HRreview 20 Years
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Subscribe for weekday HR news, opinion and advice.
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

Employers say employee experience is increasingly important

-

Peter Reilly: Measuring the impact of the strategic HR business partner

New research says having an employer value proposition (EVP) is gaining in importance to organisations*.

Aon’s Benefits and Trends Survey 2019 shows that 51 per cent of employers plan to develop their ‘employee experience’, or EVP – a significant increase on the 16 per cent of last year. Overwhelmingly, employers say that an EVP has a positive impact on employee engagement, retention and recruitment, with 65 per cent, 63 per cent and 70 per cent agreeing respectively.

Almost a quarter of employers (24.5 per cent) currently have an EVP in place, yet surprisingly almost a third of those do not communicate it to employees.  The Survey, now in its ninth year, is formed from the responses of over 200 employers of all sizes, from less than 100 employees to many thousands, who work across a broad range of sectors, with 74 per cent of them working internationally. This year, a number of new questions were introduced, including those about an EVP, as well as how employers approach benefits strategy on a global basis.

HRreview Logo

Get our essential weekday HR news and updates.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Keep up with the latest in HR...
This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Optin_date
This field is hidden when viewing the form

 

The survey showed that almost three-quarters of respondents have employees in more than one country; it is striking that 72 per cent of them have a single benefits strategy, or are working towards one. However, the use of technology to deliver benefits seems to be lagging behind, as only 13.5 per cent say they have a single global benefits platform. Over a quarter (26 per cent) are working towards this objective, but 60 per cent have no plans to do so.

Richard Morgan, principal at Aon, said,

Our experience during 2018 was that many organisations have become more joined up in designing and managing their benefits in the context of an overall EVP. For example, wellbeing, and particularly mental health, are key to the overall employee experience for many organisations, so it’s important to align benefits to support mental health strategies as well as to communicate them effectively to employees. When it comes to communications, it is likely that employers don’t feel this is successful. They say the biggest challenge they have with benefits is communication, yet most have an annual communications budget of less than £5k.

Richard Morgan continued,

Fascinating too, is that 77per cent of the survey respondents benchmark benefits with their peers. On top of this, there’s also a great deal of employer interest in benchmarking their whole approach and strategy through Aon’s Benefits Score, which takes into account the overall business, people and communication strategies alongside employee demographics analysis.

Employers often use internal and external pay and benefits benchmarking as a core part of their strategy to help decision making. However, this is an important part of an EVP which employers are seeing as increasingly effective to meet the unique needs of both the business and its employees.

Are you interested in employee experience and rewards? We recommend the Employee Engagement Summit 2019 and Reward strategies to Deliver Business Objectives.

Aphrodite is a creative writer and editor specialising in publishing and communications. She is passionate about undertaking projects in diverse sectors. She has written and edited copy for media as varied as social enterprise, art, fashion and education. She is at her most happy owning a project from its very conception, focusing on the client and project research in the first instance, and working closely with CEOs and Directors throughout the consultation process. Much of her work has focused on rebranding; messaging and tone of voice is one of her expertise, as is a distinctively unique writing style in my most of her creative projects. Her work is always driven by the versatility of language to galvanise image and to change perception, as it is by inspiring and being inspired by the wondrous diversity of people with whom paths she crosses cross!

Aphrodite has had a variety of high profile industry clients as a freelancer, and previously worked for a number of years as an Editor and Journalist for Prospects.ac.uk.

Aphrodite is also a professional painter.

Latest news

Felicia Williams: Why ‘shadow work’ is quietly breaking your people strategy

Employees are losing seven hours a week to tasks that fall outside their core job description. For HR leaders, that’s the kind of stat that keeps you up at night.

Redundancies rise as 327,000 job losses forecast for 2026

UK job losses are set to rise again as redundancy warnings hit post-pandemic highs, with employers cutting roles amid rising costs and economic pressure.

Rise of ‘sickfluencers’ and AI advice sparks concern over attitudes to work

Online influencers and AI tools are shaping how people approach illness and employment, heaping pressure on employers.

‘Silent killer’ dust linked to 500 construction deaths a year as 600,000 workers face exposure

Hundreds of UK construction workers die each year from silica dust exposure as a new campaign calls for stronger workplace protections.
- Advertisement -

Leaders ‘overestimate’ how much workers use AI

Firms may be misreading workforce readiness for artificial intelligence, as frontline staff report far lower day-to-day adoption than executives expect.

Cost-of-living pressures ‘keep unhappy workers in their jobs’

Many say economic pressures are forcing them to remain in jobs they would otherwise leave, as pay and financial stability dominate career decisions.

Must read

Lee Parsons: Understanding generations in your workplace

An aging population means that for the first time...

Darren Maw: How the Labour leadership contest will change HR

Two months ago, a huge political event caused debate around employment laws and the EU’s influence on them. In the politically tumultuous weeks that followed the referendum, a new campaign has cast worker’s rights back into the spotlight. The Labour leadership contest between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith is a battle for the support of the left-wing and trade unions, with much of the campaigning focused on bolstering employee and trade union rights.
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you