Gradually the focus of employers is shifting to meet the requirements of Generation Z (born between 1997-2012), who are expected to comprise 27% of the workforce by 2025, said a report based on the survey.
The report, ‘Future of Benefits – 2023 and Beyond’, on employee health and benefits in India, said employers are proactively designing benefits such as comprehensive leave policies, expanded maternity benefits, mental health benefits, work life management solutions, digital solutions, training programmes, personalised and flexible benefits, and health and well-being programmes which are relevant to the multigenerational workforce.
The survey received responses from 540 companies, representing 2.5 million employees, spanning industries such as IT/ITeS, manufacturing, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), telecom, FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods), consulting, pharmaceutical, engineering, construction, media, travel and hospitality.
According to the report, 41% of the employers surveyed said they were still restricting their employee benefits programme to a traditional model with market prevalent benefits only. The percentage is even higher (51%) for larger employers having employee headcount above 5,000.
“We are seeing a shift in employers’ priorities from offering traditional health insurance coverage to a more holistic view aligned to the overall physical and mental well-being of their employees,” said Prawal Kalita, managing director, Mercer Marsh Benefits – India Leader. “Organisations are keen to offer progressive benefits which would be valued by their diverse and multigenerational workforce. We’re seeing that two out of three organisations foresee an increase in their employee benefits budgets.”Key focus areas for benefits enhancement include critical illness cover, physical/mental disability support, digital mental health, fertility treatments, health and fitness perks and autism care.According to the report, 68% of the respondents believe in offering progressive and new-age benefits and 80% said offering these acts as a tool to attract and retain employees.
Eighty per cent of the organisations enhanced their insured benefits to support their employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. Even after the pandemic, 38% of the respondents have maintained those benefits and 61% have upgraded their health insurance benefits in the past 12 months. This may be due to increased awareness around health insurance and employers being more focused about the overall health and well-being of their employees.
Besides, outpatient department (OPD) insurance has emerged as an important addition to healthcare coverage.
Trends show that in the long run adequate OPD insurance will lead to decrease in the traditional employee benefit health insurance claims and thus the premium, said Kalita.
As per the report, 31% of the respondents had an existing OPD insurance coverage, out of which 72% were company-sponsored. Of the remaining 69%, who did not have an existing OPD cover, 36% were already contemplating introducing it in the next 12 months, underlining the growing need for this benefit.
Employers are also taking significant steps to ensure better health for their women employees by adopting a range of benefits. These include offering comprehensive health insurance plans and health checks that address women-specific needs, extending maternity and parental leave policies and introducing flexible work arrangements that enable women to manage their personal and professional commitments.