"Benefits are one of the ways how companies retain current employees, differentiate themselves from the competition or attract new talents. That is the reason why it is good to know where the company stands among its competitors and whether it keeps up with the market. Aon Benefit Survey is a great tool to get this overview," says Ján Debnár, Engagement Practice Manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia from Aon HR Solutions.

The first of the areas surveyed were flexible benefits. These allow employees to choose from the package only those benefits that they want or need. It may have a form of cafeteria plans or other means that allows a flexible choice of benefits. It was revealed that while flexible benefits are provided by more than a half of companies in the Czech Republic, it is only 34% on the Slovak market. "Compared to last year, the provision of flexible benefits has only grown in the Czech Republic – by 13 percentage points," explains Ján Debnár. In both countries, the most frequent benefit offered in the flexible benefits framework is education.

Supplementary pension plan is one of the most used financial benefits, and, at the same time, a popular saving tool. In the Czech Republic, more than 70% of the company provides employees with the supplementary pension plan, and half of them require a contribution from employees. In Slovakia, this benefit is provided by more than 50% of employers.
 

Furthermore, the survey focused on life insurance cover, which is used to financially protect employees and their families in case of unfortunate life events. Life insurance is a cover against the risk of death, and in its extended form it can also cover disability, accidents, dread diseases and others. This benefit is more common on the Czech market, where it is provided by 56% of companies compared to 23% of companies in Slovakia. In Slovakia, on the other hand, the accident insurance provided in addition to life insurance is more widespread – it is offered by more than two thirds of companies on the market. Compared to 2017, there is an increase in this benefit’s provision in both countries - 14% in the Czech Republic, 4% in Slovakia.

Another surveyed benefit is supplementary medical care and related above-standard medical services, which, apart from the health care, also save time and increase work productivity. Supplementary medical care is provided by approximately one third of companies in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A slight increase is observed on the Czech market compared to last year, when the supplementary medical care was provided by 22% of employers.

Aon Benefit Survey then focused on employee perquisites that make companies more attractive, and help to create more pleasant and enjoyable work environment and work itself. The vast majority of Czech and Slovak companies organizes company events for their employees, provides them with education including language courses, and offers free drinks at the workplace. Although the provision of meals or meal vouchers is not compulsory in the Czech Republic, this perquisite has become a standard. Another attractive employee perquisite are sick days, which are provided by almost 60% of Czech companies, compared to less than 30% of companies in Slovakia. The prevalence of sick days has risen in the Czech Republic since 2017 – the number of companies providing days-off for a short-term illness increased by 13%. Employees in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are rewarded for the long-term cooperation and are also given various gifts for life jubilee – the financial reward is the most common one.

Several curiosities appeared among the benefits and employee perquisites provided in 2018. As a benefit or perquisite employers listed a playroom, a reward for zero absence, a day off on the occasion of the first school day of employee’s child, a dog-friendly office, or a financial bonus for Christmas carp.

Graph 1: Participants of Aon Benefit Survey 2018 in the Czech Republic by headcount, 209 companies

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Graph 2: Participants of Aon Benefit Survey 2018 in Slovakia by headcount,
111 companies

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Graph 3: Participants of Aon Benefit Survey 2018 in the Czech Republic by industry

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Graph 4: Participants of Aon Benefit Survey 2018 in Slovakia by industry

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About Aon Benefit Survey

Aon Benefit Survey is a unique tool for mapping the offer of benefits and employee perquisites on the Czech and Slovak markets. Survey reports are available in two levels of detail. The basic report contains aggregated data covering all companies in the country that participated in the survey. The detailed report provides detailed answers to all questions surveyed, either for the country or for the selected group of companies according to the client's wishes and data availability (e.g. by industry or company size).

About Aon

Aon is a leading global provider of HR and risk management solutions. Within HR, we help companies achieve better business results, cut costs and reduce risks through their employees.

Aon is the author of the Aon Best Employers study methodology. The Aon Best Employers study measures indicators that lead to a high degree of employee engagement and sustainable business results. Using consistent methodology, we evaluate and recognize outstanding employers, anywhere in the world.

For more information on Aon Benefit Survey and Aon Best Employers, visit www.bestemployers.cz.