Agency Employee Benefits Statistics

At the beginning of 2023, we surveyed our clients about the benefits that different agencies offer their employees. We asked both employees & employers a number of questions about the benefits offerings & their opinions. 

The results are plain to see: both employees and employers really care about benefits. 

People care about: 

• The kind of benefits do they get
• Whether or not they get to choose them
• How extra money is used in the company

As agency benefits emerge as a hot 2023 topic, we’re bringing about awareness of the importance of benefits and the way in which they are given.

The Top Takeaways

• There is a discrepancy between the high value placed on mental health benefits and the number of people actually receiving/providing mental health benefits. Hopefully, it won’t be long before the gap between ideals and actuality is closed.

• 95% of people value PTO, though interestingly, only 35% of people plan to take advantage of their PTO in the next 12 months.

• Both employees and employers generally agree that employees should be able to choose their own benefits.

• Employers would do well to ensure that their employees are aware of the benefits they are entitled to and are encouraged to use them!

Now, for the fun facts, numbers & statistics.

Who participated in the survey?

85% of respondents are employees

15% of respondents are employers

For company size, we asked how many full-time employees are at each company.

How important is your benefits package? Do employees find this to be an important factor when considering a position at your company?

Would you be surprised if 99% of employees AND employers said yes? 

Because they did.

People like a generous boss and the benefits offered at the start of a role are a great indication of the amount of generosity they will enjoy in that role. A good benefits package also clearly indicates that employees are well-valued and cared for, beyond their role in the company.

Do you offer/have any of the following mental health benefits?

Choices: Mental health coverage, employees assistance program with awareness, membership program discounts, and mental health days

• 49% offer mental health coverage
• 41% of respondents offer Employees Assistance Program with Awareness (EAP)
• 24% offer membership program discounts
• Less than 1% offer time off for mental health days

Of those, which do you think are valuable?

Choices: Paid time off, retirement account/benefits, flexible work schedule, paid family and/or parental leave, mental health resources, professional development resources, or other. 

• 95% paid time off
  
• 88% flexible work schedule
• 88% retirement account/plan 
• 78% paid parental and/or parental leave
  
• 74% professional development resources
• 72% mental health resources

Which of these insurances does your company currently offer?

Choices: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, or Other.

• 95% offer health insurance

• 93% offer dental insurance. 

• 86% offer vision insurance

• 77% offer life insurance

• 72% offer disability insurance

• 2% offer pet insurance

• Only 3% didn’t offer anything & another 3% only offered one choice

What other benefits haven't we mentioned that you'd be interested in?

• Gym membership 

• 401k 

• 4-day workweek 

• More work flexibility

• Health insurance options 

• Pet benefits 

• Bonuses 

• Childcare

• Education benefits 

• Health savings 

• Health incentives 

• Lunch 

• Extra days off

• Phone stipends 

• Sabbaticals 

• Student loan assistance

How many sick/personal days does your company offer?

• 16% offer unlimited
• 14% offer 7-10 days
• 31% offer 5-7 days 
• 2% offer 1-4 days
• 7% offer NO sick/personal days

Do you feel that employees have a say in choosing benefits at your company?

Surprisingly, while 65% of employers feel that they’re giving employees a say in choosing their benefits, only 52% of employees feel the same way. 

Although this definitely seems to be trending in the right direction, compared to studies done years ago, there’s clearly some more work to be done here. 

Our advice here is: when asking employees for input about benefits packages, make sure you’re communicating clearly to them that you value their input in this area and want to factor it into the ultimate decision. 

Clearly, most people prefer to be able to use extra money in the way they please, rather than have it chosen by the company.

If your company had an extra $200 a month to offer employees, would you rather have a:

77% of employers would offer this as a wage increase
83% of employees would also prefer this as a wage increase 

The remainder is split between different choices like retirement benefits, company office upgrades, or team-building. 

Clearly, most people prefer to be able to use extra money in the way they please, rather than have it chosen by the company.

Would you (your employees) value being able to choose your (their) own benefits?

95% of employees say YES! And 87% of employers agree. 

Do you make a dedicated effort to educate employees on available benefits?

94% of employers say that they do. Clearly, this is an area of priority for employers AND employees. 

Which of your company's benefits have you taken advantage of in the past 12 months?

• 35% vacation or PTO
• 27% health insurance
• 18% dental
• 13% retirement, 401k

Which of your company's benefits do you plan to take advantage of in the coming 12 months?

• Only 35% say PTO
• 22% health insurance(s)
• 17% say all! 
• 12% retirement

It’s interesting to note that a minority of people plan to take advantage of their paid time off. This might be due to the pressure employees feel to please their boss or people may feel it’s not worth it if they’ll just have to work harder the next day.

We actually strongly advise that people DO take PTO when they feel they need it. It’s healthy to take a break every now and then and pretty unhealthy to keep going without one. As for productivity, you’re likely to be more productive at the end of the day if you are invigorated rather than overworked from never stepping out of the hamster wheel.

And finally, what is the age range of respondents?

Employers

Employees

We'd love to hear your feedback - what was interesting, what surprised you, and what we missed. Let us know at marketing@workamajig.com.

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for creative teams and run by agency experts.

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