MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GuideSpark, the leader in employee communications and engagement, released results today, in honor of National Benefits Day, of a 2014 Employee Benefits Communications survey that measured employees’ opinions of how benefits are communicated to them by their employers.
The study reveals that almost 50% of Millennials didn’t read most of their employee handbook (versus 33% of those over 60) and 36% of Millennials don’t know where it is anymore (versus 23% of those over 60). Even more alarming, less than 25% of Millennials surveyed claimed to find the employee handbook “very helpful” and 11% claim they didn’t open the employee handbook at all.
Employees of all ages agree that benefits play a significant role in choosing (87%) and staying (86%) with an employer. However, it appears that some of the more traditional methods of communicating benefits, such as the employee handbook, are not as effective as they used to be. The study shows that new channels, such as mobile and social, are being underutilized even though that is where people are consuming information today.
Over 50% of Millennials (versus 20% of those over 60) surveyed don’t have a complete understanding of the benefit options available to them at work, and 56% wish their employers would communicate benefits in a way that is easier to understand. The majority of employees (51%) agree that while they want to leverage their benefits, their goal is to spend as little time as possible to learn about them.
“The explosion of new communication channels on the web – like video and mobile – are making brochures and handbooks ineffective”, said Keith Kitani, CEO GuideSpark. “It’s becoming more and more difficult to engage employees. This research reinforces what we hear from customers about employees not reading benefits materials, and that employees need to look at alternative solutions like technology and multimedia to adapt to this shift in consumer behavior.”
These findings are based on a survey of 551 full-time employees, fielded in March 2014. Participants included employees based in the U.S., from companies with 500 or more employees. Millennials are defined in this survey, as employees between the ages of 18-29.
To learn more, access the full report here.
ABOUT GUIDESPARK
GuideSpark, the leader in employee communications, offers a robust employee communications platform, which includes short, engaging, and cost-effective videos on HR-related content. The platform is accessible from any device, including mobile, and provides an interactive user experience and deep analytics on user engagement. GuideSpark, recently named to Forbes “Most Promising Companies” list, serves hundreds of enterprise customers and more than 1 million employees. By transforming the traditional methods of employee communications, GuideSpark significantly increases employee engagement while decreasing overall HR costs. For more information, visit www.guidespark.com.
