Employee Benefits is a simple term.  Everyone knows what it means to them.  That’s right. Depending on who you are, what your position is, where you work, if you have family, and how old you are your attitude and understanding of Employee Benefits is different.

Some of us think that the only employee benefit we need is a paycheck.  Give us our money and let us decide what we want to do with it.  Many of us gripe about state and federal income taxes, social security deductions (another tax), local employment taxes, and every other deduction that comes out of our pay.

There are only a few deductions that we actually have much to say about.  Not the taxes. They are coming out at a rate set by someone else.  Some of us have some control about how much of our pay will be deferred to fund our own retirement beyond Social Security.

The only deductions that are within our own purview are the ones we allow to fund the various voluntary benefits available where we work.  This is limited by what is offered where we work.  Some companies will consider offering another benefit if enough of the employees request it.  But generally the only benefits offered are ones brought to the company by outside sources.  Few companies hunt for benefits.

If a company is large enough there will be insurance brokers soliciting it for the opportunity to present options to the employees.  Even in this scenario, it is not the employee who creates the need.  It is an outside agency appealing to the boss for access.  One business owner once said to me that he only offers health insurance because he must.  If he didn’t his people would leave for a competitor who does.  He won’t allow other product benefits because he doesn’t run a business so his employees can get sold something by someone else.

This is part of the current picture.  However, there are companies who want to do everything that they can reasonably do for their employees.  These companies recognize that their people are the reason the company can function.  They deal with the reality that their number one most important job is to find great people and keep them.

The last group of employers would be, in fact are, Trusted Sources.  These are the companies to locate and work with.  How do you find them?  Talk to people.  Those who are happy where they work could be your greatest referral.