NU Online News Service, June 24, 10:10 a.m. – Although most employers now offer online access to health care or retirement benefits, these initial efforts aren’t connecting yet with employees, finds a new survey by Cigna Corp., Philadelphia.
Eighty percent of employees say they’re still not able to manage their benefits online, according to the workplace survey.
“Online Disconnect: Matching Web Benefits To Real Employee Needs,” sampled 1,000 employees over age 18 and 200 employers nationwide.
Among the findings: There are significant gaps between what employers offer and what employees want in their online benefits.
While 57% of employers surveyed believe their employees are able to access Web-based benefits services online, only 20% of employees indicate they are able to use online services to manage their benefits.
Most employees indicate they are still processing benefits by mailing paper forms (67%), interacting with a phone system (53%) or working with benefits managers (58%).
The survey found that slightly more than half of workers are very or somewhat concerned about the management of their benefits, given recent news around corporate failures, stock losses and pressures on the nation’s health care system.
Nearly half of workers with online access are now interested in taking a more active role in managing their health care and retirement benefits.
The survey also found that baby boomers are the most interested and active users of the Web to manage health and retirement issues, surpassing tech-savvy “Generation Y” workers ages 18 to 29 in embracing online tools.