Employee Benefit Survey - 2008
Executive Summary
Part-Time Employees
Benefit Survey Results
The Office
of Financial Management is pleased an executive summary of the 2008 Employee
Benefit Survey results for all part-time benefit eligible employees. Complete survey results are included in addendum D.
The 2008
survey followed a similar design as past surveys by taking a tiered approach to
determining employee needs and opinions.
First, the survey collected demographic information of the participating
employees. Employee satisfaction and
importance of the benefits offered was the next tier of questions, focusing on
each individual benefit in an effort to discover specific issues that might
require attention or improvement. Then
participating employees shared opinions regarding benefit communication. Finally, employees were surveyed on future
benefits they would like to see provided by the County.
The results
allow the organization to focus its resources, both human and financial, where
they will have the greatest impact.
Please note
that throughout this document Johnson County Government or OFM- Benefits will
be referred to as “The County” for ease of reading.
Background and Demographics
Benefits are
an integral part of the overall compensation package provided by Johnson County
Government. The County strives to
provide benefits that satisfy the needs of a diverse population, while offering
personal choice, maximizing employer and employee contributions, and promoting
work life balance.
The employee
survey was introduced in 2003 and since 2004 has been offered every other year,
in partnership with Lockton Companies, LLC to:
- Establish a benchmark for
employee satisfaction;
- Identify potential areas for
improvement and education;
- Provide a mechanism for on-going
data collection; and,
- Assist in forming priorities for
the organization and OFM-Benefits
At the time
of this survey, the County had over 235 part-time active employees that were eligible
to participate in this survey. Over 27%
of the employees provided their input to the survey which was an increase of 12%
from 2006, which can be attributed to the success that employees have seen from
information gathered from past survey and new programs offered. Most of the respondents were female as over
88% completed the survey. For other
demographic data, please see Addendum A. Based on the demographic data, we believe
that the survey results provide a representative data source to aid in the
County’s decision making processes.
Employee Satisfaction and Importance
Ratings
Employee
satisfaction is just as important as the benefits being offered. If the benefits that are offered are not
satisfactory, employees will not have a deep appreciation of the benefit. An important factor in evaluating benefits is
determining how important a particular benefit is to the employees. Employees were asked to rank each benefit by
how important it is to the employees and their families.
As shown on Addendum B, every one of the County’s
current benefits obtained a Level of Importance rating of 50% or above. This illustrates the significant level of
importance that employees place on the existing benefits.
As in past
surveys, employees ranked medical benefits as the highest level of
importance.
Top Five Level of Importance Benefits
|
Level of
Importance |
Benefit |
2008 Response
Percent1 |
|
1. |
Fixed
Holidays and Personal Holidays |
97.1% |
|
2. |
Vacation
Leave |
97% |
|
3. |
Sick
Leave |
97% |
|
4. |
Bereavement
Leave |
87.7% |
|
5. |
401(a)
Supplemental START Retirement Plan |
84.8% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses.
When
comparing the top Five Level of Importance benefits from the 2006 survey to the
top five from the 2008 survey shows that employees still considered that four
out of the top five benefits mentioned from 2006 were just as important
again. Interestingly, medical plan
coverage dropped in importance from 4th place to 9th
place and was replaced by the County’s 401(a) Supplemental Retirement
Plan. The response percentages are
higher for the 2008 top five benefits and the difference in importance from the
1st to 5th ranking is 12.3% in 2008 compared to 37.8% in
2006.
Overall
employee satisfaction of benefits offered seems to meet their needs and
concerns more today than in 2006. 2/3 of
employees ranked the County above average in benefit offerings compared to 1/3
satisfaction in 2006. The top five benefits that employees are satisfied are
listed below and to see a complete listing of responses and rankings and how it
compares to 2006 results, please see Addendum
B.
Top Five Level of Satisfaction Benefits
|
Ranking |
Benefit |
2008 Results1 |
|
1. |
Sick
Leave |
85.1% |
|
2. |
Fixed
Holidays |
83.8% |
|
3. |
Vacation
Leave |
80.9% |
|
4. |
Employer
Paid Term Life Insurance |
76.5% |
|
5. |
457(b)
Deferred Compensation |
68.1% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses
Overall,
employee satisfaction of benefit offerings has increased compared to 2006 and
three of the top Five Level of Importance benefits are ranked in the top three
benefits of employee satisfaction. The Bereavement
Leave Plan and the 401(a) Supplemental Retirement Plan both saw large increases
in importance and both had an increase in employee satisfaction. The Employer Paid Term Life Insurance plan
scored higher than in the past and was in the top five benefit of satisfaction
due to the change in policy to allow part-time benefits eligible employees to
be cover with employer paid life insurance.
To continue to
understand what other benefits not currently offered to part-time employees,
the survey asked for feedback on benefits not currently offered. All non-current benefits listed with a
response percentage above 50% illustrates that a large group of employees hold
a significant level of importance to that specific benefit for the employee and
their family members. All 14 benefits
listed received over a 50% response percentage meaning that part-time employees
are very interested any all benefits offered by the County. Although some benefits would be an additional
cost to the County, such as a medical plan or educational reimbursement plan,
many other benefit offerings are employee paid 100%. Dental coverage (73% response), short-term
disability (61%), flexible savings accounts (61%), and supplemental life
insurance (58%) all showed interested by part-time employees.
Additionally,
similar to full-time employees, Long-term Care Insurance and Financial Planning
were ranked first and second as non-offered benefits that part-time employees
would like added to the their benefit package.
Employee Information and Education
Another
important area of feedback that aids the County in benefits administration is
where employees receive information about the County’s benefits. The survey indicated that part-time employees
are receiving their information from a variety of methods. At the top, is the departmental
personnel/payroll representatives (36%) followed by the Benefit Division
website (25%), and co-workers (22%).
The number
of employees getting their benefit information from departmental personnel/payroll
representatives and the Benefit’s website has increase by 11% compared to 2006
and fewer employees are asking their co-workers. In terms of how employees like to receive
their benefit information, 54.2% prefer printed material over using websites to
receive their benefit information. Please
see Addendum C to for complete
listing of all responses
Questions
surrounding retirement were newly added to the 2008 survey. Based upon the answers, there appears to be an
opportunity to improve education on the topic of retirement. Of the employees that responded, 29.9% felt
like they were saving adequately towards retirement, 26.9% did not know if
their savings were adequate, while almost half did not feel they were savings
adequately. Therefore the responses indicate
a large segment of the part-time respondents would benefit from more in depth
education on their START Retirement Plan.
The majority
of those not enrolled in the START Retirement Plan are not participating
because either, they do not understand what the plan provides, or they do not
want to see another payroll deduction.
Although the County has made an effort to educate employees through a
number of services, part-time employees do not appear to be taking advantage of
the resources available to them. Only
22.1% of the responding population has attended a START Retirement Plan
workshop/seminar and only 20% have visited with an ING representative. As indicated in the chart below, a
significant number of employees do not have a good understanding of certain
components of the START Retirement Plan.
How well do you understand the
components of the START Retirement Plans?
|
START Retirement
Component |
Don’t Understand1 |
|
Catch
Up Provisions |
49.2% |
|
Tax
issues associated with contributions/withdrawals |
46.9% |
|
Contribution
Limits |
39.3% |
|
Ability
to change investment options |
37.9% |
|
County
matching contributions |
36.9% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses
Wellness
For the
first time, the County surveyed employees about the various wellness benefits
offered over the last three years. Although
part-time employees are not eligible for the County’s medical plan, based on
survey responses part-time County employees appear to be making an effort to
control the ever-rising cost of health care.
92.4% of respondents report using generics and over the counter
prescriptions whenever possible, 86.4% reported their annual check ups and 80.3%
believe to be living a healthy lifestyle.
Only 29.4%
of responding part-time employees completed the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) in
2007, with the number one reason for non-completion being employees did not
know the HRA was open to part-time employees.
Some additional reasons for not completing the HRA include that there is
no incentive, since part-time employees are not eligible for the medical plan,
as well as privacy. Of those employees
who completed the HRA, 57.9% did so for personal health reasons; however, many
employees not completing the HRA did indicate receiving annual checkups through
other means.
It seems
that a majority of the employees are aware of the County’s Wellness program
based on the responses. Certain wellness
programs including flu vaccinations, wellness fairs and fitness classes have a
great level of awareness.
Unfortunately
80.7% of the respondents are willing to see wellness programs reduced in return
for the inclusion of medical and dental benefits as part of the part-time
employee benefits package. Although most
part-time employees are pleased (79%) that the County is initiating wellness
programs to assist in improving personal health, some voiced concern that
wellness benefits are being initiated at the expense of other benefits, in
particular medical and dental benefits.
Awareness of programs that
promote healthy living
|
Wellness Programs |
Response Percent1 |
|
Flu Vaccinations |
90.3% |
|
Wellness Fairs |
67.7% |
|
County Sponsored
Fitness Classes |
64.5% |
|
Lunch and Learn |
56.5% |
|
Nutrition Program |
45.2% |
|
Lab Screenings |
43.5% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses
Summary
The data
collected in the 2008 Employee Benefit Survey will be used by OFM-Benefits and
subsequent committees to evaluate current benefit offerings and address the
needs and concerns of a diverse population when making benefit decisions. The survey communicates to our employees that
we are concerned about the value and quality of services provided to our
employees and that the County wishes to maximize the investment we are making
in employee benefits.
An analysis
of the top 5 benefits of importance shows that employees are very satisfied
(scores of 84% or above) with the current fixed holiday plan, the sick plan,
and vacation plan. The bereavement leave
and the 401(a) supplemental plan increased in importance with strong scores of 87%
and 84% respectively. All three leave
plans (fixed, sick, and vacation) continue to score high (scores of 80% or
above) in satisfaction among the respondents.
Currently, part-time employees are not eligible for personal holidays,
but a third of the respondents ranked personal holidays as a top three request
of non-offered benefits.
Although the
vacation plan drew an 80% employee satisfaction rating, many respondents
requested that a different tier system be provided to employees whose position
is budgeted for more than 20 hours a week.
Currently, all part-time employees are provided leave accruals based on
20 hour scheduled work week, but many respondents believe the tier is unfair to
employees scheduled to work more hours in a year. The County has a good number of part-time
employees that are scheduled at 24, 28, 30, and 32 hour work week schedules.
Of
non-benefits offered, respondents ranked medical (68%) and dental (61%) plans
as benefits they would like to see the County offer to part-time
employees. Interestingly, if these plans
were offered, only 47% of the respondents stated they would be willing to pay
to a larger share of the benefit than a full-time employee.
Additionally,
employees are looking to better understand the County’s two deferred
compensation plans. This also correlates
with the data showing that a significant number of employees are looking to the
County to provide financial planning services along with long-term care alternatives. As a result, County management has, in recent
years, been promoting to employees the need to plan for and save for the
future. The primary areas of concern
amongst employees dealt with retirement planning.
The issues
and concerns that are identified in this survey are in line with the message
that County management has been promoting in terms of employees need to plan
and save for their future. Almost all of
the benefit offerings mentioned by employees as concerns are associated with
retirement planning.
Addendum A –
Survey Demographics
Survey Respondents
|
Age < 30 |
Age 31-40 |
Age 41-50 |
Age 51-60 |
Age 60 > |
Age 41-60 |
|
13.3% |
8.8% |
32.4% |
35.3% |
10.3% |
67.7% |
Participation Rates
|
2004 Participation
Rate |
2006 Participation
Rate |
2008 Participation
Rate |
|
17.4% |
15% |
27% |
Family Demographics
|
Married w/
dependents |
Married w/o
dependents |
Single |
Single w/
dependents |
|
41.2% |
25% |
26.5% |
7.4% |
Years Employed
|
Years < 1 |
Years 1- 3 |
Years 4 - 9 |
Years 10 - 15 |
Years 16 > |
|
10.3% |
22.1% |
38.2% |
14.8% |
14.7% |
Annual Salary
|
< $19,999 |
$20,000 - $29,999 |
$30,000 - $39,999 |
$40,000 - $49,999 |
$50,000 > |
|
58.8% |
29.4% |
8.8% |
2.9% |
0.0% |
Household Income
|
< $29,999 |
$30,000 - $49,999 |
$50,000 - $74,999 |
$75,000 - $99,499 |
$100,000 - $149,499 |
$150,000 > |
|
21% |
12.9% |
22.6% |
21% |
19.4% |
3.2% |
Addendum B –
Benefit Importance and Satisfaction
Employee’s Level of
Importance
|
Level of
Importance |
Benefit |
2008 Response
Percent1 |
|
1. |
Fixed
Holidays and Personal Holidays |
97.1% |
|
2. |
Vacation
Leave |
97% |
|
3. |
Sick
Leave |
97% |
|
4. |
Bereavement
Leave |
87.7% |
|
5. |
401(a)
Supplemental START Retirement Plan |
84.8% |
|
6. |
457(b)
Deferred Compensation START Retirement Plan |
83.6% |
|
7. |
Employer
Paid Term Life Insurance |
80.3% |
|
8. |
Vision
Plan |
76.2% |
|
9. |
Medical
Plan |
75% |
|
10. |
Dental
Plan |
73.1% |
|
11. |
Voluntary
Short Term Disability |
60.9% |
|
12. |
Flexible
Savings Account |
60.6% |
|
13. |
Educational
Reimbursement |
60.5% |
|
14. |
Voluntary
Group Term Life Insurance |
57.6% |
Comparison of Top Six
Benefits by Importance (2006 – 2008)
|
2006 Survey
Results |
2008 Survey
Results |
||||
|
Level
of Importance |
Benefit |
Response
Percent |
Level
of Importance |
Benefit |
Response
Percent1 |
|
1. |
Sick
Leave |
89.2% |
1. |
|
97.1% |
|
2. |
Vacation
Leave |
89.2% |
2. |
Vacation
Leave |
97% |
|
3. |
|
89.2% |
3. |
Sick
Leave |
97% |
|
4. |
Medical
Plan |
59.5% |
4. |
Bereavement
Leave |
87.7% |
|
5. |
Bereavement
Leave |
51.4% |
5. |
401(a)
Supplemental Retirement Plan |
84.8% |
|
6. |
Dental
Plan |
43.2% |
6. |
457(b)
Deferred Compensation Retirement Plan |
83.6% |
|
7. |
County
Provided Life |
40.5% |
7. |
County
Provided Life |
80.3% |
|
8. |
Deferred
Compensation |
37.8% |
8. |
Vision
Plan |
76.2% |
|
9. |
Vision
Plan |
33.3% |
9. |
Medical
Plan |
75% |
|
10. |
Educational
Reimbursement |
22.2% |
10. |
Dental
Plan |
73.1% |
|
11. |
Voluntary
Short Term Disability |
19.4% |
11. |
Voluntary
Short Term Disability |
60.9% |
|
12. |
Voluntary
Group Life |
11.4% |
12. |
Flexible
Savings Account |
60.6% |
|
13. |
Supplemental
Retirement |
10.3% |
13. |
Educational
Reimbursement |
60.5% |
|
|
|
|
14. |
Voluntary
Group Term Life Ins. |
57.6% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses
Employee’s Level of
Satisfaction (2004 – 2008)
|
|
2004 Results1 |
2006 Results1 |
2008 Results
Percent1 |
|
Sick
Leave |
67.4% |
72.2% |
85.1% |
|
|
31.6% |
77.8% |
83.8% |
|
Vacation
Leave |
67.4% |
75% |
80.9% |
|
Employer
Paid Term Life |
N/A |
52.8% |
76.5% |
|
457(b)
Differed Compensation |
N/A |
47.2% |
68.1% |
|
401(a)
Supplemental Retirement |
N/A |
41.7% |
66.3% |
|
Bereavement
Leave |
56.1% |
57.2% |
65.1% |
|
Access
Discount Vision Plan |
N/A |
64.7% |
31.9% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses
Addendum C – Other
Benefit Interests and Education
If all benefits were
offered, ranking of how likely you would be to enroll.
|
Benefit |
Very Likely
Percent1 |
|
Medical
Plan |
68.2% |
|
Dental
Plan |
65.2% |
|
Vision
Plan |
62.7% |
|
Flexible
Savings Account (MedBank/Dependent Care) |
39.4% |
|
Voluntary
Short Term Disability |
28.1% |
|
Voluntary
Group Term Life Insurance |
24.6% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses
Non-offered Benefits
of Interest
|
Benefit |
Response Total1 |
|
Long Term Care
Insurance |
34% |
|
Financial Planning |
28% |
|
Prepaid Legal |
18% |
|
Identity Theft
Insurance |
18% |
|
Whole Life
Insurance |
16% |
|
Repaired Take Home
Meals |
16% |
|
Additional
Discount on the “JO” |
11% |
|
Concierge Services |
10% |
|
Pet Insurance |
10% |
|
Elder Care |
9% |
|
|
7% |
|
Sick Child Day
Care |
7% |
|
Adoption
Assistance |
1% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses
How Benefit
Information is Received
|
Benefit
Communication |
2004 Response Percent |
2006 Response Percent |
2008 Response Percent1 |
|
Department
Personnel/Pay Representative |
23.7% |
25% |
36.8% |
|
Benefit
Division Website |
10.5% |
13.9% |
25% |
|
Co-workers |
34.2% |
38.9% |
22.1% |
|
Vendor Communication (printed, website, etc.) |
21.1% |
8.3% |
20.6% |
|
Benefits
Divisions Staff |
0% |
2.8% |
11.8% |
|
Open
Enrollment Guide/Meetings |
10.5% |
11.1% |
10.3% |
1 - 2008 survey allowed multiple responses