Employee ratings of their workplaces and benefits packages are at their lowest levels since 2008, according to research recently released by Unum.

The online survey of 1,521 working adults, conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Unum, finds that only half (49 percent) of U.S. workers rate their employer as an excellent or very good place to work. Less than half (47 percent) of employees who were offered benefits by their employer rated their benefits as excellent or very good. This is the lowest rating of benefits in six years of conducting this research.

The research also shows employees do not feel they are getting the information they need about the benefits they are being offered. Only 33 percent of employees who were asked to review benefits in the prior year rated the benefits education they received as excellent or very good – a drop from 2012 and a reversal to the upward trend in ratings since 2009. In addition, nearly three in 10 (28 percent) rated their benefits education as fair or poor.

“With health care reform and other changes in employee benefit plans, employees have so much information to digest right now,” explains Bill Dalicandro, vice president of the consumer solutions group at Unum. “Employers can play such a great role in helping their employees understand their options so they will feel comfortable making benefits decisions.”

Providing guidance to employees on which benefits are right for them, and the value of those benefits, has a payoff for employers too. Employee satisfaction with their benefits continues to closely relate to satisfaction with their employer. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of those workers who rate their benefits package as excellent or very good also rate their employer as an excellent or very good place to work. By contrast, only 17 percent of employees who consider their benefits package to be fair or poor rate their workplace as excellent or very good. And 79 percent of workers who reviewed benefits in the past year and rated their education as excellent or very good also rate their employer as excellent or very good - compared to only 30 percent of those who said the education they received was fair or poor.

“This research underscores the value of an effective benefits education plan because when an employee understands their benefits, they tend to value them more and in turn may then value their employers more for providing access to them,” adds Dalicandro.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Unum from Dec.18-20, 2013, among 3,031 adults ages 18 and older, 1,521 of whom are identified as working adults that are full-time, part-time, or self-employed. For complete survey methodology, including sampling and weighting variables, please contact Dawn McAbee at dmcabee@unum.com.

The prior surveys referenced in this document were conducted online from Dec. 9-11, 2008 (n=2,137), Dec. 9-11, 2009 (n=2,029), Dec. 6-8, 2010 (n=3,489), Dec. 16-20, 2011 (n=3,339), and Dec. 13-17, 2012 (n=3,031) among a similar population.

About Unum

Unum is a leading provider of financial protection benefits through the workplace. The disability insurance leader in the U.S. for 38 years, Unum’s portfolio of financial protection products also includes life, accident and critical illness, which help protect millions of working people and their families in the event of an illness or injury. In 2013, Unum paid $5.5 billion in benefits to nearly 492,000 individuals and their families.

For more information visit us at www.unum.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.