Unpacking the Healthcare Crisis: 2022 HR and Benefits Leadership Trends
Millions of Americans are facing health and financial challenges stemming from a lack of understanding and confidence in healthcare selection and navigation. We’ve surveyed 100+ HR and benefits leaders nationwide to unpack the ways that HR teams are combating these challenges through their approach to benefits in 2022.
Who Was Surveyed
Our research found a direct correlation between time spent on education and answering employee questions and HR’s perceived confidence on employee understanding of benefits. Meaning, HR leaders believe that the more time spent on education and answering questions, the more confident they are that employees understand their benefits.
HR Time Invested in Employee Education
The Great Resignation: The Impact Benefits Have
How much of an impact do you believe benefits have on employee retention and attracting new talent?
Extreme Impact
65%
Little Impact
13%
Moderate Impact
22%
The reality is, many Americans are currently facing record high inflation, medical debt, and a severe lack of understanding in the selection and application of benefits. Despite best efforts from businesses and HR teams, benefits planning and strategies are not meeting consumer needs. We need to bridge this gap, and support employees across America with education and confidence around benefits so that consumers across the nation can achieve health and financial equity.
What This All Means
Access our Consumer Analysis
Full Employee Findings
Access our Full HR Analysis
Full HR Findings
Organization size
(by employees)
Industry
Is your organization part of the
Fortune 1000?
Functional Responsibility
Title Breakdown
HR’s Perception of Employee Confidence in Understanding Benefits
How confident do you feel that your employees understand their benefits?
HR Leaders
Confident
39%
Unconfident
18%
Moderate
43%
Our research found that HR leaders in the Fortune 1000 have higher levels of confidence in employee benefits understanding.
Non-Fortune 1000
Confident
37%
Unconfident
18%
Moderate
45%
How confident do you feel that your employees understand their benefits?
Fortune 1000
Confident
46%
Unconfident
17%
Moderate
37%
Confidence in Supporting Employee Benefits Decisions
How confident do you feel in supporting employee’s benefits decisions?
HR Leaders
Confident
72%
Unconfident
11%
Moderate
17%
Our research found that HR leaders who are not in the Fortune 1000 have more confidence in their ability to support employee benefits decisions.
Non-Fortune 1000
Confident
73%
Unconfident
12%
Moderate
15%
How confident do you feel in supporting employee’s benefits decisions?
Fortune 1000
Confident
67%
Unconfident
8%
Moderate
25%
0-20%
28%
40-60%
18%
20-40%
26%
60-80%
14%
80-100%
14%
During open enrollment, what percentage of your HR team's time is dedicated to providing benefits-related education for employees?
During open enrollment, what percentage of your HR team's time is dedicated to responding to employee questions about benefits?
0-20%
28%
40-60%
16%
60-80%
14%
80-100%
16%
20-40%
26%
Has your educational approach to open enrollment and benefits changed
due to prolonged
COVID-19 impact?
To better understand the benefits challenges HR is facing, we posed the question, which of the following do you believe to be the biggest benefits-related and open enrollment challenges?
Biggest Benefits Challenges?
Driving employee engagement and communication
1.
Voluntary benefits awareness and utilization
2.
In / out of network care steerage
3.
Managing changes due to qualifying life event
4.
Benefits participation
5.
Top-ranked benefits challenges, in order of most challenging to least.
Top-ranked open enrollment challenges, in order of most challenging to least.
Reminding employees to submit elections
1.
Ensuring employee participation
2.
Training and education
3.
Driving employee engagement
4.
Responding to employee questions on a 1-to-1 basis
5.
Which of the following has occured to your employee population?
Biggest Benefits Challenges?
Unplanned Medical Events
61%
Medical Bankruptcy
4%
Out-of-Network Billing
30%
Unforseen Medical Expenses
56%
What percentage of your employees are on a high deductible health plan (HDHP)?
What types of savings programs does your organization offer?
0-20%
25%
40-60%
33%
60-80%
17%
80-100%
8%
20-40%
17%
Financial Advisory
37%
FSA
66%
HSA
62%
401K
91%
What types of savings programs does your organization offer?
only
37%
of organizations are offering new benefits in 2022.
and only
plan to publicly share their benefits in an effort to increase transparency and equity.
37%
Of the 37% of organizations offering new benefits in 2022, we asked “what types of new benefits programs are you introducing?”
Here’s what we found:
Less than 1,000
Greater than 20,000
15,000-20,000
10,000-15,000
5,000-10,000
1,000-5,000
Healthcare
Retail/Hospitality/Food Services
Other
Government/Education/
Non-Profit
Professional Services
Pharmaceuticals/Biotech/
Medical Products
Grocery/Consumer Products
Insurance
Banking/Financial Services
Technology
Manufacturing
17%
8%
20%
13%
4%
5%
1%
6%
9%
5%
12%
13%
11%
7%
6%
27%
36%
77%
23%
Yes
No
Compensation and Benefits
Employee Relations
Training and Development
Generalist
Operations
Executive
Recruitment
Workplace Safety
66%
2%
3%
4%
7%
15%
1%
2%
Director
VP
C-Suite
Manager
38%
9%
46%
8%
Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing
Other
Digital Point Solutions
Pet Insurance
Revised Parental Leave
Wellness reimbursement
Prescription Savings
Child Care Stipend / Support
Fertility Treatment Benefits
Student Loans Repayment Assistance
Gender Affirmation Benefits
Yes
No
72%
28%
67%
5%
10%
10%
15%
26%
3%
3%
3%
3%
3%