Colonial Life Survey Shows Personal Benefits Counseling Improves Understanding

Published on Thursday, 02 February 2012 15:34 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

COLUMBIA, S.C.-( Business Wire )-

Virtually all employees who participate in one-to-one benefits counseling sessions during enrollment say they have a greater understanding of the benefits their employers offer.

Latest results of an ongoing post-enrollment survey by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company show that 96 percent who take part in individual benefits counseling sessions say they better understand their benefits.¹ These results reflect the collective opinion of more than 15,000 workers in the United States. Forty-seven percent of employees say the benefits counseling sessions significantly improved their understanding.

The same survey shows 98 percent of employees believe having annual one-to-one benefits counseling sessions is important, with 63 percent saying it’s very important.

“Today, more than ever, employers need to gain maximum value from the benefits they provide,” says Randy Horn, president & CEO of Colonial Life. “The investment made in providing a strong benefits package is lost if employees don’t understand and appreciate what they’re offered. These surveys show that personal counseling during a benefits enrollment session clearly enhances understanding, which is good news for employers and employees.”

Employers spend a lot of money providing benefits for their employees, yet research shows the vast majority of them don’t think their employees really understand their benefits packages. In fact, less than 19 percent of employers think their employees have a very good understanding of their benefits. And nearly 5 percent think their employees know nothing at all about their benefits.²

“Employers that provide good benefits communication and education through one-to-one counseling can feel better knowing their efforts are making a difference,” says Horn. “With an overall employee satisfaction rate of 94 percent, one-to-one benefits counseling offers employers confidence that enrollers are actually educating their workforce—not simply selling products.”

Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company is a market leader in providing insurance benefits for employees and their families through their workplace, along with individual benefits education, advanced yet simple-to-use enrollment technology and quality personal service. Colonial Life offers disability, life and supplemental accident and health insurance policies in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Similar policies, if approved, are underwritten in New York by a Colonial Life affiliate, The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, Worcester, Mass. Colonial Life is based in Columbia, S.C., and is a subsidiary of Unum Group, one of the world’s leading providers of employee benefits.

For more information about Colonial Life, call the company at (803) 798-7000 or visit www.ColonialLife.com

¹ Results based on an online, post-enrollment survey of more than 15,000 employees conducted by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company since January 2010.

² Colonial Life, SHRM National Conference Survey, July 2009.

Colonial LifeJeanne Reynolds, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.