Survey: Employers cutting benefit costs - Charlotte Business Journal:

tarpleypymibujuh1491.blogspot.com
“The responses indicate that as employers develop benefit planz for 2010 they are lookinb for ways to reduce benefit without furtherreducing benefits,” said Mariann Fazen, executive director of the association. “Surprisingly, many respondeds that they plan to increase theirwellness programs.” • Thirty-five percent of employers responded that they plan to increasew their wellness programs. • Companies identified as its two biggest concern s limitedbenefits budgets, and limited merit budgetr and bonus pools.
About 68% of companiex are concerned or very concerned about limited merit budgeft andbonus pools, and about 53% are concerned abouyt limited benefits budgets. • To weatherr the economic downturn, almost half of respondents are auditing or planning to audittheir employees’ dependent eligibilitg in order to reducr the number of individuala covered. And 41% plan to increase employer costs ofbenefit plans, while more than one-third have reduce d or are planning to reducw staff. • About 89% of employers believ that workers will respond to the economic downturb bydelaying retirement.
Also, 83% of employers say their workers are concernedd aboutjob security, and 42% think their employees have been impacter by low morale. The survey was submittede to the association's employer members and facilitaterd byin Houston. The association's 900-pluzs members represent a broad cross-section of benefits professional sin Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana. Missouri and Kansas, but are not limited to those