employees understand their options. 

Boost engagement: When employees feel heard and valued, engagement soars. The survey demonstrates a proactive approach to fulfilling employee needs, fostering a sense of trust and belonging. 

Data-Driven Decisions: Benefits can be a significant cost factor. The survey provides concrete data to optimize your offerings, potentially leading to cost savings by eliminating underutilized benefits. 

Crafting effective employee benefits survey questions 

The key to a successful survey lies in crafting insightful questions. Here's a breakdown of different question types to consider: 

Multiple choice: Use these for clear-cut options like "How satisfied are you with the health insurance plan?" (Very Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, Neutral, Somewhat Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied) 

Likert scale: Measure agreement levels with statements like "The current benefits package meets my needs" (Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree) 

Ranking: Prioritize preferences with a question like "Rank the following benefits in order of importance to you" (Health Insurance, Paid Time Off, Retirement Savings, etc.) 

Open-ended: Uncover valuable insights with questions like "What additional benefits would be most helpful to you?" or "How can we improve communication around our benefits program?" 

Pro tips for conducting a successful employee benefits survey 

 Prioritize anonymity and confidentiality to encourage honest feedback. Keep the survey concise and focused, taking no more than 10 minutes to complete. Clearly communicate the survey's purpose and how the feedback will improve the benefits program. Promote participation through internal communication channels, emphasizing the importance of employee voices. Finally, do not just collect data – analyze the results thoroughly and develop a concrete action plan based on employee feedback.  

Anonymity & confidentiality: Ensure complete anonymity to encourage honest feedback. 

Keep it concise: Shorter surveys with well-defined questions are more likely to be completed. 

Clear communication: Explain the purpose of the survey and how the feedback will be used. 

Promote participation: Generate interest through internal communication channels. 

Analyze & act: Don't just collect data. Analyze results and develop a clear action plan based on employee feedback. 

Incentivize participation: the power of rewards in employee benefits surveys 

Employee benefits surveys are crucial for understanding your workforce's needs, but achieving a high response rate can be challenging.  Here's where rewards can play a powerful role in encouraging participation and maximizing the value of your survey. 

Boosting response rates  

People are naturally more inclined to participate when there's an incentive involved. Offering a small reward, like a raffle entry for a desirable prize or a donation to a chosen charity on behalf of each respondent, can significantly increase completion rates. This demonstrates your appreciation for their time and reinforces the importance of their feedback.   

Encouraging honesty 

Anonymity is essential for honest feedback in employee benefits surveys. However, some employees might still be hesitant to express critical opinions. Offering a small, guaranteed reward upon completion, regardless of the specific answers, can alleviate these concerns.  Knowing they'll receive a token of appreciation regardless of their responses encourages honest and valuable feedback. 

Uncovering deeper insights 

Rewards can go beyond just boosting participation. Consider offering tiered rewards based on the quality and detail of employee feedback. For instance, providing a slightly larger reward for responses that include thoughtful comments or suggestions for improvement incentivizes employees to go beyond basic answers and offer in-depth insights. 

Building a culture of feedback 

Regularly conducting employee benefits surveys with attractive rewards creates a positive association with providing feedback.  Employees begin to see themselves as valued participants in shaping their benefits program, fostering a culture of open communication and continuous improvement. 

Capture employee voice and measure engagement with Empuls 

Organizations thrive when they listen to employees and act on their feedback. Crafting and administering an employee benefits survey can be a time-consuming process.  Fortunately, Empuls offers a comprehensive suite of tools to streamline the process, maximize participation, and translate insights into impactful action.  

Empuls provides a user-friendly interface for creating and customizing employee benefits surveys. Choose from a library of pre-built, science-backed questions that address key aspects of your benefits program, or craft your own questions to target specific areas of interest. Empuls ensures your survey adheres to best practices, promoting clear and concise questions that avoid response bias.  

Utilize the platform's communication features to share survey results with employees in a transparent manner. Outline the action plan you're developing based on their feedback, demonstrating your commitment to their well-being.    

By leveraging Empuls' comprehensive employee benefits survey functionalities, you can gather valuable employee insights, optimize your benefits offerings, and create a more engaged and satisfied workforce. Ultimately, Empuls empowers you to transform employee feedback into a powerful driver of positive workplace change. 

Case study- ANCA machine tools boosts employee engagement with Empuls 

ANCA Machine Tools, a global leader in CNC machines and controls, faced a challenge with their employee engagement strategy. Their previous approach, centered around occasional events, lacked a consistent and transparent rewards and recognition system. Rukmini Divakar, HR lead at ANCA, sought a solution to streamline the process and boost employee morale.  

Empuls offered a perfect fit for ANCA's needs. The platform's automation features addressed the issue of inconsistent rewarding. With a vast rewards catalogue and user-friendly interface, Empuls provided flexibility and ease of use. Impressed by the seamless sales process, proactive team, and dedicated customer support, ANCA chose Empuls as their partner. 

Results- 

The impact of Empuls was immediate. The reward automation feature reduced processing time by a staggering 90%. Instead of manual reward selection, employees now had the freedom to choose from the extensive rewards catalogue. This, coupled with the consistent nomination workflow, led to a remarkable 100% increase in employee engagement scores.  

The most significant outcome was winning the hearts of the employees. The diverse reward options catered to individual aspirations. The increased frequency of recognition demonstrated that their efforts were valued. Remarkably, an employee survey revealed that 80% of employees became "promoters" of the Empuls platform, actively endorsing it to their colleagues.  

ANCA's journey with Empuls is a testament to the platform's power to drive employee engagement. Through increased frequency, consistency, and transparency in rewards, Empuls helped ANCA create a more empowered and motivated workforce. The user-friendly platform and extensive rewards catalogue further boosted employee satisfaction, solidifying Empuls as a valuable partner in ANCA's success story. 

Conclusion 

Investing in a well-designed employee benefits survey is an investment in your company's future. By actively listening to employee needs and implementing data-driven changes, you can create a benefits program that fosters a thriving work environment. A happy and engaged workforce is the backbone of any successful organization. So, take the first step today and conduct an employee benefits survey – your employees, and ultimately your business, will thank you for it.