‘Good benefits’ seen as top priority for supporting employees

Of the 300 UK HR decision-makers polled, nearly half (46%) cited providing a good range of employee benefits as the top priority for employers. Even paying a good salary (42%) came further down the list of priorities, after ensuring a good workplace culture and a good life-work balance (both 45%).

Providing more training and career progression (42%), treating everyone fairly (41%), keeping people safe at work (40%), and giving employees job security (40%) also ranked highly for around two-fifths of respondents. 

Interestingly, and perhaps reflecting a shift in focus, offering remote or hybrid working is now seen as less of a priority than maintaining meaningful in-person connections among staff (27% vs 38% of those surveyed). 

What are the top priorities right now for employers regarding their workers?

• Providing a good range of employee benefits (46% of surveyed HR professionals)
• Ensuring a positive, respectful and healthy work environment / culture (45%)
• Providing flexible working / a good work-life balance for employees (45%)
• Paying a good / fair average wage (42%)
• Providing regular employee training, upskilling opportunities, and career advancement (42%)
• Ensuring all employees are treated fairly and equally, with no favouritism (41%)
• Protecting employees’ health and safety at work (40%)
• Providing job security to employees (40%)
• Supporting employees’ mental health and wellbeing at work (39%)
• Providing a good employee experience (39%)
• Maintaining good / meaningful in-person connections among employees (38%)
• Ensuring clear communication and transparency across the business (37%)
• Ensuring employees’ workloads are manageable (36%)
• Ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace (35%)
• Showing appreciation for and recognition of employees’ work (34%)
• Ensuring leaders / bosses act ethically and accountably (30%)
• Providing remote and/or hybrid working (27%)
• Reducing any gender pay gaps to zero (25%)
• Providing occupational sick pay (21%)
• Encouraging the ‘right to disconnect’ outside usual working hours (19%)

Karen Lough, director of people at Ciphr, says: “This research offers a timely snapshot of the priorities shaping HR agendas across the UK.

“With financial pressures mounting, it’s no surprise that many organisations are re-evaluating their employee value proposition (EVP) and placing a greater priority on benefits as a core part of their recruitment, retention, and recognition strategies. Benefits often offer more flexibility than salaries, giving employers the opportunity to be creative and responsive to employee needs while remaining cost-conscious.

“At Ciphr, we’re committed to providing a balanced package of core and voluntary benefits, which are valued by our people and financially sustainable. We’ve carefully considered what we can offer that delivers real value without significant cost, including perks like birthday leave, monthly self-care afternoons off, religious holiday swaps, and paid volunteer days. These initiatives may be no/low-cost, but they’re really beneficial in supporting employee wellbeing and play a vital role in helping to make Ciphr a great place to work.”

Phil Curtis, MD of Avantus Employee Benefits (part of the Ciphr Group), agrees that these survey findings aren’t unexpected. He says: “Employers who embrace flexible benefits – giving people greater autonomy to choose the benefits they genuinely want – have seen staff retention rates improve. So it’s no surprise that having a good range of employee benefits tops the list of priorities for UK employers looking to support their employees’ physical, mental and financial wellbeing.”
 
“A scattergun approach to reward strategy simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Experience tells us that job seekers have become progressively more discerning, especially since the pandemic. They look beyond the headline salary when weighing up employment opportunities, and they want to feel fairly rewarded for the value they bring to an organisation. Personalised benefits are an essential part of that.”
 
He adds: “Investing in new benefits and rewards can be a challenge but doesn’t necessarily need huge budgets. Much can be done without additional cost, especially when salary sacrifice benefits are introduced. It’s also worth revisiting the value of certain core benefits, as it may be possible to unlock budget in this area with some creative thinking, targeting spend more effectively.
 
“Employees aren’t always totally aware of what benefits they may already have access to. Regular internal comms can help remind them about any benefits they may have missed, while dynamic total reward statements are a great way to illustrate the true value of their benefits packages.”

Ciphr’s survey also revealed that the most pressing workplace issues for organisations in the year ahead include recruiting enough qualified workers, retaining existing talent, managing rising costs, meeting employees’ remote or hybrid working expectations, and using AI in their business. 

Ciphr commissioned OnePoll to conduct an independent survey of 300 HR decision-makers (employed at UK organisations). The survey ran between 22-28 July 2025. The full results are available at www.ciphr.com/infographics/challenges-and-priorities-for-employers-in-2026.

Ciphr is the go-to HR and payroll software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, benefits, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams, helping to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.

For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.

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Media enquiries:
Emma-Louise Jones, digital PR manager at Ciphr
e: ejones@ciphr.com

Chris Boddice, chief marketing officer at Ciphr
e: cboddice@ciphr.com
Website: www.ciphr.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ciphr

Notes:

Infographic: employers' top priorities when it comes to their workers (please credit and link to Ciphr.com): https://www.ciphr.com/hubfs/research-pr/top-10-priorities-for-employers-2026.png 

Ciphr commissioned OnePoll to conduct an independent survey of 300 UK HR decision-makers between 22-28 July 2025. Respondents were asked: ‘Which, if any, of the following do you think will be the biggest / most pressing workplace challenges facing your organisation over the next year / 12 months?’ and ‘In your opinion, which, if any, of the following are the biggest / top priorities right now for employers regarding their workers?’. Respondents could select all options that applied.

Survey sample: Over half (55%) of respondents are employed at SMEs in the UK with less than 250 employees. Two-fifths (45%) are at organisations with over 250 employees (of those, 10% work at enterprises with 1,500+ employees).

Ciphr is the go-to HR and payroll software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, benefits, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams, helping to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.

Ciphr Group is a privately held company backed by ECI Partners and headquartered in Reading. Over 230 employees work across the group, which includes Ciphr and Avantus, as well as previous acquisition Marshall E-Learning (now known as Ciphr eLearning).

Ciphr spokespeople are available to provide expert media comment on a broad range of topics, including HR strategy, people management, employee experience and wellbeing, payroll, benefits and rewards, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), learning and development, the future of work, tech trends, business and leadership, marketing, and more.