Research by HR, benefits and payroll software provider Ciphr has revealed that paid sick leave (company sick pay) is the employee benefit that people value most. This is followed by pay rises that match or exceed inflation, flexible working hours, pension contribution matching and extra holiday allowance.
The full results are below, including a comparison between what benefits and incentives UK employers offer their staff and what employees rate as being most important to them.
Employee benefits: What women want, what men want
The employee benefits and incentives that matter most to different age groups
Employee benefits: what employees value vs what employers offer
Notes
This research includes the results of two surveys commissioned by Ciphr and conducted by OnePoll. The survey of 2,000 UK employees ran in February 2026. The survey of 300 HR decision-makers (employed at UK organisations) ran in July 2025. Both surveys included similar questions on the topic of employee benefits and incentives.
Respondents taking the employee survey were asked:
- Which, if any, of the following financial benefits are important to you?
- What types of leave or time-off benefits are important to you?
- Which flexible or remote working options are important to you?
- Which, if any, of the following health and wellbeing benefits or family or life benefits are important to you?
- Which, if any, of the following professional development opportunities are important to you?
- What lifestyle or perk-related benefits are important to you?
Respondents taking the HR/employers survey were asked:
- Which, if any, of the following financial benefits are available to all employees in your organisation?
- What types of leave or time-off benefits are available to all employees?
- Which flexible or remote working options are available to all employees?
- Which, if any, of the following health and wellbeing benefits or family or life benefits are available to all employees?
- Which, if any, of the following professional development opportunities are available to all employees?
- What lifestyle or perk-related benefits are available to all employees?
- Are there any other benefits your organisation offers to all employees that haven’t been listed above?
Fair use statement: If you are interested in sharing these statistics, or quoting this study in an article, please include a link to this infographic page and credit Ciphr. Thanks.
Author: Emma-Louise Jones
This infographic was published in April 2026. It replaced an earlier version published in May 2022.
To read the key findings from the 2022 survey:
New poll reveals the benefits and perks that employees value most