GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015 - Thomsons Online …€¦ · THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS 4 5 GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015 4 Our latest Global Employee Benefits Watch report

GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015

2 3THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015

FOREWORD 5.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6.

GLOBAL BENEFITS STRATEGY 10.

BENEFITS PACKAGES 14.

BENEFITS TECHNOLOGY 19.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATIONS 26.

MAKING GLOBAL A REALITY 32.

METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE 34.

ABOUT THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS 36.

APPENDIX 39.

CONTENTS

2THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS


4

Our latest Global Employee Benefits Watch report reveals some major shifts in our industry. We have interviewed hundreds of companies just like yours. In the course of researching trends and opinions on global employee benefits, employee engagement technology solutions, and their adoption, we have made some fascinating discoveries.

Global competition for the best and brightest employees is only increasing. When I speak with CEOs, this is one of the main issues keeping them up at night. Your culture, vision, and values provide a competitive edge to attract the right people, but never more so than when supported by a world-class benefits program.

Whether your company is looking to grow or to maintain a hard-fought position in your market, the role of HR is going to be increasingly pivotal to your success. HR departments must prepare for this increase in demand, by ensuring that they possess the ability to scale for change, while implementing and communicating the right strategies. Using global engagement tools and technology will be central to delivering an overall HR strategy.

4 5

Today’s workforce expects a consumer-grade technology experience, comparable to the technology interactions they experience in all aspects of their life outside of work. We are now seeing many organizations investing in these types of solutions for the first time.

HR plays a major role in engaging and retaining an organization’s top talent. Central to this is ensuring the right technology is in place to ultimately enable employees to excel. Our report shows that some impressive progress has been made by the HR community and global businesses in acknowledging and tackling these challenges.

I wholeheartedly believe in HR’s strategic role and look forward to witnessing this continuing transformation of the HR function over the next 12 months.

I welcome and encourage your thoughts and feedback.

GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015

Michael Whitfield Chief Executive Officer

FOREWORD



Getting a handle on global benefits administration The burden on internal resources (54%) and the drive for administrative efficiency (49%) are the two biggest pain points when managing benefits globally. Most organizations (52%) do not have a centralized approach, using different methods to manage benefits in each country. However, the majority of respondents (71%) would prefer to use technology to streamline their benefits administration globally, with 47% choosing specialized global benefits management software over core HR or local brokers’ technology.

These challenges are driving the adoption of benefits technology among HR teams. In the next few years, a significant increase is expected in the number of organizations implementing technology to manage, enroll, communicate and engage with their employees.

Lack of value of total reward and employee engagement challenges While the majority of multinationals understand the role played by benefits strategy in talent attraction and retention, as well as driving better business performance, they are still struggling to communicate the value and engage employees with their reward packages.

A lack of understanding of the true value of total reward among employees is still a major issue with 57% naming this as one of the main challenges. There is much room for improvement in this area: only 9% of employers offer total reward statements in multiple countries, while 52% do not provide total reward statements at all.

Unsurprisingly, employee engagement remains one of the biggest concerns for employers as 34% of companies list it as a primary goal of their global benefits strategy. However more than a third of respondents (38%) feel their current approach needs to be more effective in getting employees to understand, value, and interact with their total package.

This report provides an insight into the HR industry’s pain points, uncovering the trends and advances enterprises have made in implementing global rewards strategies. It reflects the opinions of global HR and benefits professionals across North America, EMEA and APAC. Its data spans more than 48 industries, representing approximately four million employees worldwide – Thomsons Online Benefits’ most comprehensive piece of research yet. Recent research showed that 80% of CEOs believe HR should function as a “high-impact business partner.” To effectively play this role, there are a number of areas HR professionals must bear in mind.

A comprehensive global benefits strategy is more important than everAs multinationals continue to expand and compete globally for top talent more of them are realizing the importance of a unified benefits and rewards strategy for their international workforce. The majority of employers (51%) now have a documented global benefits strategy in place, however, a significant number (45%) do not.

As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile and the drive for top talent gets tougher, a global benefits strategy will be key in differentiating any employer’s overall proposition.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

KEY FINDINGS


Analytics, insight and data security are becoming even more criticalC-level executives increasingly expect HR to take a more strategic role as a true business partner. This brings a growing demand for global reporting and workforce analytics tools. HR professionals need to provide valuable insight into benefit costs, types of benefits that are most popular, user demographics, and uptake trends.

Almost half of the respondents (49%) are struggling with reporting globally. An increase of 10% compared to 39% in 2014 proves this is still a growing challenge, and one that organizations are not finding easy to solve. In addition, managing data security and privacy have become even more crucial. The complexity and quantity of data is growing and the threat of data breaches – and associated risk of reputational damage – is on the increase.

Companies are becoming increasingly global, penetrating new markets and harmonizing their operations internationally. As they do this, it is clear they face some formidable challenges as they realize the business imperative to accommodate a more fluid, demanding, and mobile workforce.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

KEY FINDINGS


49%of companies are struggling

with reporting globally


GLOBAL BENEFITS STRATEGY

11 GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015

A highly mobile, global environment brings great business opportunities, but also increases operational risks, information inaccuracies and shifting demands on management — especially for HR.

Managing global benefitsNearly 20% of companies still manage their global benefits manually, while 52% do not have a consistent approach across all the countries in which they operate. This risks diminishing the competitive edge of a global organization in areas such as talent attraction and management, communication and engagement, data security, and the administration of new recruit processes.

Businesses and C-level executives rely on HR leaders to provide information that helps organizations attract, retain, and engage talent that will, in turn, drive global business growth. 80% of CEOs say it is critical for HR to play the role of “high-impact business partner.”1

Aligning benefits practicesThis year’s survey echoes this. The priority of most enterprises for their global benefits strategy is to align benefits practices with business goals and strategy (54%). This is up from second place last year when attracting and retaining talent was by far the top priority.

In order to address this, HR departments need access to consistent, accurate, and up-to-date employee and company data. However, obtaining reliable global data is only possible by implementing a central, robust and scalable global platform.

Globalization of HRForward-thinking companies are leading the globalization of HR. Nearly half (48%) of respondents already operate a global HR shared service center and 12% plan to introduce one in the next 12 months.

In a globalized economy having a unified benefits and rewards strategy for an international workforce becomes critical. Over half (51%) of employers have a documented global benefits strategy, although a significant number (45%) still do not have one.

This is not particularly surprising. Many CEOs talk about their companies being global. However, if you look under the hood, there are antiquated, disparate and inefficient processes and systems in place.

1. Does your company currently have a documented global benefits strategy?

2. Global benefits strategy top 5 objectives

Up from 46% in 2014

54%Aligning benefits practices with business goals/strategy

51%Attracting and retaining talent

47%Maintaining a competitive employer proposition

34%Enhancing employee engagement

31%Promoting employeeprotection and well-being

51%Yes

45%No

This is on the map for the first time in 2015, rising from only 14% in 2014 to 31% this year! Maybe increased interest in wearables has made an impact?

4%Don’t know

45%of employers don’t have global benefits strategy


“Global benefits administration involved a lot of paper forms, manual processing and tracking, taking up a majority of our benefits administrators’ time. We realized that unless we changed our processes and introduced sophisticated technology, we wouldn’t be able to scale and deliver against our global benefits strategy.”

Karen HallGlobal Benefits Manager at VMware

GLOBAL BENEFITS STRATEGY

3. Top 5 global benefits strategy challenges

4. Do you operate in a global HR shared service center environment?

48%Yes

36%No plans to introduce in the near

future 12%No, but planning on introducing in the

next 12 months

4%Don’t know


51%High levels of administration

41%Difficulty reporting globally on total reward costs

35%Difficulty demonstrating return on investment to key stakeholders

30%Poor communication and low levels of employee engagement

57%Lack of understanding of value of total rewards amongst employees


“With the millennial generation entering the workforce we are facing an increasing number of requests for transfers or short term assignments to work abroad. We are now presented with a dilemma. Whether to retain this talent or to opt for the higher cost of relocating colleagues.”

Caroline SchollEMEA Benefit Manager at IHS

We now have baby boomers, generation X, and generation Y (millennials) who are starting to dominate the workforce, plus generation Z poised to enter it. Further, the younger generation can have expectations which are very different to those of older generations.

Research suggests millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce by 20202. Their increased influence is driving the need for personalization, appreciation, recognition, and greater flexibility. The question every organization should be asking is: “Is our benefits strategy fit for purpose?”

Essentially, when it comes to benefits, one size does not fit all and benefits managers must consider workforce demographics when putting together a reward package. While older workers tend to value health-care insurance and the extension of their program to their family, younger employees often prefer opportunities to travel, or to receive great offers from their local gym.

Flexible working is a benefit that appeals to multiple workforce demographics – from young parents, to older workers who may be caring for an elderly parent or spouse. It is encouraging that this has been rolled out globally by 40% of multinationals surveyed.

A diverse benefits offering has also become a requisite for global employers, who not only find themselves meeting the needs of a multi generational workforce, but also find themselves competing with start-ups, who are attracting talent with their more fluid structures and

flexibility. Nevertheless this survey shows medical (70%), life insurance (64%), and pension/retirement plans (59%) are still at the core of employers’ benefits offerings.

As workplace wellness programs gain popularity and medical costs continue to rise, there is a major shift from “medical benefits” to a preventive care mentality. Therefore, gym membership (24%) and health screenings (31%) are being added to the global benefits mix. Forward-thinking companies are also offering access to wellness experts, on-site health screenings, and even wellness-related spending accounts that give staff cash to spend on health-enriching activities.

Some employers are moving beyond wellness plans, and are introducing reimbursement plans (42%) or flexible spending accounts (28%) to their benefits offering. This is helping meet employees’ demands for more flexibility and choice in their programs. Some organizations give employees an allowance to expense activities such as Zumba classes and language lessons. Enterprises increasingly need to embrace and replicate this level of flexibility and innovation.

Another factor pushing employers toward diverse benefits offering is today’s competitive environment. Global employers are not just competing with other multinationals for talent anymore. Increasingly, the best talent is shifting to start-ups that offer more fluid structures and greater flexibility in the way they reward their employees.

BENEFITS PACKAGES


For the first time in recent history, businesses have four generations of employees under one roof, each with different priorities and expectations of the employer-employee relationship. 72%

of survey respondents expect their health and risk benefits costs to rise in the coming year.


5. Top 5 benefits offered (globally)

70% Medical Insurance

64% Life Insurance

59% Retirement/Pension

Plan

50% Travel/Accident

Insurance

47%Employee Assistance Programs

7. Do you offer a reimbursement program (e.g. travel, education) that is managed consistently across all regions?

42% Yes

52% No

Don’t know6%

This survey shows medical (70%), life insurance (64%), and pension/retirement plans (59%) are still at the core of employers’ benefits offerings

Workplace wellness programs are gaining popularity among all types of employees. Comprehensive benefits plans that package together flexible working options, wellness programs, investment and personal counseling, and other universally valued benefits send the message that the business appreciates and invests in all its employees.

Some employers are moving beyond wellness plans, and are introducing reimbursement plans (42%) or flexible spending accounts (28%)

8. Have you implemented, or are you considering introducing Spending Accounts?

No, but planning to introduce in the next 12 months

Yes 4%14%46%

No plans to introduce36%

Don’t know

6. Well-being benefits offered in 2015

40%Flexible working

24%Gym Membership

31%Health screenings

50%of survey respondents have

indicated that their benefits vary significantly from country to country.

BENEFITS PACKAGES


BENEFITS TECHNOLOGY

However, only 25% of companies actually use technology to administer their benefits programs, with 19% using global benefit or HR software and 6% using a local broker’s technology.

Over half of organizations (52%) do not have a centralized approach to technology and use different methods in each country. Almost one fifth (17%) still administer their benefits program manually, which could explain why 12% consistently experience errors and employee complaints.

However, most HR teams recognize the need to move away from decentralized and manual processes toward tech-centric systems to align HR with their business needs. The majority of respondents (71%) would prefer to use technology to administer and communicate benefits globally, with 47% choosing specialized global benefits management software over core HR or local broker’s technology. Since 2014, companies seem to have lost confidence in the capability of HR Software suites’ to deliver a global benefits solution.

The role of HR is evolving. Employees demand simple, user-friendly, mobile-centric and on-demand benefits information. To meet this demand, companies need to invest more in the appropriate HR and benefits technology.

THE FOUR BIGGEST DRIVERS OF INNOVATION IN HR AND REWARD ARE: USER EXPERIENCE, EFFICIENCY, ANALYTICS AND DATA SECURITY.

User experienceOver the past few years, the line between consumer and enterprise technologies has blurred. HR software buyers have started looking for technology designed to support and engage people and help them become more productive at work. This represents a significant shift, as businesses are now making technology decisions based on the end-user experience.

Introducing user-friendly employee-facing benefits portals is the top benefits technology investment priority for over half (55%) of HR professionals surveyed. Employees expect the same consumer-grade experience they get from the technology they use outside of work and it has to offer a consistently great mobile and tablet experience.

Almost 30% of global organizations plan to increase HR technology spend in the coming year. This shows accelerated adoption of technology to manage, enroll and communicate benefits to employees across the business.

75%of organizations obtain more accurate global benefits costs after implementing benefits management software.


BENEFITS TECHNOLOGY

Introducing the right technology will enable HR to deliver global reporting, whether the focus is on global benefits uptake or medical costs. Historically, HR has had difficulty reporting on benefits spend, and even now, almost half of respondents (49%) are struggling with reporting globally. This has grown by 10% since 2014.

These same technology systems also provide the data analysis tools and metrics for workforce performance measurements and improvement, otherwise known as workforce analytics.

Data security Data breaches can cost companies millions of dollars. Losing benefits data, allowing unauthorized access, introducing errors or failing to have legally required benefits information available is a major risk to business.

Manual spreadsheets and decentralized systems leave company data highly vulnerable to a breach. However, our research shows that almost 20% of companies still manage their global benefits using only manual processes. Businesses urgently need to investigate HR and benefits platforms to ensure data security and compliance are not at risk.

“When seeking out a benefits system, we were looking for two key elements; security and simplicity. Our employees trust us with a lot of personal data, and mitigating risk to this is paramount to maintaining this trust and the reputation of our organization. To protect against data breaches, we sought out a system that automated all processes, eliminating the risk posed by manual data manipulation.”

HCM Director at a global investment bank

Strategic, efficient HRUsing the latest benefits technologies not only helps employees, but also HR teams. This is particularly important as business leaders push for HR to become leaner and more strategic.

For 34% of employers it takes more than six days in each country every month to administer global benefits in-house. Half of employers (47%) reported it took between one and six days. This drastically eats into what precious little time remains for value-added and strategic tasks. Therefore, it is not surprising to find the desire to introduce global benefits administration systems that can relieve this burden at the top of the list of HR professionals’ priorities (46%). Indeed, 50% of companies that have introduced global benefits software spend less than one day per country every month administering benefits programs in-house.

Big data, insights and analyticsAs the competition for talent increases, HR must use data strategically to drive the talent pipeline and to align processes with wider growth plans.

Centralized HR benefits systems will become even more prevalent. This will enable employers to collate previously disparate data from different vendors in one place, and analyze this for meaningful insight.


50%of companies that introduced global benefits software spend less than one day administering benefits programs in-house.


BENEFITS TECHNOLOGY

9. How do you administer and communicate your global benefits program to employees vs. what you would prefer?

10. How much are you planning to spend on benefits technology next year?

Not planning to spend anything

More than in 2014

Significantly less than in 2014

Don’t know

Same as 2014

Less than in 2014

Significantly more than in 2014

APAC

22%

14%

3%

33%

25%

0%

3%

Global

13%

23%

2%

52%

19%

31%

5%

6%

US

11%

20%

0%

19%

37%

7%

6%

EMEA

13%

28%

3%

15%

27%

5%

8%

Using global benefits management software

Approach different in each country

Other

Using HR software

Using manual processes

Using local brokers software

Currently

6%

Prefer

19%

47%

18%

7%7%

8%

11%

6%

Almost one fifth (17%) still administer their benefits program manually, which could explain why 12% consistently experience errors and employee complaints.

30%of survey respondents

plan to increase HR technology spend

2%17%

Almost


BENEFITS TECHNOLOGY

49%Administrative efficiency of benefits providers

49%Difficulty in reporting globally

40%Managing large numbers of global benefit providers

32%Accuracy of reporting

12%Number of errors/complaints

28%Handling employee queries

38%Getting employees to interact with their benefits package

54%Burden on internal resources

9% Low levels of employee enrolment

11. What are your biggest issues with regards to the administration of your global benefits package?

12. Would you agree that you have accurate global total benefits costs?

38% of organizations are struggling with employees not interacting with their benefits, which explains the increased investment in employee-facing benefits portals and enrolment tools

75%of organizations obtain more accurate global benefits costs after implementing benefits management software.


don’t know how much they spend on benefits globally.

18%Stronglydisagree

26%Somewhatdisagree

9% Strongly agree

47%Somewhat agree


EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

Benefits and total reward professionals are central to employee engagement efforts. They are responsible for employees feeling valued and appreciated, and contribute to a strong company culture - critical to an organization’s Employee Value Proposition and helping it attract the right talent to the business.

Benefits communication strategyAn ongoing challenge, however, is to ensure employees understand the benefits available to them. They also need to see the total value of their package. This requires a strong employee communication strategy that employs a variety of communication channels and styles to reach every demographic.

Email, face-to-face meetings, text messages, flyers in reception, and online video guides are effective (and much used) channels to engage with staff. However, not every employee or generation communicates in the same way. Implementing a number of channels aligned with employees’ learning behaviors helps create an effective and inclusive engagement and communications plan.

This research shows that HR teams are already using multiple channels to improve employees’ understanding

of the benefits available to them. The most popular tool is internal networks/intranets (68%). Direct mail and group employee benefits sessions are also very popular, used by 54% and 58% respectively.

Adopting new technologyThe results show that fewer organizations are maximizing technology to offer more direct and customizable communication. Only 13% of companies surveyed currently use mobile apps to communicate employee benefits, for example. There is a growing adoption of online tools, with 44% of organizations wanting to introduce them over the coming year. This is a growth of 25% since 2014.

The report found the majority of HR professionals (66%) believe their benefits communications are very or somewhat effective. This is despite only 33% reaching out to their employees on a regular basis (every month or every other month). Almost a quarter of employers only relay benefits information to their staff at the enrollment stage or once a year.

Greater investment in technology will enable HR departments to increase communication as well as

personalize employee messages, segmenting by demographic, generation, or any other criteria. They will also be able to identify employee status updates such as address changes, new job titles, or family changes.

By embracing technology, there is a real opportunity for organizations to differentiate themselves with an engaging and accessible benefits format.

“Simplicity was central to the design and delivery of our benefits scheme. There was a desire from all levels of the organization for a system that offered a consumer grade experience. Employees want to access the information they need when and where they want it and intuitive technology is key to achieving this.” Yoni Daniel, Compensation HR Consultant at Cisco.

The drive to improve employee engagement always ranks highly on the priority lists of HR professionals. Nevertheless, 63% of respondents admitted their workforce is only somewhat engaged and responsive and just 15% believe their employees are very engaged. This has decreased by 4% since last year.

Total rewardThe last few years has seen a growing evolution of total reward as a concept within compensation and benefits. Its role has become more prominent as companies find it increasingly difficult to compete for the best talent on salary alone. Additional benefits make up a significant percentage of total reward, and most multinationals are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on these every year, usually between 20-22% of employee salary, and up to 30% in APAC. This is a major investment and explains why reporting on global costs (41%) and proving an ROI (35%) are currently in the top five challenges facing HR teams when it comes to benefits.Despite this investment, 57% of employers believe that the lack of understanding of the value of total reward to be one of their main challenges. It is perhaps unsurprising given more than half of organizations (52%) do not provide total reward statements, and only 9% offer total reward statements globally. If employees misunderstand the rewards they receive, they could also misunderstand the value their organization places in them. With 30% of global companies experiencing problems with employee engagement, this leads to high employee turnover rates, increased expenditure on recruitment, as well as a lack of continuity and service for customers.Research suggests that in the coming year employers will look for ways to ensure employees value their total rewards program as a drive to deliver a return on their HR investment. Technology and communications play a critical role in delivering this effective engagement. If employees easily understand the benefits available to them and how they can activate them, they will be more likely to engage with their packages and truly appreciate their full value.

57%of employers believe that the lack ofunderstanding of the value of totalreward to be one of their main challenges



13. How would you describe your company’s overall level of employee engagement? 14. How do you measure employee engagement?

Direct employee feedback

General engagement surveys

Exit interviews

‘Best Companies to Work For’ (or similar) surveys

Specific reward and benefits surveys

Absenteeism level

Employee representative forum

We don’t

Other

56%

45%

24%

56%

16%

11%

8%4%

14%

15%

Very engaged and responsive

14%

Varies by region

4%Don’t know

4%Not engaged

at all

63%Somewhat engaged

and responsive

The amount of companies that feel that their employees are very engaged and responsive has dropped by 4% since 2014.

45%of survey respondents use

exit interviews as a measurement of their employee engagement


11% Very often (at least once a month)

42%Not that often(a few times a year)

9%Only at the enrollment/induction phase

25%Often (every other month)

14% Not often at all (once a year)

15. Which of the following employee benefits communication methods do you use? 16. Do you believe your benefits communications are effective?

17. How frequently do you communicate benefits to your employees?


1-on-1 employee benefits information sessions

Direct mail

Group employee benefits information sessions

Internal Network/Intranet

Mobile apps

Newsletters

Online education/information

Paper based materials

Social media

Special events

Videos

Other

35%

54%

58%

68%

13%

30%

44%

26%

40%

14%

5%

5%

23%Somewhat

disagree2%

Don’tknow

8%Strongly disagree

56%Somewhat agree

Strongly agree

10%


communicate benefits once a year or only at the enrollment phase! 13%

of survey respondents of employers use mobile apps to

communicate benefits programs

Only

Even with the continued growth of millennials in the workforce, employers are not using mobile apps to communicate benefits to employees.


Increasingly, corporate structures are becoming flatter as companies shift towards becoming one global organization – distancing themselves from the traditional model of different countries run as distinct entities reporting into headquarters. This has huge promise for the economies of scale it will deliver, the global culture an organization can create and its ability to ensure data and corporate governance are upheld.

The reward function of international organizations has a desire to become global in nature too, ensuring it is using its significant reward spend effectively. As businesses become data-led throughout their operating model, the C-suite is placing increasing pressure on reward professionals to understand and report on the details of benefit costs, benefit enrollment, uptake and value, and its impact on employee engagement. Despite this, there are still significant hurdles to overcome before companies can benefit from a global model. As outlined in this survey, many multinationals are struggling to access

disparate data on their global benefits, hindering their ability to restructure their reward and benefits function on global principles.

The fundamental building block needed is a platform which can administer benefits globally while still being capable of managing local nuances – cultural, legislative and market practice.

Organizations need to understand their business readiness for this global approach – evaluating the business case and feasibility of implementing a global benefits platform and assessing the considerable cost savings to be made.

For those forward-thinking organizations that have already taken this step, improving the end-to-end employee experience and communication will be crucial, taking into account emerging consumer technology trends, millennial expectations and global workforce mobility. Data analytics will play a pivotal role – enabling HR professionals to

assess the effectiveness of their schemes dependent on their workplace demography.

Connecting benefits to the lives of employees is an important opportunity – to drive value, appreciation and effectiveness so that employees are being pro-actively helped to gain the maximum benefit from their rewards. It runs deeper than that though – it’s about engaging with the employee at every moment that matters to them, and communicating your culture and business ambition through your benefits strategy.

What we’ve learned from our 2015 Global Employee Benefits Watch is that the HR role is moving further into the strategic spotlight and will need to be increasingly revolutionary in its approach as organizations grow their global capabilities.

Chris Bruce Co-founder and Managing Director

MAKING GLOBAL A REALITY


What size is your organization (global number of employees)?

METHODOLOGY THANK YOU

A wide range of global organizations were invited to take part in the Global Employee Benefits Watch in the first half of 2015. More than 300 global HR, benefits and total reward leaders took part, covering more than four million employees worldwide. Respondents were asked to complete an online survey regarding their reward strategy and the employee benefits that they offer currently, or intend to offer in the future.

The survey questions (split into categories such as benefits strategy, benefits administration, employee engagement and communications) were designed to help understand the drivers and motivations underlying their strategy and to explore their intentions and challenges in the future.

Thomsons Online Benefits would like to thank all the survey participants and clients for their contribution to the second edition of Global Employee Benefits Watch. Their insights and aspirations have been invaluable in addressing innovation in the online global benefits space.

0

20

40

60

80

100

Global

7%2%

13%4%

5%5%

5%

4%

11%11%

13%

8%

15% 27%8%

4%

19%

22%

11%

32%

13%

14%

13%4%

30%

19%

38%

44%

North America

EMEA APACEmployees

0-499

500 - 1,999

2,000 - 4,999

5,000 - 9,999

20,000 - 49,999

10,000 - 19,999

>50,000


ABOUT THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS

Automative administrationDarwinTM gives you greater accuracy and enables more streamlined benefits by:

• Creatingautomatedlinkswithbenefitproviders, HR and payroll systems, enabling more secure data provision.

• Automatingreports,freeinguptimefor value-adding tasks.

• Facilitatingbenefitsmanagement,eitherlocally or via shared services centers.

• Capturingallrequireddatathroughan integrated benefit work-flow process.

THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS is the world leader in global benefits management and employee engagement, with our proprietary software, Darwin™.

DarwinTM is a leading cloud-based global benefits management and employee engagement software platform, used by some of the world’s most innovative companies such as Samsung, Cisco and Microsoft. It enables multinational organizations to use a single global platform to meet the specific needs of each country it operates within. DarwinTM is designed to support your benefit needs in four ways:

Increase engagementDarwinTM provides a variety of modules to promote employee engagement by putting them at the center of their reward experience, including:

• Intuitiveemployeebenefitsportal,accessibleviamobile devices.

• Abilitytomanageglobalreimbursementandflexiblespending programs.

• Integratedglobalcommunicationsenginedrivingpersonalized and targeted online campaigns.

Your reward brand reflected in all communications and throughout the employee experience

Control costDarwinTM gives you all the data you need for more efficient benefits spend, and better understanding of one of your largest business costs, providing:

• Asinglesourceoftruthforyourbenefitsdata.

• Betterreturn-on-investmentforyourbenefitsspend.

• Dynamictotalrewardstatements,sothatyouremployees understand and appreciate your benefits spend.

Manage riskBy creating a centralized, encrypted data hub, DarwinTM gives you superior control over your sensitive employee information so that:

• Recordsofallemployees’benefitstransactionscanbeaccessed instantly.

• Afullaudittrailofallbenefitstransactionsisautomatically created.

• Youcandefinehowbenefitsdatacanbeaccessed.


APPENDIX

1.Holley, N. (2014, September). What CEOs want from HR. Henley Business School. http://www.henley.ac.uk/files/pdf/research/research-centres/Research_-_What_CEOs_want_from_HR_Sept_14_WEB.pdf

2. Weber, B. (2013, September). By The Year 2020, Almost Half Of The Workforce Will Be Made Up Of These People. University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. http://www.upworthy.com/by-the-year-2020-almost-half-of-the-workforce-will-be-made-up-of-these-people-5

3. Bureau of Labour StatisticsU.S. Department of Labour http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/tenure.pdf

4. Google Consumer Barometer, 2015https://www.consumerbarometer.com/en/insights/?countryCode=GL

EMEA United KingdomT: +44 (0) 203 435 7800 E: [email protected]

AMERICAS United StatesT: +1 650276 6088 E: [email protected]

APAC SingaporeT: +65 6383 1700 E: [email protected]

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GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015 - Thomsons Online …€¦ · THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS 4 5 GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2015 4 Our latest Global Employee Benefits Watch report