2017 Global Benefits
Attitudes Survey
The employee voice: more security,
more fexibility, more choice
Contents
1. Key fndings ....2
2. About the survey 3
3. The changing beneft landscape ....4
4. Under pressure: employees’ health and fnances .....6
5. The beneft deal: the employee perspective ....14
6. Rethinking the beneft deal .....17
7. Summary .......28
1 2017 Global Benefts Attitudes Survey
2 2017 Global Benefts Attitudes Survey
Changing economic and workplace dynamics are driving
employers to redefne the beneft programs they ofer to
their employees. Meanwhile, employees are responding
to the same developments and conditions, albeit from a
diferent perspective. Today’s employees are saying:
“Understand my needs,” “I want more
security” and “give me more choices
and flexibility.”
As many employers review their beneft programs, the
Willis Towers Watson Global Benefts Attitudes Survey
(GBAS) seeks to understand the employee perspective
and answer the question: What benefts do employees
need and value most
1. Key fndings
Key fndings include:
Benefts matter more than ever. Employees’
long-standing desire for greater security
continues to intensify.
Employees – particularly younger employees –
want more beneft choices. Those with choice
and fexibility today are twice as likely to feel
their beneft program meets their needs.
In many countries, employees are increasingly
concerned about their fnances, both immediate
and long term.
More than one-ffth of employees expect to still
be working at age 70 or later. Over 60% say their
employer retirement plan is their primary means
of saving for retirement.
Employees look to their employers for support in
improving their health and well-being, and becoming
more fnancially secure.
Although companies are responding with programs
that support physical, emotional, fnancial and social
well-being, employees are lukewarm about what they
have seen so far.
Employee engagement in well-being programs
remains low. Designing programs that leverage the
workplace environment and promote the use of
new technologies is strongly linked to more positive
attitudes about a company’s well-being eforts and
to health engagement.
3 2017 Global Benefts Attitudes Survey
For over a decade, Willis Towers Watson has been
examining trends in employees’ attitudes toward their
benefts across several countries. Since 2013, the
surveys and analysis have been performed on a globally
consistent basis, providing detailed insights that can
guide employers in developing beneft programs that
are both attractive to employees and cost efective.
This latest biennial edition of GBAS analyzes more than
31,000 employee responses in 22 markets, including
representative samples from medium and large
private-sector companies. This report represents
a high-level summary of the survey results.
The 2017 survey takes an in-depth look at the role of
benefts in defning and diferentiating today’s employee
value proposition. The analysis explores the extent
to which benefts individually and collectively shape
employees’ actions; how closely they are aligned with
employees’ employment and lifestyle priorities; and
their links to stress, absence, presenteeism1 and work
engagement.2 The report focuses on four aspects of
employee attitudes and how they afect the beneft deal:
Beneft preferences
Retirement expectations
Financial well-being
Health and well-being
2. About the survey
Total number of respondents: 31,240
Respondents from
developing countries
Total respondents: 11,866
Argentina .........970
Brazil .......990
Chile ..........993
China ....1,996
Colombia ..........986
India .......1,988
Mexico ....994
South Africa .998
The Philippines ......999
Turkey .....952
Respondents from
developed countries
Total respondents: 19,374
Australia .........1008
Canada ..........1,349
France .....981
Germany ......2,023
Hong Kong .....985
Ireland .....758
Japan ...1,498
Singapore ........988
The Netherlands ..986
U.A.E. ........992
U.K. ........2,824
U.S. ........4,982
Total number of respondents: 31,240
Respondents from
developing countries
Total respondents: 11,866
Argentina .........970
Brazil .......990
Chile ..........993
China ....1,996
Colombia ..........986
India .......1,988
Mexico ....994
South Africa .998
The Philippines ......999
Turkey .....952
Respondents from
developed countries
Total respondents: 19,374
Australia .........1008
Canada ..........1,349
France .....981
Germany ......2,023
Hong Kong .....985
Ireland .....758
Japan ...1,498
Singapore ........988
The Netherlands ..986
U.A.E. ........992
U.K. ........2,824
U.S. ........4,982
Total number of respondents: 31,240
Respondents from
developing countries
Total respondents: 11,866
Argentina .........970
Brazil .......990
Chile ..........993
China ....1,996
Colombia ..........986
India .......1,988
Mexico ....994
South Africa .998
The Philippines ......999
Turkey .....952
Respondents from
developed countries
Total respondents: 19,374
Australia .........1008
Canada ..........1,349
France .....981
Germany ......2,023
Hong Kong .....985
Ireland .....758
Japan ...1,498
Singapore ........988
The Netherlands ..986
U.A.E. ........992
U.K. ........2,824
U.S. ........4,982
Total number of respondents: 31,240
Respondents from
developing countries
Total respondents: 11,866
Argentina .........970
Brazil .......990
Chile ..........993
China ....1,996
Colombia ..........986
India .......1,988
Mexico ....994
South Africa .998
The Philippines ......999
Turkey .....952
Respondents from
developed countries
Total respondents: 19,374
Australia .........1008
Canada ..........1,349
France .....981
Germany ......2,023
Hong Kong .....985
Ireland .....758
Japan ...1,498
Singapore ........988
The Netherlands ..986
U.A.E. ........992
U.K. ........2,824
U.S. ........4,982
1 Presenteeism is when an employee is physically at work but not fully productive due
to physical or mental health conditions, or to stress related to job, personal or fnancial matters.
2Work engagement (a measure we call sustainable engagement) is the intensity of
employees’ connection to their organization, based on three core elements: (1) extent of employees’ discretionary efort committed to achieving work goals (being engaged),
(2) an environment that supports productivity in multiple ways (being enabled), and (3) a work experience that promotes well-being (feeling energized).
4 2017 Global Benefts Attitudes Survey
It has been a decade since the financial crisis started in the U.S. and then
overwhelmed the global economy. Over the ensuing 10 years, global economic
growth has generally remained moderate, leaving most countries somewhere
short of full recovery and increasing the pressure on government finances,
employer costs and household budgets alike.
3. The changing beneft landscape
2. Rising health care costs: Escalating health care
costs over the last decade — far in excess of general
infation rates3 — have prompted many employers to pass
a larger share of cost and risk to employees through
arrangements such as higher copayments
and deductibles.
3. Tightening of public purses: Aging populations and
weak public fnances have forced many governments to
restrict or delay public retirement benefts, placing even
greater pressure on private retirement saving.
4. Multi-generation workforce: An increasin