Healthcare Benefits Still Top Employee Wish List, But Employers Are Shifting Burden

Exceptional healthcare coverage is the most desired benefit currently not offered by employers, according to the "Working in America: The Key to Employee Satisfaction" survey, conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by workforce management software provider Kronos here.

In a polling of 1,000 U.S. employees, Harris Interactive found that covering 100 percent of healthcare costs is considered a more desirable benefit than competitive salary, which is a significant change from previous years' results from the annual survey.

The No. 1 benefit that most employees (44 percent) want from their current employer that they do not have is "100 percent healthcare coverage." Of the benefits that employees currently have that they value most, this was No. 4 (17 percent).
While healthcare is clearly a top concern, the Working in America survey also showed other areas where employers should focus to recruit and retain a loyal workforce.

Many employees do not feel respected by their employer, thus being a leading cause of resignation (15 percent). Another 13 percent left their most recent employer for the reason that they felt the employer did not communicate well with employees or seek feedback. Respect and communication are leading causes of job dissatisfaction and also a strong reason to quit.

Twenty-six percent of employees appreciate feeling rewarded and inspired in their job and consider this to be a leading reason to stay with their current employer.
In the last six months, 61 percent of employed adults have experienced an increase in their responsibilities or workload, while only 44 percent of workers have received a raise in that same time period.

However, the continiuing trend of employers to shift the burden of healthcare costs to employees is still very disburbing.

In year-to-year-polling of employees, 23% said they were upset by this trend, up nearly four points from the 2006 survey results, according to the latest data from Information Strategies, Inc.'s employee surveys.

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