health and wellbeing benefits survey 2014

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Health and wellbeing benefits survey 2014

About benefitsIntroduction - key facts 1

On what basis are benefits chosen? 2-5

Health and wellbeing benefits offered to staff 6-10

Changes to benefit provision in 2014 11

Assessing the value of benefits packages 12

Reviewing benefits portfolio in 2014 13-15

Benefits considered most valuable for recruitment, retention and employee wellbeing 16-17

Factors affecting the choice of dental plan provider 18-21

Attitudes to dental plans 22-23

About dentistryIntroduction - key facts 24

How UK adults access dental care 25

Attitudes to dentistry 26-27

About brokersIntroduction - key facts 28

Companies accessing brokers 29

Perceptions of broker services 30

Importance of services provided by brokers 31-32

Reasons for not using a broker 33

Company decision makers researchThis research is based on a Denplan survey among employee benefit decision makers in UK companies. The survey was carried out online between 14th January and 4th February 2014 and was completed by 488 respondents.

Samples were sourced through an online panel (Research Now). No weightings were applied to the survey results and so all figures quoted as ‘companies’ means ‘companies in this survey’ and cannot be taken as representative of all companies in the UK. Company views are representative of decision makers responses. Samples are unweighted and therefore are not comparable as like for like.

Consumer and employee researchA Denplan survey among UK consumers was conducted online by YouGov in January 2014. Total sample size for the YouGov Plc. survey was 5,148 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th - 17th January 2014. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+). Last year’s survey ran 14th - 23rd January 2013, total sample size was 4,116 UK adults.

Dental private fee chargesTaken from Denplan’s Supplementary Insurance Benefit Survey, conducted in January 2014 online among Denplan member dentists.

Decision makers roles within the organisation Number of employees in respondents organisation

6

53

25

16

3733

30

Finance Director

CEO/Managing Director

Other

HR Director/manager

Small (0-100 employees)

Large (251+ employees)

Medium (101-250 employees)

Welcome to the fifth edition of our annual survey based on attitudes towards health and wellbeing benefits. The aim of this survey was to identify which health and wellbeing benefits UK employers offer to their staff and how they are delivered. We also wanted to find out the impact benefits play on employee’s attitudes, along with the challenges that are shaping them. In the pages that follow, we have brought together up-to-date information as told by key company decision makers, whose role it is to source and manage employee benefits.

Some of the changes uncovered in this report appear to have been in response to the recovering economy, while others represent shifts that have gradually occurred over the last five years. It’s clear that employee benefits remain a priority with over three quarters (78%) of companies offering health and wellbeing benefits. The dilemma for organisations remains how to offer the right mix of benefits to attract and retain staff while also balancing their increasing costs. We are sure this report will provide real value as you meet the needs of your audience in the year ahead.

About the surveyThis report provides an analysis of the 2014 Dental Benefits Survey results. In January 2014, Denplan conducted two surveys. The first one was in conjunction with YouGov - our annual consumer survey, to gather rich information on the employee benefits market and give insight into key trends. The second survey reveals insight and attitudes towards the benefits

offered by surveying key corporate decision makers in a variety of small to large sized companies.

Steve GatesManaging Director Denplan

Steve joined Denplan in 1995 and in 2001 became Managing Director. In this role he is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of all Denplan activities, along with the Denplan Board and other senior management team members. Steve focuses specifically on new products and business development, while maintaining close links with the dental profession.

1 Source: Denplan / YouGov survey, January 2014. All employed where employer doesn’t offer a dental plan. (N = 2039)

2 Source: Denplan decision-makers survey January 2014. All respondents. (N = 488)

Introduction

62%

84%

83%

68%

Key factsof employees without a dental plan would consider one if their employer offered it1

of employers with a dental plan believe that it helps keep their benefits package relevant for today’s market2

of employer with a dental plan believes that it enhances employee wellbeing2

of employers with a dental plan believe that it helps to manage staff absenteeism2

11

Company decision makers were asked to rank each factor when selecting employee benefits. Value for money (51%) and cost (50%) remain the most influential factors on employers’ decision to choose an employee benefit. Other influences cited this year include enhancing their employee’s wellbeing (42%) and listening to employee feedback (38%). Some factors have moved down on the priority list over the years including regularity of use, which has shown a 7% decline over the last three years to 31%.

On what basis are benefits chosen?Factors considered important by employers 42%

of companies say that enhancing employee

wellbeing is a factor when choosing benefits

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Factors considered important by employeesWe asked employees a similar question and found that their key priority was also focused around cost (83%) and value for money (83%) when considering the benefits offered to them. However, three quarters (75%) of employees think it is important that a benefit can be used regularly. This highlights a noticeable difference between the factors considered important by employers and employees. So while employees consider regularity of use as an important factor, their employers are not considering this factor as much when deciding which products to make available.

Factors considered important by employees (by company size)It’s evident that there are a few notable differences when segmenting employee responses by company size. Employees from smaller companies are more likely to value costs (87%) than the employees from medium (81%) and large (83%) sized companies. Employees from medium sized company’s responses show that the least important factor (67%) is choosing a benefits policy that will cover them for unforeseen events and emergencies, dropping 19% from last year. This is a far lower percentage than employees from small (78%) and large (74%) sized companies.

Figure 1.1 Base: All employees who have access to benefits

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3For further information visit www.denplan.co.uk

Employees that would to condisder canceling their benefits due to cost

Cost has remained a key issue for employees since this survey was first conducted five years ago. We wanted to find out the extent of influence it can have on decisions and asked which benefits employees would cancel due to cost. Just over three fifths (61%) of respondents who have taken up the benefit said that they would consider cancelling their health cash plan due to cost consideration. 53% said cost would affect their decision to cancel their dental plan.

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Figure 1.3 Base: All employees who have access to the respective benefits through work

Dental plan

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Gym Subsidy

Cycle to Work Scheme

Critical Illness/Payment Protection

Employee Assistance Programme

Health Screening

Smoking Cessation Programme

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Change in factors influencing choice of benefits over the past 12 months

Over the past 12 months, companies have continued to review their benefits package within an uncertain economic climate, alongside the business costs of complying with legislative changes, such as auto enrolment. In comparison to last year, cost of benefit and value for money steadily lowered in importance but remain an integral part of consideration. Decision makers are also less receptive to a benefit that will be used regularly with 10% rating it less important than last year. Other factors, including employee requests have gained importance over this period.

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Figure 1.4 Base: All decision makers


22%of companies offer no health and wellbeing

benefits at all

Health and wellbeing benefits offered to staff

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Benefits offered by companiesEncouragingly, the majority of decision makers (78%) reported their company offered at least some health and wellbeing benefits, with the range continuing to be varied. Health screening has jumped ahead of childcare vouchers this year, becoming the most popular benefit at 37%. Private medical insurance (PMI) has shown a marginal decline in the past 12 months dropping from 19% to 17%. In contrast, there has been a considerable rise in the proportion of respondents that offer a gym subsidy rising from 26% to 30%. Over a third (35%) of decision makers said they offered a dental plan to their staff, becoming the third most popular benefit selected.

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It’s clear that technology is affecting the way benefits are being delivered and communicated to staff across companies of all sizes. The results illustrate that technology based communications have all risen in importance. Intranet sites remain a vital tool to communicate the benefits to staff (45%). This is especially notable for large companies (71%). Email campaigns (44%) is the second most popular communication tool. With corporate social responsibility on the agenda, companies are relying more on electronic communication to saving on paper usage and cost.

How companies communicate their benefits to staff

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Health and wellbeing benefits offered to staff (by company size)

51%of large companies offer

a dental plan to their employees

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Figure 1.7 Base: All decision makers Small (0-100 employees)



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There is a strong correlation between the company size and the benefit offered to employees. Small companies are much less likely to offer benefits with only 57% arranging benefits schemes for their employees, compared with 95% of large companies. Over half (55%) of large companies offer childcare vouchers to their staff, compared with 20% of small companies. Over half of large companies (51%) offer a dental plan to their staff. For medium sized companies this has increased to 41%, which has doubled since the 2013 response.

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Employee take-up of health and wellbeing benefits

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Figure 1.8 Base: All employees who have access to the respective benefits through work

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Similarly to last year, PMI (65%) and critical illness (58%) remain the most popular benefits to be taken up when offered to employees. It’s clear that employees are, however, more receptive to PMI when they are company paid with only 21% taking it up when they have to contribute.

Dental plans are taken up by over a third (35%) of employees who are offered it. Over three fifths (63%) of these dental plans are partly paid by the employee. Gym Subsidy is this year’s highest riser, rising to over a third on take up (37% compared with 25% in 2013).


Which benefit do companies think their employees value most?

Nearly a third (32%) of respondents regarded childcare vouchers as the highest rated benefit among their staff. It seems that employers are aware of the increasing popularity of health screenings among employees (figure 1.16) causing a rise of 9% in the last three years reaching 27%. Dental plans have also shown a large increase in perceived value rising 6% to 25% in 2014.

One notable statistic is the declining number of respondents who think that their employees value PMI, decreasing from 27% to 18% in the past three years. However, this decline does align with figure 1.16, which shows that PMI is not rated as highly by employers as some other benefits to recruit, retain and maintain employee wellbeing.

32%of employers think that their staff rate childcare

vouchers the most valued benefit


Dental plan

PMI

Health Cashplan

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Gym Subsidy

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Benefits that companies are thinking of adding and removing in 2014

Changes to benefit provision in 2014 46%

of companies are considering adding a dental plan to their

benefits offering

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When decision makers were asked which benefits they were planning to add and remove during the next 12 months, 46% reported they were considering adding a dental benefit. A quarter (25%) stated they would be looking to add health screening. The least attractive benefit remains employee assistance programs, which is currently being added by 12% and removed by 6%.

One interesting response is the 22% of companies planning to remove their gym subsidy; this is surprising when compared with figure 1.8, which highlights the increasing uptake of gym subsidy during the past 12 months.

Figure 1.10 Base: All decision makers who are reviewing benefits in 2014


How do you assess the value of the benefits package you offer your employees?

67%of large companies

use employee feedback to measure the value of their

benefits package

Assessing the value of benefits packages

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Figure 1.11 Base: All decision makers offering health and wellbeing benefits to their staff

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The method for companies assessing the value of their benefits has remained consistent over the past three years. Regardless of size, employers are most likely to use feedback from their employees (69%). This is especially apparent within medium sized companies (73%).

It is worth noting that there is a strong second tier of factors including usage levels (47%) and financial assessments (40%). With technology continuously improving, it’s easier than ever for companies to complement employee feedback with usage levels when assessing the return on investment of their offered benefits.

12

Reviewing benefits portfolio in 2014

Employee benefits portfolio review

63%of companies are reviewing

their benefits in 2014

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The percentage of companies reviewing their benefits has risen over the past three years reaching 63% in 2014. The majority of large employers are planning to review their benefits (70%), compared with only half (50%) of smaller ones. One notable statistic is the growth of medium sized companies now choosing to review their benefits increasing 16% since 2012 responses.


The reasons for carrying out a review in 2014 remains similar to those in 2013, but there are changes worth noting especially across large sized companies. The most significant of these is the percentage of companies which have made reviewing an annual process, which rose from 54% to 71% in 12 months.

The economic climate also remains a key challenge for companies (25%). However, this percentage is down from 2013’s 32% highlighting the effect of a recovering economy. This is especially apparent for larger companies, which almost halved in importance (from 35% in 2013 to 18% this year).

Reasons for conducting a review (by company size)

Figure 1.13 Base: All decision makers who are reviewing benefits in 2013 or 2014

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Figure 1.14 Base: All decision makers who are reviewing benefits in 2014 for the respective benefits they offer

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Figure 1.15 Base: All decision makers not receiving benefits in 2014

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Reviewing benefits provider We asked decision makers which of their current benefit providers they are reviewing in 2014. Two-thirds (66%) of decision makers are planning to review their PMI provider. Over half (56%) of companies are reviewing their dental provider and shortly behind employee assistance programme (45%). Compared with last year, fewer companies are choosing to review their health cash plans (decreasing 10% since 2013).

Reasons for not reviewing benefitsThe most common reason for small companies not reviewing benefits is that it is not a business priority (40%). Interestingly, this is not the main reason for medium and large companies, which could be partially because they schedule annual employee benefit reviews. Instead, medium and large companies are most likely to be happy with their providers (57% & 43% respectively).

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Benefits considered most valuable for recruitment, retention and employee wellbeing 36%

of companies believe that childcare vouchers

help to recruit new employees

Which benefits do companies believe will help toward specific business goals?

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Recruiting new staff Retaining existing staff Enhancing employee wellbeing

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We asked decision makers which benefit they felt offered most value in recruiting and retaining staff. Childcare vouchers (36%) along with critical illness protection (31%) were considered as the most valuable benefits for recruiting new staff, these factors were also the most popular factors to keep staff. Health screenings was the most commonly selected benefit to enhance employee wellbeing at 33% followed by dental plans (29%).

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Figure 1.17 Base: All employees

How much influence do benefits have on employees?

We asked employees the same question and found that their perception on benefits offered a different outcome. Employees rated PMI as the most important benefit across the above three categories. In contrast, employers rated PMI much lower across the board.

Decision makers rated childcare vouchers as the most popular benefit to attract and retain staff. Conversely, employees valued childcare vouchers much lower across the board. These answers are consistent with figure 1.8, which shows that take up for childcare vouchers is much lower when compared with other benefits.

2014’s survey response shows that employee’s rate dental plans as increasingly important with rises in each of the above three categories during the past 12 months. Employees view dental plans as one of the most important benefits in demonstrating support for their wellbeing (35%) and second highest when attracting them to an employer (31%).

37%of people would be attracted to a new employer with PMI

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Figure 1.18 Base: All decision makers providing a dental plan

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Looking specifically at dental plans, we asked decision makers the factors that influenced their choice of provider. Across all sized companies price remained the most frequently mentioned factor for choosing a dental plan provider (68%). Secondary reasons have risen in importance including choice of plans (49%), and flexibility of product (51%).

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Reasons among companies for choosing a provider (by company size)

Segmenting the reasons by company size provides an interesting outcome. Small and medium sized companies prioritise flexibility of the product (57%), while the key reason for larger sized companies is choice of plans (54%). Another contrast is that smaller companies rated simplicity of the product (40%) as a factor; this number is significantly higher than larger company response’s (30%).





The percentage of decision makers saying that they have been asked directly from employees for a dental plan has increased 5% in the past 12 months, rising to 41%. By size, 57% of large companies reported that they had a direct request from their staff, while in medium sized companies it has risen 14% in the past three years to reach 43%.

Have you had a request from employees for a dental plan?

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41%of employers say they

have had a request from their employees for

a dental plan

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Page 9 6.771 width of bar5.6mm seperation

40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Total




20

We asked decision makers with a dental plan, which level of employees they offered it to. Overall, the majority (70%) of employers offer their dental benefit to all of the employees. Small companies are more likely to only offer it to senior staff (23%) compared to medium and large sized companies (18%).

Which employees is the dental benefit offered to?

Page 26.771 width of bar5.6mm seperation 28.83mm block seperation (for 4s)

Page 9 6.771 width of bar5.6mm seperation

40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

All employees Senior employees

only

Length of service


Total





Attitudes to dental plans

Views among employers

84%of companies with a dental plan agree that it fits within

company ethos

0

20

40

60

80

100

Figure 1.22 Base: All company decision makers offering a dental plan

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

Hel

p to

man

age

abse

ntee

ism

an

d tim

e ta

ken

off f

or d

enta

l em

erge

ncie

s Enh

ance

em

ploy

ee w

ellb

eing

Hel

p re

tain

exi

stin

g em

ploy

ees

Hel

p at

trac

t new

em

ploy

ees

Fit w

ithin

com

pany

eth

os

and

show

we

care

abo

ut

empl

oyee

s

Kee

p ou

r be

nefit

s pa

ckag

e re

leva

nt fo

r to

day’

s m

arke

t

Companies with a dental plan were asked their attitudes about them. Overall perception remains positive, with 84% of employers believing it fits within the company ethos and shows they care about employees. Additionally, the majority (83%) of decision makers agreed that it enhanced their employee’s wellbeing.

A noteworthy 84% believe a dental plan is relevant with today’s offerings. With the uncertain economic state it is imperative for companies to make sure that benefits meet employee’s needs and increase value, helping to retain and attract staff. There has also been a significant rise in employers agreeing that a dental plan helps to manage absenteeism and time taken off for dental emergencies, rising to over two thirds (68%) of respondents.

22

Views among employees

54%of employees think a dental

plan is a tangible, usable employee benefit

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Figure 1.23 Base: Employees working for an employer that does not offer a dental plan

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

I thi

nk a

den

tal p

lan

is a

tang

ible

, us

able

em

ploy

ee b

enefi

t

I wou

ld a

ppre

ciat

e ac

cess

to

a de

ntal

pla

n as

par

t of

my

bene

fits

pack

age

I wou

ld c

onsi

der

a de

ntal

pla

n if

my

empl

oyer

offe

red

it

I wou

ld c

onsi

der

a de

ntal

pla

n an

inte

gral

par

t of m

y co

mpa

ny’s

ben

efits

pac

kage

We asked employees working for an employer, which does not offer a dental plan for their attitude towards dental plans. 62% of respondents stated they would consider one if offered; while 54% agree that a dental plan is a tangible, usable employee benefit. More than half (56%) said they would appreciate access to one as part of a package.


About dentistry

IntroductionCompany decision makers are aware that there is a direct link between oral health and the overall wellbeing of their staff (82%). Dental problems can not only affect employees’ ability to sleep, work and socialise effectively, but can often contribute to lifelong oral and general health problems. This is why it’s so important that companies encourage their employees to look after their oral health.

Unlike some other benefits, dental plans are a tangible benefit that can be used on a regular basis, providing security and helping to maintain health. This makes dental plans all the more attractive and valuable for brokers, companies, and employees alike.

Roger joined Denplan in 1995 having spent 20 years working in general dental practice and as an advisor for the Medical Defence Union. He oversees dental advice to the company and its links with professional and political bodies and looks after Denplan’s teams ensuring our over 6,500 member dentists provide high quality care.



Roger Matthews Chief Dental OfficerMA BDS DGDP(UK) FDSRCS(Edin)

75%

78%

32%

Key factsof employees attend the dentist at least once every 2 years1

of employers are aware that the cost of dental care is rising2

of employers say that their employees are having trouble finding a dentist1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

24

How UK adults access dental care

Geographic comparisonsAttendees in South England and Wales are most likely to visit the dentist once every two years (79%), while London (65%) have the lowest proportion of regular attendees.

75%of adults say they visit the dentist at least once every

two years

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Figure 2 Base: All UK adults (18+)

North

Midlands

East

London

South

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Never

Only when in pain

Less regularly

Every six months

At least every year

At least every two years

How often do you see a dentist?Regular attendance at the dentist has always been acknowledged as a central part of a healthy lifestyle, and our survey finds this attitude has continued with 44% of all adults attending every six months, and 75% at least once every two years.

Figure 2.1 Base: All regular dental attendee

2012 2013 2014


Attitudes to dentistry


82%of companies believe

there is a link between good dental health and general

wellbeing

Over three quarters (78%) of companies are aware of the rising costs of dentistry, while 82% agree that good dental health supports their staff overall wellbeing.

Encouragingly, the majority of decision makers believe that their employees would recognise the value of a dental plan as a useable benefit (65%). Half of companies (50%) agree that cost of dentistry puts their employees off from attending the dentist, while 69% believe seeing a dentist close to work would help reduce absenteeism for a dental appointment.

0

20

40

60

80

100

Our

em

ploy

ees

are

havi

ng

trou

ble

findi

ng a

den

tist

I am

aw

are

of th

e ris

ing

cost

s of

den

tal c

are

Goo

d de

ntal

hea

lth

supp

orts

you

r ov

eral

l w

ellb

eing

See

ing

a de

ntis

t clo

se to

the

wor

kpla

ce

wou

ld h

elp

redu

ce ti

me

away

from

wor

k to

att

end

dent

al a

ppoi

ntm

ents

Em

ploy

ees

wou

ld re

cogn

ise

the

valu

e of

a d

enta

l pla

n as

a

tang

ible

, usa

ble

bene

fit

I bel

ieve

that

Gov

ernm

ent

spen

ding

cut

s w

ill ha

ve a

n im

pact

on

NH

S d

enta

l pro

visi

on

The

cost

of d

entis

try

puts

m

y em

ploy

ees

off g

oing

to

a de

ntis

t

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

26

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

6.771 width of bar5.6mm seperation

Full

exam

fee

for

a pr

ivat

e pa

tient

Full

scal

e an

d po

lish

fee

Com

posi

te fi

lling

2013

PR

ICIN

G

How charges vary by region

Figure 2.3 Base: Denplan member dentist insurance Benefits survey, January 2014

East and Midlands

North England

North England

South West and Wales


51%

89%

48%

Key factsof companies use broker advice in procuring benefits1

of companies that use a broker feel it represents value for money2

of companies cite broker advice as a method used in their benefits search1

Pam Whelan Head of Corporate

Pam joined Denplan in 2000 as a Corporate Consultant having previously worked within the financial sector. In January 2005 she was promoted to Corporate Sales Manager and in March this year Pam became Head of Corporate where she is responsible for the overall strategy of the corporate area.



IntroductionEvery year, we survey employers to collect information about their attitudes towards brokers and the value of their services. After a decline in the number of companies using a broker from 2011 to 2013, the 2014 study reveals that the figures have improved over the past 12 months, with just over half of companies (51%) engaging with brokers in their benefit decision making.

The results give you an interesting insight into how attitudes in the marketplace vary by company size. What has emerged is that compared to last year, more small and medium sized companies are utilising a broker. This will mean brokers must understand how these companies search for benefits and what their requirements are. These results can help you understand the key dynamics of a broker/client relationship and ensure commercial opportunities are maximised.

About brokers

28

Companies accessing brokers

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Methods used for researching benefits

Total





PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Total




Figure 3 Base: All decision makers

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

Web

sea

rch

(e.g

. Goo

gle)

Spe

cial

sup

plem

ent i

n pu

blic

atio

n

Indu

stry

pub

licat

ion

Oth

er (p

leas

e sp

ecify

)

Spe

cific

indu

stry

web

site

Bro

ker

advi

ce/

info

rmat

ion

Ben

efits

boo

k or

ann

ual

Companies using brokers for employee benefit procurement and/or administrationBroker advice continues to take the top spot in terms of the most popular method for researching benefits. Large companies also noted using industry publications (28%) and benefits books (25%). Small and medium sized companies are more likely to use web searches (41% and 34% respectively)than larger companies, which may be due to lack of knowledge about the services offered by the broker.


The overwhelming majority (89%) of companies accessing broker services feel they represent value for money. Interestingly, small companies responded with the greatest perception of the value using a broker (91%). With the increasing number of small companies now using a broker (43%) it’s not surprising that there is an increase in the respondents that agree with the value of using one.

Companies agreeing that services provided by brokers deliver value for money

91%of small companies who

use a broker agree services provided by their broker

gives them value for money

Perceptions of broker services

0

20

40

60

80

100

2012 2013 2014

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E (%

)

Tota

l

Sm

all (

0-10

0 em

ploy

ees)

Med

ium

(101

-250

em

ploy

ees)

Larg

e (2

51+

em

ploy

ees)

Figure 3.2 Base: All decision makers using a broker for procurement/admin

30

Importance of services provided by brokers - as rated by all companies

The unpredictable economic climate means cost affects companies of all sizes. Those using a broker rated negotiating deals (37%) and providing expertise not available inside the company (38%) as the most popular services. One notable increase over the past three years is the rising importance of giving access to technology (19%). With the increasing popularity of flexible benefits means that technology solutions and flex platforms may be becoming more desirable.

37% of companies see the importance of using a

broker to negotiate deals and special rates

Importance of services provided by brokers

0

10

20

30

40

2012 2013 2014

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E V

ER

Y IM

PO

RTA

NT

(%)

Impa

rtia

l com

preh

ensi

ve

mar

ket r

evie

w

Pro

vidi

ng o

utso

urce

d ad

min

/ser

vice

s

Kee

p m

e up

date

d on

ch

ange

s in

the

mar

ket

Pro

vide

exp

ertis

e no

t ava

ilabl

e in

side

the

com

pany

Neg

otia

ting

deal

s/

spec

ial r

ates

Giv

e ac

cess

to te

chno

logy

sol

utio

ns

(e.g

. flex

ible

ben

efit p

latfo

rms)

Sup

port

in c

omm

unic

atin

g th

e va

lue

of b

enefi

ts to

em

ploy

ees

Figure 3.3 Base: All decision makers using a broker for procurement/admin


Importance of services provided by brokers - as rated by companies of different sizes

It’s evident that small, medium and large companies view brokers differently – and have diverging views about the importance of their services. Whilst the number of small companies using a broker has increased they are still less likely to rate many of the services apart from negotiating deals (19%). A sizable percentage of medium sized companies (25%) rated the expertise a broker offers outside the company; larger sized companies priority is varied and wider across many services.


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E V

ER

Y IM

PO

RTA

NT

(%)

Impa

rtia

l com

preh

ensi

ve

mar

ket r

evie

w

Pro

vidi

ng o

utso

urce

d ad

min

/ser

vice

s

Kee

p m

e up

date

d on

ch

ange

s in

the

mar

ket P

rovi

de e

xper

tise

not a

vaila

ble

insi

de th

e co

mpa

ny

Neg

otia

ting

deal

s/

spec

ial r

ates

Giv

e ac

cess

to te

chno

logy

so

lutio

ns (e

.g. fl

exib

le b

enefi

t pla

tform

s)

Sup

port

in c

omm

unic

atin

g th

e va

lue

of b

enefi

ts to

em

ploy

ees

Small (0-100 employees) Medium (101-250 employees) Large (251+ employees)

32

The previous table’s results highlight the differing views of small and larger companies on the importance of broker services. It’s also important to understand the reasons why potential clients don’t currently engage with brokers.

From 2011 to 2013, the cost of using a broker was the main barrier for employers, but for this year it’s on par with ‘having dedicated staff in-house to manage employee benefits’. Medium and large sized companies state that having a dedicated in-house team to manage benefits is the principal reason for not using a broker at 39% and 40% respectively. In contrast, smaller companies choose not to use a broker due to the lack of understanding of the benefits using a broker provides (31%).

Reasons for not using a broker

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Total




Figure 3.5 Base: All decision makers not currently using a broker for procurement/admin

PE

RC

EN

TAG

E V

ER

Y IM

PO

RTA

NT

(%)

It is

a fu

nctio

n

of o

ur n

orm

al

proc

urem

ent t

eam

Hav

e de

dica

ted

staf

f in

-hou

se to

man

age

empl

oyee

ben

efits

Wis

h to

hav

e a

dire

ct re

latio

nshi

p w

ith o

ur b

enefi

t pro

vide

rs

Don

’t un

ders

tand

the

bene

fit

usin

g a

brok

er w

ould

brin

g

Cos

t of e

ngag

ing

a br

oker

is to

o hi

gh

Oth

er (p

leas

e sp

ecify

)

Pre

viou

s ex

perie

nce


Denplan Limited, Denplan Court, Victoria Road, Winchester, SO23 7RG, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1962 828 000. Fax: +44 (0) 1962 840 846. Email: [email protected]

Part of Simplyhealth, Denplan Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Simplyhealth Access for arranging and administering dental insurance. Simplyhealth Access is incorporated in England and Wales, registered no. 183035 and is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Denplan Ltd is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for General Insurance Mediation Business. Denplan Ltd only arranges insurance underwritten by Simplyhealth Access. Premiums received by Denplan Ltd are held by us as an agent of the insurer. Denplan Ltd is registered in England No. 1981238. The registered offices for these companies is Hambleden House, Waterloo Court, Andover, Hampshire SP10 1LQ.

INTR59-0614

We’re here to help you

For more information please contact the corporate team on 0800 838 951, email: [email protected] or visit the website www.denplan.co.uk

health and wellbeing benefits survey 2014

Documents

wellbeing benefits survey

employee benefits

impact benefits

years survey

uk companies

annual survey

survey results

employee wellbeing