It isn't enough for workers to know that they're getting paid consistently and receiving employee benefits; they also want direct access to this information so that they can make the appropriate changes when, or if, they need to.
That's the takeaway from a newly released poll conducted by the American Payroll Association.
The annual APA survey, titled "Getting Paid in America," polled nearly 35,000 employees from all across the United States, asking respondents various questions about human resources-related topics that pertain to their work environment.
Direct access provided for most already
For the most part, according to the workers polled, employers are already getting what they want, which is direct access to their pay and benefits information. More than 8 in 10 said that their workplace enabled them to look at the details of their earnings online, via a self-service portal, APA reported from the poll. When respondents were asked how they most preferred to access their plan information, nearly 30 percent said that they preferred to use their mobile device, like a smartphone, laptop or tablet.
Scott Scherr, president and CEO of Ultimate Software, a human capital management firm that serves the business community, indicated that the survey reinforces what employers already know.
"People expect the ability to access and manage their pay, benefits, retirement information, and more – at any time and from any device," Scherr explained.
Shelley Ng, vice president of product management at Minneapolis-based HR software services firm Ceridian added that empowering employees with this kind of access is no longer an option but a necessity, particularly in today's hyperconnected society where reams of information are just a few button clicks away.
"With a single, real-time, human capital management application that offers direct access to key employee work and life information, administrative processing costs are reduced; organizational compliance is improved and employee engagement becomes easier," Ng said.
Most covered through work
Due in part to the Affordable Care Act – which requires business owners with at least 100 workers on staff to offer employee benefits to their full-time workers – most Americans with health insurance are covered through their workplace. Last year, nearly 90 percent of Americans had health insurance for all or part of the year, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Among those with health care, more than 55 percent had employment-based coverage. Nearly 20 percent had Medicaid, the second-largest health insurance sub-group.
The uninsured rate has dropped precipitously in most states as a result. For example, in Arkansas, only 9 percent of the state was uninsured through the first half of 2015, according to polling numbers provided by Gallup. That's down from 22.5 percent who were uninsured two years ago during the same six-month span. Other states where the uninsured rate has dropped by double-digits include Kentucky, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington.
Not a single state has reported a statistically significant uptick in the number of people without health insurance. Several have uninsured levels below 5 percent, including Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii and Minnesota.
