New Survey from Gallagher Benefit Services Identifies Cost Control as the Top Employee Benefits Issue for Employers

ITASCA, Ill., Sept. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. today announced the release of its 2013 Benefits Strategy and Benchmarking Survey to support employers' year-end decision making and long-term strategic planning.

Nearly one thousand organizations across the country participated in this unique survey, creating a thorough and detailed collection of data. For ease of interpretation, the results can be accessed in two parts. First, key insights are designed to equip decision makers with critical information to support in-depth discussion and informed choices about the future of their employee benefits program. Second, benchmarking data will enable comparisons by industry, region, organization revenue, organization type and number of employees for medical benefits, dental benefits, life insurance, wellness programs, retirement plans, paid-time-off policies, voluntary benefits and more.

"A consistent theme emerged from the survey," said Sean Schubert, Vice President, Sales and Marketing. "Finding the right balance between maintaining an engaged workforce and effectively managing the total cost of that workforce was a key focus for all organizations." Controlling costs was the top benefits issue, with more than 80% of organizations ranking it among their top three challenges, followed by handling the implications of healthcare reform and keeping employees healthy. The results also showed that the top three benefit management challenges were strategic planning, employee communications, and wellness and health risk management.

According to Schubert, "The survey insights and benchmarking data should help employers effectively make near-term decisions and guide their intermediate and long-term strategic planning – something especially needed in today's challenging economic environment."

The survey results are available in several different formats, each with different levels of detail, including an Executive Summary, a Full Report and Custom Reports. To learn more about the survey and request a copy of the results, visit http://www.gallagherbenefits.com/2013nbs.

Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. (GBS), a subsidiary of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG), is one of the leading employee benefits brokers and consultants. GBS delivers a full range of employee benefits services, including benefits strategy, plan design and management, financial planning, actuarial, data analysis and benchmarking, retirement brokerage and consulting, and human resource services.

SOURCE Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc.