Voluntary Benefits on the Rise as Employers Fight for Talent

Voluntary benefits—employers have traditionally offered them, but employees’ enrollment and utilization have been lackluster at best.

But, like many other things, voluntary benefits have been up-ended by the pandemic. A recent report from Aon finds a 41 percent increase in the availability of voluntary benefits from employers between 2021 and 2022. According to Aon, this growth has been driven by both employers’ desire to recruit and retain talent, and employees’ renewed interest in supplemental health insurance products.

“During the last two years, it seems every employee knows someone who was hospitalized or fell gravely ill from Covid-19,” said Dani McCauley, U.S. customer experience leader for consumer benefit solutions at Aon. “As a result, there is an increased awareness of risks around hospitalization and critical illness, and along with the growth of high-deductible health plans, employees are keen to hedge against this potential cost burden.”

While supplemental health insurance products represent the fastest-growing segment of voluntary benefits, enrollment is increasing in other areas, as well.

“Employers, during the last two open enrollment cycles, were focused on using voluntary benefits to improve total rewards strategies and bolstering workforce resilience in order to retain talent,” said Greg Morano, U.S. practice leader for consumer benefit solutions at Aon.

From: BenefitsPRO