What employee engagement surveys don't tell you about benefits

Employee engagement surveys have their uses when you need to review your existing benefits package or discover which new employee benefits your team would value. Done well, they can also help you understand the challenges your staff face in their daily lives and consider how their benefits can address them.

Personal issues, particularly those that impact mental health, can easily affect employees' productivity, focus and impact their ability to work effectively. Encouraging your employees to speak openly about their worries in a survey lets you offer the right support. However, employee engagement surveys aren't always the answer.

While employee engagement surveys have their uses, they also have limitations. These could result from employees' willingness to engage with the survey or to provide detailed information, or from the survey's design and implementation.

Personal information

There may be personal information that employees feel unable to discuss, particularly if they worry whether the survey is truly anonymous. They may hesitate to share sensitive information or work-related challenges because they're concerned about their future career growth.

Employees may also face challenges but be unaware of the available support. They can't ask for something if they don't know it exists, so they may decide not to share personal information on that basis.

Communication issues

Depending on how your employee engagement surveys are structured, staff may fail to mention existing benefits they would value and use, simply because they don't know about them. This may be because they've forgotten, struggle to navigate existing communication channels, or heard about a benefit when they were new starters, trying to absorb a wealth of information.

Survey design and participation rate

The design of your engagement survey can affect responses. General questions can create vague answers and may not prompt respondents to provide a complete picture. By contrast, leading questions can create bias. Multiple surveys or a single long survey can become repetitive, leading to lower response rates.

Employees' willingness to participate may also skew the data. Disengaged employees are less likely to complete the survey, making the survey results misleading because only the happiest employees have responded.

Questions about anonymity

We've mentioned that staff may be reluctant to provide personal information if they're unsure about anonymity. They may also go the other way and provide answers that they think you want to hear, or that reflect well on their needs and aspirations. For example, they may ask for a corporate gym membership because it demonstrates a commitment to health and well-being, when they may not use it in practice. Alternatively, they may not admit to needing mental health support because of a perceived stigma. It could result in your business investing in benefits that go unused while neglecting those that are needed most.

Snapshots and information lag

If you conduct an annual employee engagement survey, employees' circumstances may have changed significantly between surveys, particularly if they've experienced a significant life event. There's also a risk of recency bias, where staff base their view on a recent positive or negative experience with a benefit rather than on their overall opinion.

Demographic issues

If you base your benefits package on the benefits that most employees value in your employee engagement surveys, you risk removing benefits that a small number of employees value highly. This could happen due to changing priorities related to age, life stage, or individual circumstances.

Lack of follow-up action

If employees complete an annual employee engagement survey but don't see any follow-up, such as an action plan identifying areas for improvement, they may become disillusioned, and response rates will likely drop.

Employee engagement surveys may have their limitations, but they can still be useful if done well. There are ways to adjust the design and frequency of surveys to increase employee engagement and yield improved results. It's also worth considering other information-gathering methods to provide more detail and a clearer picture.

Analyse usage data

Usage data lets you assess which benefits most employees engage with and how they use them. Some voluntary benefits are easy to assess, for example, by determining how many employees signed up to the cycle-to-work scheme or for childcare support. Others may require more complex analysis. Health insurance provides a range of services, so it's wise to consider which are most frequently used. You can request this information from service providers if needed. It's worth remembering that low usage could be a communication issue rather than a lack of need.

Shorter surveys

One long annual employee engagement survey may suffer from low employee engagement for various reasons, such as low motivation or a lack of follow-up action. Frequent short surveys are easier to complete and allow you to capture frequent snapshots and a range of views before taking action. You can set a frequency or run surveys to assess the impact of societal changes or changes in employees' circumstances. If you run initiatives to improve employee engagement or well-being, pulse surveys can provide insight into their impact and inform future modifications.

Staff forums

Surveys can gather surface-level information but may struggle to capture nuance. Even if you introduce a ranking system that lets staff indicate their most valued benefits, it may not capture the reasons behind their choices. Individual conversations or a staff forum enable leaders to have in-depth discussions with staff to understand who values certain benefits and why.

Forums can promote open discussion, and representatives can also act as focus points for other staff who want to share information. It's a good idea to include members from different areas and levels of the business, as well as those who can offer insights on inclusion, diversity, and equity.

Talk to a broker

If you provide insurance-backed benefits, such as employee health insurance, your broker can help you benchmark your provision against other businesses in your sector or with similar employee numbers. This can be a valuable exercise if you want to ensure you offer a competitive benefits package that helps you attract skilled employees. We've mentioned that there may be benefits your employees aren't aware of, so they won't request them. This helps you overcome that challenge by giving you independent insights.

Life change surveys

Employee engagement with benefits will shift over time as their priorities and needs change. An engagement survey can help you assess the impact of lifestyle changes and adjust benefits to suit. For example, you might send pulse surveys to new parents or those returning from maternity leave to encourage them to reflect on the support they've received and may need going forward. You can use an engagement survey with staff returning from long-term sickness absence, or who have recently been promoted. Age-based surveys can help you assess changing needs at the start of each new decade.

Exit interviews

A good quality employee benefits package should increase employee engagement and retention. However, some staff will still leave, and they can offer useful insights into your company culture and employee experience. Leavers may be more willing to speak openly and share their reasons for leaving. Some may be personal, but others can help you understand where support may have been lacking, or where your competitors offer better pay and benefits. They may also express areas where their benefits were lacking, for example, due to a lack of flexible working that impacted their ability to create a good work-life balance.

Well-being conversations

A supportive leadership team and high-quality employee benefits can give you more highly engaged employees. Treating people as individuals helps employees feel valued and encourages them to speak openly about their individual needs. Regular conversations about well-being create openness and reduce stigma around sensitive issues. Train your managers to start conversations and arrange regular well-being check-ins. These enable staff to raise issues that they may be reluctant to discuss in a group or via an engagement survey, such as mental health concerns, caring responsibilities or disability.

We've already mentioned that reviewing usage data can help you understand which benefits employees find most useful. However, if data shows employees don't use a particular benefit, it could be due to communication issues. Using your annual employee engagement survey to discover which benefits employees are aware of can help you review your communication strategy and identify areas for improvement. You could also conduct pulse surveys focused on a single benefit to gauge awareness and identify any communication gaps.

Here are some ways to analyse your approach, introduce new initiatives and improve your communication strategy.

Surveys can help

We've mentioned using your employee engagement surveys to determine which benefits employees value and use, and those they're unaware of. If the survey results show employees don't know about some benefits, it's time for a refresher course. Surveys can also highlight other issues that prevent employees from using their benefits. For example, they may not know how to access a benefit or find information about voluntary benefits to help them decide whether to sign up.

Identifying gaps in employees' knowledge lets you design a communication process to address them.

Training sessions

Training sessions can take various forms, depending on the topic and desired outcome. Explainer sessions can help increase awareness, while a practical workshop can walk staff through accessing a benefit if they don't understand the process. You could also create documents and videos for them to refer back to later.

Some benefits may be underused because your team doesn't understand the advantages. In that case, consider running an interactive taster session. For example, say your health insurance provides access to a mindfulness or meditation app. Invite your team to a taster session to explain how mindfulness can reduce stress and let them experience the app for themselves.

Lunchtime activity groups

One-off training and taster sessions let your team understand and experience their employee benefits. However, it's also worth introducing regular activity sessions to help employees build new habits. This is particularly relevant to health and wellness benefits, such as health insurance, where member reward programmes offer perks and discounts that increase when members engage in healthy habits. Lunchtime activity groups can enable staff to walk or cycle together or prepare and eat nutritious food. They could also function as support groups. Some reward programmes offer discounts on weight-loss and stop-smoking programmes, so staff following the same programmes could get together to support each other and offer advice. An effective communication strategy to ensure employees are aware of the sessions is essential.

Focused email campaigns

Email campaigns can help you increase awareness of employee benefits, training sessions and workplace activity groups. Your staff likely have busy inboxes, so ensure your emails are entertaining and easy to read.

It's best to have clear focus areas and send them regularly so employees can absorb the information gradually. For example, you might introduce a well-being email that highlights one benefit each week or sets a weekly challenge. You could also introduce benefits-focused emails that explain a particular benefit and invite staff to register their interest for further training. If you want to cover several topics in one email, it's often better to write a short introduction to each topic, with links to longer articles or resources that staff can access based on their interests.

Regular reminders

Communication isn't a one-and-done exercise. Your team may be aware of a benefit when they first join your company, but forget about it because they haven't needed to use it. Emails can act as regular reminders, but it's also a good idea to display information prominently in your workplace. A poster in a high-traffic area, such as the kitchen, can remind your team what's available and help them find information when needed.

Practical guides

We've mentioned including technical information in training sessions if there's a process to follow. Written and video guides also help employees remember the process, should they need it later. If the process is straightforward, a training session likely isn't needed. However, staff may need to know where to find an application form or who to contact to request a benefit or troubleshoot issues. Including those on the staff intranet and mentioning it in your regular communications means employees can find information when needed. You should always ensure these guides are kept up to date as systems and personnel change.

Use different communication channels

Communication preferences differ, so using different channels to share the same information increases the likelihood that it will be seen and understood. The intranet can serve as a central information hub, alongside emails, posters, and regular reminders. You can add QR codes to posters that employees can scan to access services directly. Some people prefer reading information, while others prefer videos. A video can be a useful way to summarise information quickly, but it's wise to include a transcript or written version as well.

Physical reminders that staff can keep on their desks are also useful. For example, if you launch a benefit offering mental health support, a branded stress ball with a QR code can improve employee engagement with the benefit and have a practical use.

Good timing

Staff are more likely to pay attention to a message if it's directly relevant to them. Some benefits may be useful in connection with particular life events, such as new parenthood or a return from a long-term illness. Others may be seasonal. A campaign to encourage staff to sign up for the cycle-to-work scheme may not garner much interest in the depths of winter, but will likely do better as the weather improves. You could also promote workplace flu vaccinations or vouchers in autumn.

Again, introducing information gradually increases comprehension and uptake.

Introduce personalisation

Good timing and relevance can often include personalisation. Some benefits will be relevant to everyone, while others vary by age or life stage. Most email platforms let you create segments and add tags to send different emails to each group. Your engagement survey results may have revealed that staff in certain roles or departments highly value a particular benefit, so you can send more in-depth information to help them get the most from it.

Personalised annual benefit statements that show the value of each benefit and how much each employee has used can help staff understand what's available and which benefits they're missing out on.

Case studies and testimonials

Using case studies and testimonials as part of your communication strategy lets employees hear from people who've used their benefits and got good results. A lack of engagement with benefits can arise from uncertainty. For example, employees might be reluctant to sign up for a health assessment through their health insurance because they worry about personal information being shared with their employer or receiving unhelpful or intrusive follow-up communication. A case study or testimonial from a peer who has enjoyed using the service can help to overcome these objections.

Appoint staff ambassadors

Appointing benefits champions or staff ambassadors who focus on a particular benefit lets staff ask questions informally, which can overcome their fear of being judged by their managers or HR. Ambassadors can also help normalise the use of benefits or talking about sensitive subjects such as mental health. It's a good idea to train ambassadors across different levels and departments, as staff are more likely to speak with a trusted colleague.

Management training

We've mentioned the value of peer-to-peer support, but managers should also lead by example and have relevant information to keep their team updated. Regular briefings to help managers raise relevant topics during one-to-one conversations and team meetings provide an extra layer of communication.

It's also wise to provide managers and your leadership team with resources and guidance to help them discuss benefits at relevant times, for example, during a sickness absence or well-being conversation.

Accessible information

Providing information in various formats helps to make it accessible. Consider whether you need to provide information in multiple languages or use a different format to make it accessible to staff with disabilities. For example, staff with visual impairments may use screen readers to access digital information or may prefer audio guides.

Always use clear language. Legal documents explaining how trusts work in death-in-service benefits or health insurance policies typically use technical jargon that many employees won't understand. Creating plain English versions can help. Many insurers provide guides you can share with your team to help them understand their benefits.

Constant feedback

An annual employee engagement survey lets your employees share their thoughts, but it doesn't offer immediate support. An employee may want to access a benefit but give up because of a technical issue or because they don't understand the process. Providing a form, email address, or messaging system to let them provide immediate feedback or seek support increases the likelihood they'll use their benefits and also lets you quickly identify technical problems or communication gaps.

Assessing your communication strategy

Communication is an ongoing process, so always check your analytics to see what's working. You can track email open and click-through rates, check what staff are reading on the intranet, and assess benefit sign-up rates to see whether communication campaigns make a difference. Then, you can adjust future communications accordingly, based on employee engagement and preferences.

Investing in insurance can be a cost-effective way to provide your staff with benefits they’ll value and use. Contact us for tailored advice to help you find the right insurance policies for your needs.