There is more that employers can do to clearly communicate the value they provide their workers in exchange for their time, skills and expertise. A recurring theme among employers in roundtable discussions was that today’s workers don’t seem interested in things like health insurance, 401(k) plans and other traditional benefits. Reasons are complicated. Some workers are trading for the near-term benefit of higher wages over longer-term or more uncertain benefits. Simpler, more straightforward benefits summaries could help workers and would-be-workers more accurately compare this tradeoff.
This could especially help candidates (such as those accustomed to contract work with no benefits, or younger workers who have remained on a parent’s health care plan) who may have less familiarity with benefits and how they translate into real dollars.