2014 Global Employee Benefits Watch

1
EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS
WATCH2014
thomsons.com
1stEDITION
GLOBAL

2 3THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS GLOBAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WATCH 2014
(P:04) INTRODUCTION
(P:06) BENEFITS STRATEGY
(P:16) BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION
(P:20) EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATIONS
(P:28) EMPLOYEE CONCERNS
(P:33) METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE
(P:34) ABOUT THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS
(P:35) APPENDIX
CONTENTS
2
foraround40%ofcompanies,
flexmeansablendofselling
benefits,flexingriskbenefits
andsalarysacrifice

4
Welcome to the first edition of Global Employee
Benefits Watch, our research into global employee
benefits and communication. We’d like to thank
all those that took the time to participate, giving
us a great insight into what’s set to happen in this
space over the next 12 months.
With increased globalization, as companies expand
into new markets and on-board new employees in
multiple countries, HR teams are encountering new
complexities and challenges. Legislative changes,
escalating costs, slashed HR budgets and an uneven
economy are just some of the factors organizations
are dealing with today, along with the increasing
complexity in administrating and communicating
benefits to multinational employees.
Thomsons Online Benefits 2014 Global Employee
Benefits Watch analyzes the current concerns and
challenges that face multinational organizations
as it relates to benefit administration and engagement.
The survey comprised more than 150 HR professionals
working globally across EMEA, APAC and the USA,
from 48 different industries and covering more
than 3 million employees worldwide. The
respondents were generally senior executives
and managers (25% HR directors, 17% HR
managers), compensation and benefits/reward
managers (25%) and directors (13%).
Our research has revealed that organizations are
continuing to make gradual changes and shifts to
their benefits plans in the wake of the challenges
faced. It has also pinpointed an increasing need
for global companies to create a unified approach
to control their global reward message and offer
a consistent experience for internationally located
employees, as well as implement solutions that will
allow them to demonstrate the value of benefits
investment on an individual employee level.
>60%
of companies experience
issues with administrating
benefits globally
4 5
Some key findings:
• Less than half of those surveyed (49%) had a
written global benefits strategy in place at their
organization.
• More than 60% faced issues regarding global
benefits administration efficiency, and 53% cited
burden on internal resources as their biggest
benefits administration issue.
• The most common challenge regarding global
benefits strategy for multinationals was their
employees’ lack of understanding of the value of
the organization’s total reward program (50%).
• Improving employee engagement and
communications were among the top HR
challenges globally.
• Nearly half (49%) of companies reported that their
approach to administering and communicating
global benefits varies from country to country, and
83% lack a branded rewards program.
• 69% of companies believe they’ll face a shortage
of qualified workers within the next five years.
• More than one-third (35%) of companies will
change their recruitment focus, as more
marginalized workers become increasingly
important (24% will hire younger employees,
10% of will hire older workers and 23% will
rehire retired employees).
• But 38% of companies cite difficulty in providing a
flexible strategy for these different demographics
and the diverse needs of its workforce (only 4%
offer on-site child care, 41% offer nothing for
employees caring for an elderly parent).
It is our hope that by raising awareness of these
challenges, organizations can proactively address
them, enabling global businesses to dramatically
improve their benefits strategy and administration,
as well as employee engagement and overall
appreciation for their total reward packages.
GLOBAL
EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS WATCH
2014
Chris Wakely | Senior Vice President, Enterprise

Employee benefits are only one of the key building
blocks of an organization’s total reward, and even
then, reward is only one of the elements an employee
will consider as part of their employer’s proposition
to them.
For global companies, deciding on a unified benefits
strategy is far more challenging than for businesses
based in one location. When operating only in one
country companies may only need to worry about one
benefits package, but matters get more difficult as
your business grows, where suddenly you are in 50
countries with different expectations, legislation and
working cultures.
However, organizations that get the proposition
right are empowered to attract and retain their
talent and improve employee engagement, which
is especially crucial considering the current war
for talent in certain industries such as technology,
pharmaceuticals and financial services.
Indeed, 58% of respondents feel that the biggest
people challenge facing their HR team is in helping
their organization attract and retain talent. Effective
benefits strategy becomes key when you compete
with other companies not only to attract, but to
convince people to stay. It goes beyond just raising
their basic pay as half of surveyed HR professionals
cited lack of understanding of total reward value
amongst employees as one of their biggest issues
in relation to their global benefits strategy.
Outside of this, aligning benefits practices with
business goals (46%), maintaining a competitive
employer proposition (44%) and employee
engagement (35%) are cited as their biggest
people challenges. This could be a motivational
issue closely linked to the challenge of how to
communicate the right messages to inspire the
workforce, and encourage behaviour that will
contribute towards better company performance.
It is interesting to see that 57% of respondents believe
their strategy is effective in meeting their objectives
and more than half of respondents rely on employee
engagement surveys (62%) and turnover statistics
(56%) to measure its effectiveness. This largely varies
by regions, and, surprisingly, 55% of US based HR
professionals reported they don’t measure the
effectiveness of their global reward strategy at all,
while 36% relied on line manager’s feedback. This
probably explains why 44% globally and 73% in the
US alone are having difficulty demonstrating return
on investment to key stakeholders.
This raises a question as to whether in 2014 companies
will be able to ensure they have the right global
reward strategy in place to attract key talent, and
moreover whether they will be able to assess and
report on its effectiveness around the world, as the
pressures on costs continue to escalate (reported by
40% of respondents).
BENEFITS STRATEGY
Do you currently have a written global benefits strategy?1 |
What are the top 3 underlying objectives of your global benefits strategy?2 |
58%
To attract and retain talent
46%
To align benefits
practices with business
goals/strategy
44%
To maintain a
competitive employer
proposition
35%
To enhance
employee
engagement 2%
4%
34%
To ensure
consistency and
fairness in how
individuals are
rewarded
Other
To promote employee
protection wellbeing
To drive individual
performance
26%
To attract
and retain a
balanced and
diverse
workforce
22%
To drive better
business
performance
14%
13%
To enable global mobility
5%
Don’t know
49%
Yes
46%
No

BENEFITS STRATEGY
How do you measure the effectiveness of your benefits strategy?How effective do you believe your global benefits strategy is in meeting these objectives? 4 |3 |
20%
0%
Global US EMEA APAC
40%
60%
80%
100% Very effective
Don’t know
Effective
Not very effective
Overall, 57% believe their global benefits strategy is effective in meeting their objectives, with
US HR professionals being more confident (85%) than other regions and APAC being the least
confident (52% believe their reward strategy is not effective).
The majority of respondents (62%) use employee
engagement surveys to measure their benefits
strategy effectiveness, which is of course a good
starting point, but probably not that effective on
its own. 1 in 4 respondents admitted that they
don’t currently measure the effectiveness of
their benefits strategy at all, and more than half
(56%) are using employee turnover statistics,
which makes us wonder if it isn’t too late to
adjust one’s strategy. While most respondents
see recruiting and retaining talent as their top
priority only 26% use recruitment statistics
to measure the effectiveness of their benefits
strategy. This explains why so many (44%)
find it difficult to demonstrate the return on
investment to key stakeholders.
Employee opinion/engagement surveys
Employee turnover statistics
Line Manager feedback
Business performance
Recruitment statistics (e.g. no. of
applications, time to fill a vacancy)
Levels of take up/employee engagement
with package
We don’t
34%
28%
26%
24%
24%
62%
56%
10% 14%
7%
23%
11%
22%
4%
11%
5%
30%
19%
14%
57%
71%
59%
43%

BENEFITS STRATEGY
Which of the following issues are you currently experiencing in relation to your global benefits strategy?5 |
Poor communication and low levels of employee
engagement
41%18% 30%33%
High levels of processing administration errors
16%4%10% 9%
Not competitive in certain countries
29% 30% 30%9%
Unsecured, sensitive personal data transferred
between your company and benefit providers 2% 3%0% 0%
Global US EMEA APAC
Difficulty reporting globally on total reward costs 73%
38% 48%
24%
Escalating costs to remain competitive
40% 26%
65%
27%
High costs of expats
15%20% 18% 30%
High levels of administration
24%28% 36% 37%
Difficulty demonstrating return on investment
to key stakeholders
44% 41% 41%
73%
Lack of understanding of value of total rewards
amongst employees
55%50% 51%48%
Difficulty in providing a flexible global benefits
strategy for different demographics 33%38%
9%
54%
Comparing global data versus regional we noticed some interesting differences between regions. For instance, while 73% of US
respondents are struggling with reporting globally on total reward costs, their counterparts in Asia Pacific are more concerned
with escalating costs to remain competitive. However, across all regions half of respondents are experiencing issues with a lack
of understanding of value of total reward amongst employees.
Global US EMEA APAC
Difficulty in providing a flexible global benefits
strategy for working parents 4%9% 9% 11%

Strongly disagree 15%
Somewhat disagree 32%
BENEFITS STRATEGY
Does your company enable employees’ flexibility over the choices and level of benefits they have?7 |
Only 15% of global companies offer flexibility over the choices and level of benefits they have
in all locations. A further quarter would like to provide the flexibility, but are perhaps unable
given the way they are currently administrating and communicating benefits.
43%
15%18%
24%
Yes - in all
locations
No – no plans to
implement
No – but we would
like to
Yes – in some locations
Would you agree that you have accurate global total benefits costs?6 |
Strongly agree 7%
Somewhat agree 46%

Which of the following benefits do you offer to your employees across all regions?8 |
While it is not surprising that the
majority offers medical (81%), life
(67%) and travel (55%) insurance
across all regions, we see that 41%
report having different benefits
depending on the country or region.
This highlights the complexity that
multinational companies have
to deal with when it comes to
administrating and communicating
their benefits globally as well as
managing all benefit providers and
controlling total reward costs.
81%
Medical Insurance
67%
Life Insurance
55%
Travel and Accident
Insurance
46%
Company car/
car allowance
Occupational
Health Services
(13%)
On-site Catering
(9%)
Holiday Buy / Sell
(8%)
Housing
(8%)
Healthcare
Cash Plan
(8%)
Other
(3%)
25%
Paid Parental
Leave
21%
Income Protection
18%
Free Fruit
16%
Gym Memberships/
On-site Gym
15%
Loans
31%
Health Screening
44%
Critical Illness Cover
41%
Benefits vary
significantly depending
on the country/region
37%
Flexible Working
34%
Travel Insurance
34%
Employee
Assistance
Program
33%
Retirement Plan
38%
Dental and/or Vision
Insurance
BENEFITS STRATEGY

How do you currently administer and communicate your global benefits program to employees?9 |
49%
don’t have
a consistent
approach
to benefits
administration,
but 66% would
prefer to use
software
globally
Use a different method for
different countries
49% 21%
Would prefer toCurrently
Using manual processes
18%
4%
Using global employee
engagement and benefits
management software 11%
35%
Using HR software
15%
31%
Other
4% 5%
Using local brokers’ software 4%3%
Benefits administration is inherently complex. It often
involves some degree of manual administration, with
multiple providers and many different administrative
processes varying from benefit to benefit.
Administering your benefits programs globally can be
an even bigger challenge as every region and every
country is different, requiring different benefits processes
from country to country. This could explain the lack of
consistency in the way benefits are currently administered
inside one organization around the world. Less than 30% of
respondents are using some type of software to administer
and communicate their benefits globally, while almost
half (49%) have a different approach and a mix of manual
processes and software in each country.
At the same time we see an increasing need for global
companies to implement solutions that will allow them to
demonstrate the value of their total reward investment on an
individual employee level as 53% are experiencing a burden
on internal resources with administrating benefits and 39%
are having difficulty reporting globally. Not surprisingly,
the majority (66%) would much rather use global software
such as dedicated global benefits management (35%) or
HR software (31%).
A quarter of multinationals already use software to manage
their benefits, so what is stopping more organizations from
implementing global benefits software? Getting a buy in
from head office (23%) or regional teams (22%) is seen by
HR professionals as the main challenge in introducing a
global solution.
BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION

BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION
What do you perceive as the main challenge involved in introducing global employee engagement
and benefits management software?11 |10 |
There doesn’t seem to be one stand-out challenge that companies are experiencing in introducing global employee engagement and
benefits software. Nevertheless, getting buy in from head or regional offices seems to be the biggest problem, which we can assume
results from being unable to demonstrate the return on investment on their current benefits strategy as well as report on costs globally.
23%
22%
15%
16%
5%
19%
Getting buy in from head office
Getting buy in from
regional/country teams
Project managing
a global project
implementation
Selecting an
appropriate supplier
Other
Articulating the business
case for change
What are your biggest issues with regards to the administration of your global benefits package?
Two thirds (66%) of respondents
struggle with the administrative
efficiency of their benefit providers,
and more than half (53%) feel the
burden on internal resources.
Administrative efficiency
of benefit providers
Burden on internal resources
Difficulty in reporting globally
Managing large number of
global benefit providers
Low levels of employee enrollment
Number of errors/complaints
17%
14%
66%
53%
39%
34%

As with employee benefits, when it comes to employee
communication, one size does not fit all. Employees
need different things from their benefits at different
stages in their lives. From claiming on a policy, to
adding a new dependent, interaction with their
benefits is ongoing throughout their careers. Basically,
communication can be seen as any interaction the
employee has with their benefits. With so many
touch-points to manage, ensuring the accuracy and
consistency of messages can prove very difficult,
especially when employers have 10-15 benefits
per country and employees who are at a range
of different life and career stages. Therefore it is
understandable why 33% see employee engagement
as one of the main HR pain points.
Although the majority (76%) perceive their
communications as effective in informing employees
about their benefits, 17% don’t know what percentage
of employees are engaged and actively managing
their benefits, and 40% believe that less than half of
workforce is engaged. This is easily explained when
you look at the communication methods and its
frequency.
Responses show that the most common approaches
to communication are still very basic in today’s
multimedia world, with employers using their
intranet (53%), 1-on-1 sessions (52%) and direct
mail (50%) to deliver information. This is definitely
not in line with the fact that today, 29% of the global
workforce is characterized as ‘anytime, anywhere
information workers’ – i.e. who use three or more
devices, work from multiple locations, and use
many apps. Mobile Adoption Trends by Forrester
projects that there will be 905 million tablets in use
for work and home globally by 2017 [1]. However,
only 3% of employers use mobile, 8% social media
and 5% richer content such as video to reach their
employees.
The consumerization of IT in companies is inevitable
and it impacts user satisfaction, productivity and
business agility. As employees continue to reinvent
workplace technology, the main question will be:
how can HR help companies reinvent themselves to
keep up with the changing expectations of today’s
tech-savvy talent?
HR technology platforms should be optimized for
any device and incorporate everything from email
to text messages. That way, employees can choose
their communication method and receive automated
messages based on their preference.
Another aspect to consider is frequency of
communication and engaging with employees.
Only 7% of employers actively interact with their
employees about their benefits on a monthly
basis, with 26% doing so once a year or only at
the enrollment phase.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS
All of the above seems to suggest that employers
need to be doing more to engage their employees,
but also obtain feedback on what works for them.
Another challenge facing multinational organizations
is in creating a unified global brand for all their
employee communication. The employee journey,
branding, and messaging must remain consistent
and build global identity. This is accomplished through
harmonized, branded reward and communication
programs with the same look, feel and structure
across all locations.
However, 83% of surveyed employers don’t use
a global benefits brand to promote their benefits
packages. The opportunity for development in
communications seems clear. Creating a simple
communications plan, which provides communication
relevant to both the point at which the employee
is on their journey with their employer and their
lifestyle (e.g. single, married with dependants, or
approaching retirement) can be a powerful driver
of engagement.

What percentage of your employees are engaged and actively managing their benefits?13 |How would you evaluate your overall employee engagement with your benefits
strategy/communications?12 |
There is an
opportunity for
development in
communications
and branding
63%
Somewhat engaged
and responsive
Very engaged
and responsive
Not engaged
at all
20%17%
36%
32%
8%
7%
17%
60% - 89%
30% - 59%
0% - 29%
90%-100%
Don’t know

How frequently do you communicate benefits to your employees?15 |Do you believe your benefits communications are effective in informing your employees about
their benefits?14 |
Somewhat agree 64%
Strongly disagree 5%
Somewhat disagree 19%
Strongly agree 12%
Not that often
(a few times a year)
39%
Often
(every other month)
28%
Not often at all
(once a year)
15%
Only at the enrollment/
induction phase
11%
Very often
(at least once a month)
7%

Do you have a global benefits brand with which you communicate your local benefits practices?
Does your company offer employees total reward statements?
17 |
18 |
Which of the following employee benefits communications methods do you use?16 |
The majority relies on traditional
methods of communications – intranet,
direct mail and 1-on-1 sessions
83%don’t have a
unified global
benefits brand
83% 17%
No
Yes
9%33%58%
No Yes - in some locations Yes - in all locations0%
Other
Social media
Paper based materials
Direct mail
Mobile apps
Special events
Online education/information
1-on-1 employee benefits information sessions 52%
19%
5%
3%
2%
Videos
Newsletters
Group employee benefits information sessions
Internal Network/Intranet 53%
50%
37%
19%
17%
10%
8%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Despite a growing global population, the availability
of skilled workers is actually shrinking. As mentioned
previously, sectors like technology and finance that
require high skill levels are already in a war for
talent. And this will become an even bigger issue as
69% of respondents believe they’ll face a shortage
of qualified workers within the next five years. We
wondered whether companies were prepared and
what kind of proactive measures were under way.
More than a third (35%) of companies are looking to
change their recruitment effort, with (24% reporting
to hire younger employees, 10% older workers
and 23% will rehire retired employees).
Yet a quarter have no strategy to tackle this problem
that will become acute in the next few years. While it
is clear that business practices will need to change
to appeal to both older and younger workers it
seems that a lot of companies (38%) are struggling
to provide a flexible strategy for these different
demographics and the needs of its workforce (only
4% offer on-site child care; 41% offer nothing for
employees caring for an elderly parent).
Nearly half of respondents (49%) cited Asia Pacific
as the region of the most concern in relation to the
aging workforce and shortage of qualified workers.
EMPLOYEE CONCERNS
In your opinion, within the next five years, how likely is it that your company will face a shortage
of qualified workers in some regions?19 |
69%believe they will face a
shortage of qualified workers
0%
Undecided
Very Unlikely
Unlikely
Somewhat Unlikely
Likely
Somewhat Likely
Very likely
5% 10% 15% 25%20% 35%30%
6%
3%
3%
19%
20%
34%
15%

What benefits do you offer for working parents?22 |In which region do you see the aging workforce and shortage of qualified workers to be the
biggest concern?
Has your organization done any of the following to prepare for a potential shortage of workers?
20 |
21 |
37%58%62%82%
Paid maternity leave Paid paternity leave Flexible work
schedule
Paid adoption leave
“Bring your child to
work” day
(9%)
On-site child care
(4%)
On-site changing stations
(4%)
Other
(5%)
Child care referral service
(18%)
Adoption Assistance
(14%)
None
(9%)
On-site lactation rooms
(20%)
EMPLOYEE CONCERNS
Asia Pacific (49%)
Europe (28%)
North America (15%)
Middle East (4%)
Africa (4%)
South America (0%)
44%
Conduct workforce
planning
35%
Change recruitment
efforts
25%
None
23%
Re-hire
retired
employees
24%
Hire younger
workers
25%Offer alternative
work arrangements
such as part-time
work, job sharing or
telecommuting
33%
Increase training
opportunities
10%
Hire older
employees
6%
3%4%
Offer phased
retirement
Offer incentives to
delay retirement Other

What benefits do you offer to employees caring for an elderly parent?23 |
EMPLOYEE CONCERNS
41%don’t offer any
benefits to
employees caring
for an elderly
parent
Emergency backup care provider
Elder healthcare plans
Information sessions on
elder care and benefits
Elder care assistance
Other
Flexible work schedule 47%
None 41%
8%
5%
5%
4%
4%
3%
Elder care referral services
A wide range of global organisations were invited to take part in the Global Employee Benefits Watch in the
first quarter of 2014. A total of 150 respondents took part, covering more than 3 million employees worldwide,
respondents were asked to complete an online survey regarding their reward strategy and the employee benefits that
they offer currently, or intend to offer in the future.
The survey questions (split into categories such as benefits strategy, benefits administration, employee
engagement and communications and employee concerns) were designed to help understand the drivers and
motivations underlying their strategy and to explore their intentions and challenges in the future.
METHODOLOGY SAMPLE
Manufacturing
Banking
IT - Hardware
Retail 7%
15%
16%
5%
5%
Food Beverage 5%
Financial Services - Investment 4%
Insurance 4%
Construction 3%
Consulting 3%
Education 3%
Engineering 3%
Transportation 3%
Aerospace Defence 2%
Business Services 2%
Energy 2%
Healthcare 2%
Hospitality 2%
Mining 2%
Services 2%
Telecommunications 2%
RESPONDENT PROFILE - Industry Sectors
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Other
IT - Software Consultancy 4%
Oil Gas Pharmaceuticals 4%
RESPONDENT PROFILE - Job Role
RESPONDENT PROFILE - Level of benefits responsibility
HR Director 24%
Compensation Benefits /
Reward Manager 23%
HR Manager 21%
Reward Director 13%
Other 11%
HR Administrator 5%
Reward Administrator 1%
Payroll Manager 1%
Pension Manager 1%
37% 32% 31%Regional
Global Local

ABOUT THOMSONS ONLINE BENEFITS
Controlled Costs
Darwin™ gives you all the data you need for more
efficient benefits spend, and better understanding of
one of the largest of your business costs, providing:
• A single source of truth for your benefits data.
• Better return-on-investment for your benefits spend.
• The data you need to empower you to challenge
brokers and providers.
• Dynamic Total Reward Statements, so that your
employees understand and appreciate your
benefits spend.
Thomsons Online Benefits is the world leader
in global benefits management and employee
engagement, with our proprietary software,
Darwin™.
Total DarwinTM
clients: 300+ companies
Number of countries where Darwin™ is used: 64
Number of languages on Darwin™: 16
Darwin™ is cloud-based global benefits management
and employee engagement software, used by some
of the world’s most innovative companies like Samsung,
Cisco and Microsoft. It leads to:
Streamlined Benefits Administration
Darwin™ gives you greater accuracy and enables
more streamlined benefits by:
• Creating automated links with benefit providers,
HR and payroll systems, enabling more secure
data provision.
• Freeing up HR teams from employee queries.
• Automating reports, freeing up time for value-
adding tasks.
• Facilitating benefits management, either locally
or via shared services centres.

Engaged Employees
Darwin™ provides a variety of modules to promote
employee engagement by putting them at the centre
of their reward experience, including:
• An intuitive employee benefits portal, accessible
via tablet, making reward comprehensible and
enrolment straightforward, empowering
employees.
• Automated, personalized and targeted online
communications.
• Integrated video and text help content which
de-mystify benefits.
• Your reward brand reflected in all communications
and throughout the employee experience.
Reduced Risk
By creating a centralized, encrypted data hub,
Darwin™ gives you superior control over your
sensitive employee information so that:
• Records of all employees’ benefits transactions
can be accessed instantly.
• A full audit trail of all benefits transactions is
automatically generated.
• You can define how benefits data can be accessed.
foraround40%ofcompanies,
flexmeansablendofselling
benefits,flexingriskbenefits
andsalarysacrifice
APPENDIX
[1] 2013 Mobile Workforce Adoption Trends

THOMSONS.COM
GLOBAL EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS WATCH
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APAC
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T: +65 6383 1700
E: asiapac@thomsons.com
W: global.thomsons.com

2014 Global Employee Benefits Watch

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