Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Table of Contents
Executive Summary About the Survey Section One: Benets Overview Section Two: Benet Programmes Section Three: Value Perception Section Four: Communication and Administration 4 5 6 11 13 16
Conclusion 19
Executive Summary
As employers across Asia Pacific continue to compete for key talent, they are using all the tools at their disposal to differentiate themselves from the competition. This includes benefits strategy, which employers across the region are using to improve attraction, engagement and retention. Benefits are a significant investment for employers: Four in 10 respondents to the survey said that they spend upwards of 20% of payroll on benefits. So its no surprise that employers are keen to ensure that their workforce has a sufficient level of awareness and understanding of the benefits on offer. Almost 50% of employers said that improving employee perception of the value of benefits is a key objective. At a time when benefit costs are continuing to increase, the dilemma that employers face is clear: How can they optimise their benefit strategy by offering attractive benefits that will mark them as an employer of choice, whilst also managing costs? Our survey found that many employers are accomplishing this balancing act by thinking innovatively about the way they design, communicate and administer benefits. One of the ways they are doing this is to add flexibility to their benefit packages. This allows them to cater to the diversity of their workforce by offering employees a wider selection of choice in their benefits, enhancing value perception in a cost-effective and streamlined way.
Key Findings
The top objectives for companies benefit strategies are: improving attraction and retention; improving employees perceived value of benefits; and controlling employment costs (Figure 4, page 7). Forty percent of organisations spend upwards of 20% of payroll on benefits (Figure 6, page 8). Only 53% of employers thought that their employees valued their benefits sufficiently or highly (Figure 11, page 13). When it comes to health benefits, employers are looking to a total health management approach, with the prevalence of various wellbeing benefits set to increase two-fold or more in the coming years (Figure 10, page 12). Companies that communicate effectively tend to see higher employee value attached to benefits (Figure 18, page 17).
The number of employers that have a corporate benefit strategy has jumped from 66% in 2009 to 81% this year.
4 towerswatson.com
15%
9% 7% 7% 13% 49%
Fewer than 1,000 employees 1,000 to 2,499 employees 2,500 to 4,999 employees 5,000 to 9,999 employees 10,000 to 19,999 employees 20,000 or more employees
Participant Locations
1% 4% 2% 1%
14%
19%
8% 2% 3% 6% 26% 7% 3%
1% 14% 8% 3% 4% 3% 6%
7% 26% 20% 5% 1% 2%
Section One:
Benets overview
4% 15%
Across Asia Pacific, benefits are continuing to grow in importance as a reward lever. The vast majority of employers have a documented benefit strategy to guide their ongoing benefit decisions (Figure 1). The fact that almost two-thirds (62%) have reviewed their strategy in the last 12 months (Figure 3) confirms that benefits are high on employers agendas. Looking at individual countries (Figure 2), around a quarter of employers in both Malaysia and Singapore do not have a documented benefit strategy. China and Taiwan are ahead of the regional norm, with close to 90% of employers in China and an overwhelming majority (98%) in Taiwan having a documented benefit strategy. The focus on benefit strategies highlights the role that benefits play in an organisations talent management strategy as a tool to differentiate from the competition for the majority, its no longer a nice-to-have, but a must-have.
81%
Figure 2. Does your organisation have a documented benet strategy? (by country)
Country Region China Hong Kong Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Taiwan Thailand Yes 81% 89% 80% 78% 64% 74% 72% 98% 73% No 15% 10% 18% 17% 28% 19% 22% 1% 20% Dont know 4% 1% 2% 5% 8% 7% 6% 1% 7%
Figure 3. When was the last time your organisation reviewed its benet strategy?
Towers Watsons 2009 Asia Pacific Benefit Trends report found that 34% of respondents did not have a corporate benefit strategy in place, and 38% last reviewed their benefits more than 12 months ago. The dramatic shifts in both numbers in 2013 underlines the importance employers are placing on their benefit programmes.
22% of employers last reviewed their benefit strategy more than two years ago, or dont know when the last review occurred. This presents a significant missed opportunity for employers to assess the effectiveness of their benefit spend, particularly in todays rapidly changing environment.
31% Less than six months ago
16%
31% Six to 12 months ago 16% 13 to 24 months ago 12% More than 24 months ago 10% Don't know
31%
6 towerswatson.com
Figure 4. What are the top objectives your organisations benet strategy seeks to address in the next 12 months?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
68
Improving employees' perceived value of benefits
46
Controlling employment costs
41
Improving employee engagement
41
Improving employee performance
The top factors of improving attraction and retention, controlling cost, improving perceived value and improving engagement were consistent throughout all countries in Asia Pacific.
30
Alignment with global benefit strategy
14
Benefit harmonisation
14
Implementing organisational change
11
Reducing absence
3
Other
Figure 5. What are the top challenges for your benet strategy over the next 12 months?
72%
Rising benet cost
38%
Poor employee understanding of benets
22%
Figure 6. How much did your organisation spend on benets in the last scal year, and how has this changed, net of ination, over the last 12 months?
Costs
The challenge of rising benefit costs needs to be considered in the context of employers benefit spend. As a proportion of payroll, benefits spend is significant for employers across the region as Figure 6 shows, 40% of employers spend 20% of payroll or more on benefits. However, some employers believe that they are managing rising benefit costs successfully, with half of employers around the region saying that their benefits spend is either decreasing or staying the same. At a country level, the biggest spenders measured as the highest percentage spending more than 20% of payroll on benefits are Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines (Figure 7).
Less than 20% of payroll 20% to < 30% of payroll 30% to < 40% of payroll 40% or more Don't know
27%
6% 18%
32%
44%
Figure 7. How much did your organisation spend on benets in the last scal year (by country)
Less than 20% of payroll Region China Hong Kong Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Taiwan Thailand 39% 38% 39% 29% 34% 34% 42% 40% 35% 20% to < 40% of payroll 37% 33% 46% 43% 45% 44% 33% 34% 33% More than 40% Dont of payroll know 3% 7% 1% 7% 4% 3% 3% 1% 4% 21% 22% 14% 21% 17% 19% 22% 25% 28%
8 towerswatson.com
Actions planned
Across the region, the top actions planned around benefits are: to review and update benet plan designs and strategies; to increase employee communication; and to implement new business systems such as the latest software (Figure 8). A third of respondents (33%) said that they had both reviewed their benefit strategy in the last 12 months, and planned to do so again in the next 12 months, suggesting that this is an annual activity. Almost a third of employers are planning to increase the number of benefit programmes. In China and Taiwan, for instance, it was the third most cited action planned for the next 12 months. The number of employers planning to introduce or increase flexibility in their benefits is set to double over the next year. A third of employers (32%) plan to increase flexibility in the next 12 months, and almost a quarter (23%) plan to introduce it.
Figure 8. Which actions have you taken/are you planning with regard to your benet programmes?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
61 56
Increase employee communication
58 42
Implement new business systems (e.g., new payroll/HR software)
32 23
Increase number of benefit programmes
31 22
Increase flexibility in benefits
32 15
Improve transparency of costs
23 15
Introduce flexible benefits
23 12
Make consumers more accountable
23 12
Decrease number of benefit programmes
7 6
Other
1 1
In the next 12 months In the last 12 months
If post-M&A integration is not carried out effectively, a deals chances of success can plummet. Key talent can lose focus and look around for other opportunities; employees may become disengaged and productivity may fall at a time when the new firm is the most vulnerable. Using a flexible benefits programme to harmonise two divergent benefit strategies can be an effective approach to both managing the costs of integration whilst at the same time making sure the new benefits programme is relevant to employees and aligned to the needs of the business. When partnered with an effective technology platform and a robust communication strategy, a flexible benefits programme can be the edge an organisation needs to ensure key talent and critical skill employees remain engaged and committed to the post-integration organisation, drive value and contribute to the new bottom line.
10 towerswatson.com
Section Two:
Benet Programmes
Although traditional benefits such as annual leave, medical and life insurance remain the most prevalent across Asia, new types of benefits are also beginning to emerge. The number and variety of programmes employees are looking for will typically depend on industry and type of organisation. However, as workforce demographics become more diverse, employees will look for benefits above and beyond what has traditionally been offered in the past. Across the region, almost three in 10 (28%) of employers now offer lifestyle related benefits, such as a gym membership. This is the type of benefit that employers can use to differentiate themselves against their competitors it is telling that 18% of employers are looking to introduce such benefits in the near future.
The number of employers allowing employees to buy or sell annual leave is also on the rise. Whilst only 10% allow this currently, another 10% are planning to offer it soon. This benefit is an easy first step for employers who are looking to introduce some flexibility into their benefit programmes. The most noticeable trend in the region is on health benefits (Figure 10). The most popular provision currently in this space is biometric/ medical screening, offered by just over half of employers (53%). However, it is the future trend in these benefits that is interesting: approximately one in five employers plans to offer health risk assessments (HRAs) and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), and almost a quarter are considering offering stress management programmes.
12 towerswatson.com
Section Three:
Value Perception
One of the top challenges employers are facing with regards to their benefit strategy is how to ensure employees sufficiently value their benefits. Our findings show that this is a valid concern: Only 53% of employers thought that their employees valued their benefits sufficiently or highly (Figure 11). Moreover, value perception does not seem to increase noticeably as benefit spend increases (Figure 12).
Figure 11. Overall, do you think employees sufciently value the benets provided to them?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
15
Yes overall benefits are sufficiently valued
38
Yes overall benefits are somewhat valued
31
No overall benefits are not valued enough
14
No overall benefits are not at all valued
1
Don't know
0 0 0 0
0
15
20% to <30% of payroll
67 73 70 29 57
Yes overall benefits are valued 52 somewhat/ sufficiently No overall 62 benefits are not valued sufficiently/ at all
16 13 13 14
14
30% to <40% of payroll
17
40% or more of payroll
Don't know 30 19 18
18
Hong Kong
When looking at employers who said their benefits were not valued by country (Figure 13), employers in Indonesia appear to have the largest gap in value perception, followed by Malaysia and China. As noted earlier, respondents in these countries said that they were spending relatively more on benefits a double whammy for employers in those markets. These findings can be compared with results from the Towers Watson 2012 Global Workforce Study, which surveys employee sentiment around the world. According to this survey, only 56% of Asia Pacific employees said that the benefits programme offered by their employer met their needs. Whilst this is three percentage points above the global average (Figure 14), it provides a telling contrast to the 84% of employers who thought their benefits were valued in this survey.
10
Indonesia
27
Malaysia
19
Philippines
11
Singapore
16
Taiwan
13
Thailand
13
Benefits are not valued - sufficiently, or at all
0
Figure 14. Our benet programmes meet my needs
0% Global (n=32,012) 20% 40% 60% 80%
53
Asia Pacific (n=12,232)
56
China (n=2,219)
69
Philippines (n=1,001)
53
Malaysia (n=1,002)
47
Hong Kong (n=999)
46
Singapore (n=1,002)
45
*Source: 2012 Global Workforce Study
14 towerswatson.com
One solution to the gap between employer and employee perception of benefits could be flexible benefits, which, say employers, promote employee understanding and appreciation of benefits, and help to recognise the diverse needs and values of the workforce (Figure 15) both of which are likely to have a positive effect on employee value perception. More than half (53%) also said that it is successful in improving attraction and retention.
Figure 15. What do you believe your exible benets plan has been successful in achieving?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
67
Promotes employee understanding/appreciation of benefits
56
Improves attraction and retention
53
Improves employee engagement
43
Helps the organisation remain competitive
41
Reinforces the concept of total rewards
39
Makes the organisation an employer of choice
31
Promotes employee understanding of the cash value of their benefits
30
Reduces/contains the cost of total rewards
22
Reinforces company culture/objectives
23
Other
Section Four:
Communication and Administration
Communication
Given the number of employers who cited improving communication as a priority in the coming year, its a surprise that almost a third of employers, according to our survey, still do not communicate to employees regarding their benefits. A fifth of employers still communicate using paper-based tools (Figure 16). A gap also exists between employer and employee perception of communication (Figure 17): The employee view of the effectiveness of pay and reward communications is much lower than that of employers. While 74% of employers said that they feel they communicate effectively around pay, and approximately 70% said that they communicate effectively around other aspects of total rewards, including benefits, bonus and promotion, only around half of employees said the same. This represents a significant gap for employers: An effective communication strategy, delivered in a simple, tailored manner, is the only way of influencing employee value perception.
43
Yes online benefit portal
24
Yes paper-based
22
Yes online total rewards statement
10
No, but we plan to
16
No, and we have no plans to
15
Figure 17. How effective are communications around different aspects of total rewards? Employer View
0 Pay 20 40 60 80
74
Benefits
69
Bonus
73
Promotion
70
Employee View*
0 Pay 20 40 60 80
55
Total Rewards
48 0 0
16 towerswatson.com
Cross-referencing the survey data shows that those employers who believe that employees value their benefits are more likely to think they are doing a good job of communicating benefits. Those who think they do not communicate well are more likely to anticipate poor employee value perception (Figure 18).
8 18
Yes overall benefits are sufficiently or somewhat valued
Administration
When it comes to administration, almost a half (48%) still administer benefits through a paperbased system. However, with continued investment and the advancement of online benefit platforms, it is likely that more employers will take advantage 0 of the potential to automate and streamline 0 through online technology. Currently, online benefit administration tools are utilised by approximately a 0 third of respondents (Figure 19). 0 The results at a country level are broadly similar 0 around the region (Figure 20). 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
59 73
No overall benefits are not enough/at all valued
31 9
Don't know
2 1
No, my organisation does not communicate on benefits effectively Yes, my organisation does communicate on benefits effectively
In 2009, this survey found that 70% of respondents administered benefits in-house, and their process was mostly paper-based. With the emergence of benefit technologies that are able to cope with complex benefit programmes, we expect to see the paperbased administration approach continue to decline in the coming years.
32%
18 towerswatson.com
Conclusion
In Asia Pacific, organisations are positioned for growth, and many are looking to expand to markets both within the region and beyond. However, with this growth comes challenges as employers face rising costs and the ongoing war for key talent. Employers who want to get ahead are using benefits as a differentiator rather than simply following the crowd: our survey showed that 68% expect their benefit strategies to help them improve attraction and retention. How successful employers are in achieving this goal will depend on a variety of factors, including how much employees value benefits overall, how effectively they are communicated, and how they are administered. As the survey shows, simply spending more money will not necessarily increase the value employees place on benefits. Employers must ensure they are optimising their benefits in a more refined way: by providing a relevant benefits package, and communicating it using multiple forms of media.
In the coming years, companies will continue to innovate with their benefits strategy, including introducing or increasing flexibility into benefit programmes, providing employees with more control, and offering new types of benefits, including wellbeing. Leveraging technology that is engaging and but also robust enough to administer complexity in design will bring these intelligent scheme designs to life, and be integral to their success. For more information, please contact your Towers Watson consultant or:
Andrew Heard
Managing Director Asia Pacific Benefits andrew.heard@towerswatson.com
Matt Jackson
Director Benefits Optimisation, Asia Pacific matt.jackson@towerswatson.com
towerswatson.com