Employers across various sectors face a pressing challenge: despite investing significantly in employee benefits — often exceeding 30% of an individual’s salary — a considerable number of workers remain dissatisfied with their options. This is particularly evident in the advertising industry, where Campaign’s 2025 Best Places to Work (BPTW) survey highlighted that while 85% of employees at winning companies found their benefits satisfactory, only 69% of those employed by non-winners felt the same.

As businesses grapple with escalating National Insurance contributions and take a cautious approach to salary increments, revamping benefits packages has become a strategic avenue to reward staff and mitigate outgoings. Two areas showing strong performance in employee satisfaction are holiday allowance and sick pay, which consistently rank highly in Workforce Research Group’s assessments. However, healthcare benefits have emerged as a stark dividing line between successful firms and their less fortunate counterparts, with 85% satisfaction among BPTW winners compared to a mere 65% for non-winners.

Matthew Law, a senior corporate consultant at Connor Broadley Benefits Consulting, highlights that access to reliable healthcare has shifted from being an executive privilege to a widespread employee expectation. “The demand for expedited healthcare access has surged, especially given the difficulty many face in obtaining timely NHS treatment,” he observed. However, the rising costs associated with higher insurance utilisation present a daunting hurdle for employers, with premiums increasing annually at a staggering rate of 17%.

Jen Jones, founder of 2025 BPTW winner Craft Media, noted that while providing robust health packages is imperative, the rising costs are forcing companies to reconsider the breadth of services they can offer. The need for better healthcare benefits resonates strongly in light of post-COVID realities, marked by longer NHS waiting times and inflationary pressures on living costs. Media agency Medialab, for instance, experienced a sharp drop in ranking after staff expressed anxiety about their benefits, prompting the introduction of a more competitive healthcare package that included private medical insurance and various wellness-related perks.

Addressing mental health is another critical area where companies have shifted their focus. Statistics show a surge in mental health-related claims and leave requests, with 74% of HR professionals reporting increased demands for mental health support over the past year. Many firms now offer mental health coaching, mediation seminars, and resources for counsel. Programs like those at Pitch Marketing Group, which provide access to mental health apps and 24/7 employee assistance schemes, illustrate the growing recognition of mental well-being as central to overall employee satisfaction.

Alongside this, there is a notable move towards more nuanced family-focused benefits, such as paid maternity and paternity leave, menopause supports, and even pregnancy-loss leave—a clear indication that employers are increasingly aware of the importance of supporting staff through personal and familial challenges. The embedding of such policies often translates directly into improved workplace morale and productivity, with many companies reporting a marked positive impact from investing in family benefits.

However, the BPTW findings reveal that even within top-performing companies, there is still considerable room for improvement, especially regarding retirement schemes. Only 67% of employees expressed satisfaction with retirement benefits, highlighting a disconnect that younger workforces may populate further. Many younger employees, who often prioritise immediate gains, may regard retirement planning as a lower priority, complicating efforts to introduce robust long-term financial benefits.

Furthermore, disability provision remains an underwhelming area, with only 64% satisfaction rates among employees at winning organisations. Many firms struggle with the terminology and implications of disability schemes, inadvertently sidelining employees needing support. Edward Glover, co-founder of Recipe, emphasised a commitment to accommodating individual needs rather than adhering strictly to formal schemes. This informal approach and inadequate visibility of existing benefits appear to contribute to lower satisfaction ratings in this area.

As the landscape continues to evolve, with rising costs and increasing employee expectations, companies must navigate the intricacies of expanding and diversifying their employee benefit offerings. The BPTW survey clearly illustrates that firms that respond to the needs and challenges of their employees, particularly in critical areas such as healthcare and mental well-being, will not only improve retention but also enhance the overall workplace culture in the competitive advertising sector.

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Source: Noah Wire Services