4 in 10 employees grade their benefits a 'C' or lower

Employees are looking for company benefits and policies that support their families, and they're willing to leave their current jobs to find them. 

Survey results from family benefits platform Ovia Health by Labcorp revealed that 94% of working parents want family-friendly benefits, but 62% do not classify their employer as family-friendly, with 43% giving their benefit plans a grade of "C" or lower. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they would leave their job for another with family benefits that better fit their needs. 

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Some benefits are more common than others, but none are universal. Around half of the 2,000 working parents surveyed said they have access to parental leave and 37% said they have mental health offerings. There is a wider gap in other areas of support such as flexibility (30%), family-building services such as IVF and IUI (15%), child care help (12%) maternity management care (7%) and pregnancy loss leave (5%). But demand for all of these benefits remains high: Nearly 80% of respondents said stronger flexibility policies are a must, 67% said they want more child care support and 53% placed a high value on both maternity management care and pregnancy loss support.  

"When we think about parental leave, people are generally associating it with the birth of a baby, but 10-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage," says Dr. Jenny Carrillo, president of Ovia Health.  "[Additionally], maternal mortality rates are on the rise, and discouragingly so for Black and Native American mothers. Providing better maternity management support is critical in identifying risk and intervening."

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Along with fertility benefits, there is a growing demand for family-building offerings such as adoption, foster and surrogacy support, which 38% of respondents said was important but only 5-14% of employees have access to, according to the report. When putting together the most impactful benefits plan, employers should focus on comprehensive and unbiased support, says Dr. Carrillo.  

"Irrespective of how employees are choosing to build a family, make sure that everything is equitable," she says. "Pregnancy among people in their 30s and 40s is on the rise, and thankfully, same-sex couples are able to speak more openly about their intentions to build their families. There's more of a need for alternative family-planning support."

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To round out a great family benefits package, employers can also look at nutrition, health screenings, and menopause support — all of which contribute to their employees' holistic wellness throughout their time with the company. When an organization's commitment to the health of its workforce is clear, a family-friendly culture is created and people want to stick around.

"[Employers] can help individuals navigate through all of life's journeys," says Dr. Carrillo. "Let's dig in and make sure we're offering the right kind of benefits to ensure we're creating the kind of environment we want for our employees."