The Value Employers Are Failing To Communicate – 67% Of Staff Don’t Know What’s Included In Their Benefits

We help businesses of all shapes and sizes reward their staff 🚀
01/05/2025
7 mins

Our 2025 Drewberry Employee Benefits and Workplace Satisfaction Survey reveals a staggering 67% of UK staff either don’t know about or don’t use the additional services included in their core benefits.

That means two-thirds of the workforce are missing out on support that could improve their health, finances, and overall wellbeing. Yet support is going unnoticed. So, what’s going wrong? What can employers do to turn things around?

Communication Breakdown: A Silent Perk Is A Wasted Perk

You could have the most generous benefits package in your industry, but if only a handful of your staff know about it, its perceived value plummets. Our survey found that only 12% of employees are truly satisfied with their benefits package. And communication is the common thread.

Just 11% of Employees Get Ongoing Benefits Updates

Only 11% of employees say they receive regular communication around their benefits, and benefits can’t deliver value if they’re introduced during onboarding and never mentioned again. People typically need to hear a message seven times before they take action. So a single email or HR handbook entry won’t cut it.

When asked ‘How often do you receive communication about your benefits?’

  • 34% said ‘Sometimes’
  • 25% said ‘Never’
  • 22% said ‘Only when joining the company’
  • 11% said ‘Regularly’.

Employees Don’t Understand Their Benefits

The data is clear: only 36% of employees claim to fully understand their benefits. With employers not effectively communicating the value of their rewards package, it’s no wonder that nearly two-thirds of employees either misunderstand or are unaware of the support that’s in place.

Additional Benefits Are Being Overlooked

And the consequences are far from trivial. Many group insurance policies such as (Life Insurance and Income Protection) now include access to services such as Virtual GPs, bereavement counselling, and mental health support – resources that can significantly ease the burden of day-to-day stress. Yet 67% of employees don’t know these services exist or have never used them.

Even worse, when asked why they hadn’t accessed these services, 39% of respondents said they either forgot, didn’t realise they had them, or didn’t know how to access them. These are high-impact features built into the very benefits designed to support employee wellbeing – and they’re gathering dust.

Read more about the top free services that come with employee benefits.

What’s Being Missed? The Valuable Perks That Are Going Unused

Some of the most useful perks are also the least utilised. In some cases, employers may not even realise the hidden value in their offering.

Additional Services Your Employees Don’t Know About

Here are some of the most important services that are often overlooked.

  • Virtual GP services
    Virtual GP services give employees access to healthcare professionals through either an app, website or helpline. These services make booking appointments easier than ever and give employees more flexibility when it comes to speaking with a GP
  • Bereavement and mental health support
    Timely and relevant, especially given that 90% of employees report workplace stress. Employees can use counselling services at any time for new or existing mental health issues. Some providers will extend the availability of counselling helplines to family members
  • Bereavement and probate services
    Probate support will help families sort through all of the practical issues that come after a loved one’s death. The service can assist with issues ranging from tax and legal advice to the settlement of outstanding debts, saving families unnecessary stress
  • Employee Discount Schemes
    Seeing as 1 in 4 employees wouldn’t last a month on their current savings, an Employee Discount Scheme can help tackle the cost-of-living squeeze. From everyday essentials like groceries and clothing to bigger purchases like travel, electronics, or insurance, these discounts can help employees stretch their pay further.

Even core benefits like enhanced pensions are underappreciated. Despite 37% of employees listing improved pension contributions as their most-wanted perk, communication around these long-term financial tools remains minimal. You can read more about what employees want from their pension in our 2025 Workplace Pensions Survey.

The Risks of Silence: What It’s Costing Your Business

Many employees chasing “better benefits” elsewhere might already have them – they just don’t know it. A lack of benefits awareness can lead staff to jump ship for what they believe is a better offer, unaware that they may actually be worse off in the long run.

53% of employees are open to changing jobs in the next 12 months.

  • 42% No
  • 33% If the right opportunity came up
  • 20% Yes

32% specifically say they would leave for better benefits.

Don’t Just Offer Benefits — Talk About Them

If you want your benefits to make a real impact, communication needs to be a core part of your benefits strategy. And it doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are three steps to get started:

  • Create a benefits communication calendar
    Benefits shouldn’t be a once-a-year HR task. Plan regular, varied touchpoints throughout the year – emails, team briefings, intranet features, one-on-one chats
  • Use real-life examples
    Highlight case studies or testimonials from employees who’ve benefited from using a Virtual GP or who’ve saved money through an Employee Discount Scheme. It makes the value real
  • Centralise access with a benefits platform
    A benefits platform centralises everything in one place, giving employees easy access to view, understand, and manage their benefits. It simplifies admin, enables consistent communication, and helps you embed benefits into the everyday employee experience
  • Show the full value with a Total Reward Statement
    A total reward statement clearly shows employees everything they receive — from salary and pension contributions to everyday perks, wellbeing support, and often-overlooked extras. It gives you a powerful tool to demonstrate the full scope of your benefits package and helps your people recognise and value everything you provide
  • Pulse surveys and feedback loops
    Don’t just assume what’s working – ask! Use quarterly check-ins or mini surveys to gauge understanding and satisfaction (or check benefits engagement levels via your employee benefits platform). Then adjust your approach accordingly.

To drive real engagement, you must treat communication as a core part of your benefits strategy — not a one-off task. Make your benefits impossible to miss by actively bringing them to life: show employees how each offering supports their needs, explain how to access them, and highlight the value they deliver.

Use storytelling to make benefits relatable, simplify access through clear channels, and give employees a complete view of their total package. Back this up with regular feedback and a commitment to evolve your approach. The result? A benefits experience employees understand, use, and genuinely appreciate.

Don’t Let Good Benefits Go to Waste

Your employee benefits are a frontline tool for improving wellbeing, loyalty, and performance. If your team doesn’t see the value in their perks, the problem may not be what you’re offering, but how you’re telling the story.

At Drewberry, we not only help UK businesses design competitive benefits packages, but also deliver them in ways employees understand and engage with. From benchmarking to ongoing communications support, we ensure your benefits are known, used, and appreciated. Call us on 02074425880 or email help@drewberry.co.uk to talk through your options.

Why Speak to Us?

We started Drewberry™ because we were tired of being treated like a number.

We all deserve a first class service when it comes to things as important as protecting our health and our finances. Below are just a few reasons why it makes sense to talk to us.

Contact Us

Head Office
7th Floor Corn Exchange
55 Mark Lane
London
EC3R 7NE
Personal Insurance & Accounts Payable
Telecom House
125-135 Preston Road
Brighton
BN1 6AF
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If you are unhappy with our service, we have a complaints procedure, details of which are available upon request. If you are unhappy with how your complaint has been dealt with, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS website is www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.

Drewberry is a trading name of Brown & Brown Health and Employee Benefits Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. FCA Number 312878. Registered in England and Wales (company number 3910149). Registered address: 7th Floor, Corn Exchange, 55 Mark Lane, London, EC3R 7NE.

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