Four in 10 (39%) businesses feel confident that employees clearly understand the benefits available to them, according to research findings published by recruitment platform Totaljobs today (16 March).
After polling 3,000 UK workers and (separately) 1,000 recruiters and HR professionals, the employee data revealed that half (53%) of UK workers understand their benefits, as published in Totaljobs’ Salary and Benefits Report 2026.
Employee benefits must be visible, aligned with an organisation’s existing delivery platform, and clearly communicated, said James Gozney, CEO and founder of financial wellbeing solutions provider Aslan.
“Benefits have to fit into the existing eco-system easily to meet employees where they are, and be well explained,” he said.
Though many organisations offer a wide range of employee benefits, Nicola Weatherhead, vice president of people at Totaljobs, told ProHunt that ensuring people use them is often the bigger challenge.
Weatherhead said: “For employers, the priority should be making benefits more visible and relevant throughout the entire employee journey.
“That starts with recruitment. Clearly highlighting key benefits in job adverts and candidate communications can help attract talent who value them, while also setting clear expectations about the overall package on offer.”
More than a quarter (28%) of employees frequently drop out of benefit schemes because they do not meet expectations, the report notes.
Jo Werker, CEO of rewards and benefits platform Boostworks, told ProHunt that organisations need to move beyond annual enrolment to improve employee benefit uptake.
Werker said: “When benefits are communicated clearly, consistently and in ways that feel relevant to employees’ lives, engagement naturally increases.”
To keep benefits relevant to workers, Werker advises HR professionals to regularly communicate them through multiple channels including intranet updates, manager briefings and team meetings.
Gozney added: “Make the most of the employees who do engage with benefits, and give these champions a voice, perhaps testimonials, on how they use the service. This will help other employees understand how the benefit can work for them.”
Compared against Totaljobs’ research findings from last year, 36% of employers have seen an increase in employees dropping out of the hiring process because of employee benefits not meeting their expectations.
Reacting to this, Weatherhead noted: “In a competitive labour market, ensuring benefits are visible, clearly communicated and understood can play an important role in improving attraction, retention and overall employee engagement.”
Employers must also ensure that benefits are tailored, to maximise take up, said Katie Hart, head of people at employee benefits provider Perkbox. Hart told ProHunt: “People aren’t going to sign up for things that don’t provide any benefit to them, their family or lifestyle.
“Benefits are becoming more and more personalised. We’ve had to build our benefits package to ensure there’s something for everyone, and that means that not every benefit is going to be attractive to 100% of employees.”
