The Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM Employee Questions - First Quarter 2007
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Benefit Programs Offered at Businesses with 10 to 1,000 Employees
In Table 20 below, comparisons can be made with 5 previous year's benefit offerings. There are some significant differences between responses from this most recent quarter and 1st quarter 2006 – indicated with "SIG" below.
Table 20
"What types of benefit programs (excluding vacation/holidays) does your company currently offer you?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
Company Sponsored Primary Benefits |
1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE |
1 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2004 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
1 Qtr 2002 EE |
| Health Insurance | 94%SIG | 86% | 89% | 90% | 92% | 94% |
| Defined Contribution Plans | 69%SIG | 61% | 64% | 70% | 72% | 74% |
| Life Insurance | 67%SIG | 62% | 63% | 69% | 68% | 74% |
| Free Parking | 62%SIG | 58% | 56% | 60% | 57% | 63% |
| Disability Insurance | 45% | 45% | 47% | 52% | 52% | 55% |
| Tuition Reimbursement | 33%SIG | 24% | 28% | 35% | 34% | 42% |
| Flex Time | 27% | 26% | 23% | 28% | 30% | 24% |
| Profit Sharing/Bonus | 25% | 24% | 26% | 27% | 26% | 26% |
| Defined Benefit Plans | 18% | 21% | 19% | 20% | 24% | 28% |
| Stock Options | 9% | 9% | 9% | 11% | 12% | 9% |
| Financial Planning | 6%SIG | 10% | 10% | 11% | NA | NA |
| Personal Banking Services | 5%SIG | 9% | 7% | 8% | 10% | NA |
| Legal Services | 6% | 7% | 5% | 9% | NA | NA |
| Executive Benefits | 3% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% | NA |
| Child Care Subsidies | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| On-site Day Care | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 3% |
| Other | 5% | 6% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 9% |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Benefit Satisfaction
Upon identifying what benefits they are being offered through their employers, employees were asked to rate their satisfaction with some of the major benefits. Employees are most satisfied (rating of 8, 9 or 10 on a 10 point scale) with their defined benefit plan (64%), defined contribution plan (55%), disability insurance (55%), and their life insurance (53%). In comparing this quarter's results with previous years, there are notable differences in satisfaction levels for a variety of benefits indicated with "SIG". Only one benefit had a significant increase in satisfaction this quarter – Defined Benefit Plans when compared with 1st quarter 2006. Table 21 illustrates all benefits listed and ratings.
Table 21
"Although you may have mentioned more than appear below, you indicated that you have the following benefit program(s) through your company. Using a scale from "1" to "10", where "1" means Not At All Satisfied and "10" means Very Satisfied, please indicate how satisfied you are with each benefit program."
Percentages included in chart represent those rating satisfaction as an 8, 9 or 10.
Base: varies by benefit offered by employer
| Satisfaction with Benefit | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE |
1 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2004 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
1 Qtr 2002 EE |
| Defined Benefit Plans (N=241) | 64%SIG | 50% | 52% | 46% | 54% | 57% |
| Defined Contribution Plans (N=858) | 55% | 57% | 48% | 43% | 40% | 50% |
| Disability Insurance (N=577) | 55% | 51% | 44% | 38% | 42% | 47% |
| Life Insurance (N=827) | 53% | 49% | 48% | 40% | 42% | 50% |
| Profit Sharing/Bonus (N=290) | 52% | 49% | 55% | 38% | 38% | 38% |
| Health Insurance (N=1122) | 48% | 45% | 40% | 35% | 39% | 47% |
| Stock Options (N=98) | 44% | 50% | 43% | 32% | 44% | 30% |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Each employee respondent was asked to identify what benefits they would most like their employers to offer, aside from those already offered. As Table 22 shows, consistently we have seen defined benefit plans, profit sharing/bonus plans, and flexible work schedules topping the list of those desired.
Table 22
"Which one employee benefit do you most wish that your company would offer you (excluding vacation and holidays)?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Ranking | Benefits | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE |
1 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2004 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
1 Qtr 2002 EE |
| 1 | Defined Benefit Pension Plan | 23% | 21% | 22% | 22% | 17% | 23% |
| 2 | Profit Sharing/Bonus Plan | 16% | 14% | 14% | 16% | 11% | 15% |
| 3 | Flex time | 12% | 11% | 11% | 13% | 11% | 13% |
| 4 | Defined Contribution Plan | 9% | 7% | 9% | 7% | 7% | 4% |
| 4 | Tuition Reimbursement | 9% | 7% | 8% | 8% | 9% | 7% |
Aside from those benefits employees would like to see added to their employer's benefit programs, they were also asked to identify what benefits they would like to have improved upon. The top 2 benefits mentioned are health insurance (45%) and defined contribution plans (17%) – see Table 23 for additional detail.
Table 23
"Which one employee benefit (excluding vacation and holidays) do you most wish that your company would improve upon?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
Ranking |
Benefits | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE |
1 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2001 EE |
| 1 | Health Insurance | 45% | 43% | 43% | 40% |
| 2 | Defined Contribution Plan | 17%SIG | 13% | 16% | 25% |
| 3 | Profit Sharing/Bonus Plan | 6% | 6% | 5% | 9% |
| 4 | Defined Benefit Plan | 6% | 5% | 3% | 4% |
| 5 | Life Insurance | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Health Coverage Changes
As noted above, health insurance is the top benefit employees would like their employer to improve upon. To better understand what types of changes employees have seen recently in their health coverage, employees were asked to select from a list those changes they've seen in the past 12 months. Two out of five (42%) employees have not seen any of the changes occur in the last 12 months. As illustrated in Table 24, the largest proportion of employees who have seen changes have seen increases in co-pays (38%), deductibles (34%), and reduced medical benefit coverage options (13%). In comparing this quarter's results with those of 1st quarter 2006, there have been some significant changes as shown in Table 24.
Table 24
"Over the past 12 months, has your employer made any of the following changes in your health care coverage?"
Base: 1122 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees (employees with health insurance)
| Changes in Health Care Coverage | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE |
1 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2004 EE |
| Increased employee co-pays | 38% | 39% | 42% | 51% |
| Increased employee deductibles | 34% | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Reduced medical benefit coverage options | 13% | 14% | 16% | 21% |
| Offered additional medical benefit coverage options | 9% | 7% | 9% | 9% |
| Moved to HRA or MSA plans | 6%SIG | 4% | 3% | 5% |
| Eliminated retiree health care benefits | 2%SIG | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Eliminated employer-sponsored health care benefits | 1%SIG | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| None of these changes have occurred | 42% | 46% | 44% | 35% |
| N=1122 | N=1192 | N=986 | N= 1,116 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Benefit Importance
All employee respondents were asked to rate a group of benefits in terms of how important they are on a 10-point scale with 10 being "Very Important." As shown in Table 25, Health Insurance has seen a significantly higher importance level this quarter compared to last quarter (based on top 3 box importance ratings). Health Insurance and Defined Contribution plans are consistently rated as the top two most important benefits.
Table 25
"Using a scale from "1" to "10", where "1" means Not At All Important and "10" means Very Important, please indicate how important each benefit program is to you."
Percentages included in chart represent those rating importance as an 8, 9 or 10.
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Importance of Benefit Program | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE | 1 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2004 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
| Health Insurance | 91%SIG | 86% | 89% | 92% | 88% |
| Defined Contribution Plans | 72% | 68% | 73% | 74% | 70% |
| Defined Benefit Plans | 56% | 55% | 56% | 59% | 57% |
| Disability Insurance | 52% | 55% | 53% | 58% | 56% |
| Life Insurance | 44%SIG | 50% | 47% | 53% | 54% |
| Profit Sharing/Bonus | 43% | 44% | 45% | 47% | 41% |
| Stock Options | 17% | 20% | 19% | 20% | 18% |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Benefits for Recruiting & Retention
Firms with 10 to 1,000 employees offer employee benefits to aid in the recruiting and retaining of quality employees. To measure how employees react to the presence of good employee benefits, a series of agree statements were asked. There was a significant increase in the proportion of employees who agree that a good employee benefits plan encourages them to work harder and perform better and also a significant increase in employees feeling their company is concerned about their long-term financial future – see table 26.
Table 26
"Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements…"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Trending Comparison (% of respondents agreeing completely or somewhat) |
1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE |
1 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2004 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
1 Qtr 2001 EE |
| Having a good employee benefits plan encourages me to work harder and perform better. | 66%SIG | 62% | 67% | 71% | 64% | 59% |
| Having a good employee benefits plan keeps me working for my current company. | 62% | 59% | 62% | 60% | 62% | 75% |
| My company is concerned about my long-term financial future. | 29%SIG | 25% | 26% | 25% | 26% | 28% |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
- Female employees are significantly less likely than male employees to say their company is concerned about their long-term financial future (24% vs 33%).
Wage Increase or Higher Employer Match
Employees who have a defined contribution plan were asked if they would prefer a wage increase or higher employer match in their 401(k) plan (if the dollar amounts were the same). Almost six out of 10 (58%) would prefer a wage increase.
Table 27
"If the dollar amounts were the same, would you prefer to receive a wage increase or a higher employer match in your 401(k) plan?"
Base: 858 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who have a defined contribution plan
| Preference | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1st Qtr 2007 EE by age group | |||
| 18-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ | ||
| Wage Increase | 58% | 66% | 68% | 52% | 41% |
| Higher Employer Match | 42% | 34% | 32% | 48% | 59% |
- Significantly more employees in the 18-34 and 35-44 age groups than employees in the 45-54 and 55+ age groups said they would prefer a wage increase (66% & 68% versus 52% & 41%).
Corporate Bonuses
Three out of ten employees (31%) received a corporate bonus for 2006, significantly more than last year (25%). As shown in Table 29, the bonus was most often used to pay down or pay off short term debts (36%), purchase gifts during the holiday season (28%) and saved or invested (27%), similar to last year's responses. However, significantly more employees (8%) used their bonus for a big ticket item than last year (3%).
Table 28
"Did you receive a corporate bonus for 2006?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Corporate Bonus in 2006 | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2006 EE |
| Yes | 31%SIG | 25% |
| No | 69%SIG | 75% |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Table 29
"How did you use it?" Select all that apply.
Base: 374 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who did receive a corporate bonus for 2006
| Used Bonus to... | 1 Qtr 2007 | 1 Qtr 2006 |
| Pay down or pay off short-term debts | 36% | 35% |
| Purchased gifts during the holiday season | 28% | 31% |
| Save or invest the bonus | 27% | 24% |
| Spend on consumer products – clothing, electronics, etc. | 17% | 17% |
| Haven't spent it yet | 11% | 11% |
| Pay down or pay off longer-term debts | 11% | 6% |
| Spend on a big ticket item | 8%SIG | 3% |
| Other | 7% | 7% |
| Not Sure | 1% | 2% |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Employer Sponsored Financial Planning Services
Employees were asked if they would use financial planning services if sponsored by their employer. Three out of four would definitely or possibly use the service.
Table 30
"If financial planning services were sponsored by your employer, would you use the service?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Use a employer-sponsored financial planning service | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
2 Qtr 2006 EE |
2 Qtr 2002 EE |
| I would definitely use the service. | 24% | 24% | 24% |
| I would possibly use the service. | 53%SIG | 58% | 62% |
| I would not use the service. | 10% | 8% | 6% |
| Not Sure | 13%SIG | 9% | 9% |
| N=1181 | N=1100 | N=982 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Voluntary Benefits at the Workplace
In today's workplace, firms are faced with rising benefit costs and have elected to manage some of these costs by introducing voluntary benefits to their programs. Voluntary benefits are those available to the employee at some or full cost. To identify how common voluntary benefits are, employees were asked to identify what, if any, voluntary benefits their employers offer. The top noted voluntary benefits are Dental (58%), Vision (41%), Short-term Disability (36%), and Long-term Disability (33%). Table 31 below provides a complete list of Voluntary benefit offerings. Employees in companies of 10-50 employees are significantly more likely than employees in companies of 51 employees up to 1000 employees to say they have none of the voluntary benefits offered at their work place.
Aside from having access to Voluntary benefits, employees were asked if they'd purchased these voluntary benefits through their place of employment – 58% said they had purchased them (Table 32). As a follow-up question, employees were asked to identify what Voluntary benefits they purchased. The top purchased benefits were Dental (by 63%), Vision (37%), and Long-term Disability (25%) coverage.
Table 31
"Employers fund workplace benefits at varying levels – either funded partially or not at all (known as voluntary benefits). Voluntary benefits are made available for employees to elect at some cost to themselves. Employees often pay for these voluntary benefits through payroll deductions from their paycheck. Which of the following voluntary benefits are currently available at your workplace? Please select all that apply."
Voluntary Benefits |
1 Qtr 2007 EE |
2 Qtr 2005 EE |
1 Qtr 2007 EE | 2 Qtr 2005 EE |
| % with Available | % with Available | % purchasing benefit | % purchasing benefit | |
| Dental Coverage | 58% | 54% | 63% | 65% |
| Vision Coverage | 41%SIG | 37% | 37% | 34% |
| Short-term Disability | 36% | 34% | 24%SIG | 30% |
| Long-term Disability | 33% | 33% | 25% | 25% |
| Accidental Death & Dismemberment | 32% | 33% | 21% | 22% |
| Term Life Insurance | 29% | 27% | 18% | 20% |
| Group Universal Life Insurance | 18% | 21% | 15% | 17% |
| Long-term Care Insurance | 17% | 16% | 3% | 5% |
| Critical Illness Insurance | 12% | 11% | 7%SIG | 4% |
| Property & Casualty Insurance | 3% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
| Other | 5% | 4% | N/A | 3% |
| None | 14%SIG | 17% | 5% | 4% |
| Not Sure | 10%SIG | 13% | - | - |
| N=1181 | N=1,112 | N=545 | N=506 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Table 32
"Have you purchased any voluntary benefits through your place of work?"
Base: 900 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who are offered at least one voluntary benefit at work
| Purchased Voluntary Benefits | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
2 Qtr 2005 EE |
| Yes | 58% | 60% |
| No | 42% | 40% |
Employees were asked to rank order how they would prefer to learn more about voluntary benefit products. Written material was ranked number one by 29% of the employees, followed by one-on-one consultation with my benefit provider's representative (23%) and online information about the products (21%).
Table 33
"Please rank order the following methods regarding how you prefer to learn more about voluntary benefit products."
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Method to Learn More about Voluntary Benefits | % ranked #1 1 Qtr 2007 |
Average Ranking 1 Qtr 2007 |
| Written Material | 29% | 2.8 |
| One-on-one consultation with my benefit provider's representative | 23% | 3.1 |
| Online information about the products (via website) | 21% | 3.2 |
| One-on-one consultation with my company's representative | 19% | 3.1 |
| Telephone consultation with my benefit provider's representative | 5% | 4.3 |
| Telephone consultation with my company's representative | 4% | 4.4 |
Dealing with Employee Benefits Issues in the Workplace
Employees were asked how often they have to take some time at work to deal with employee benefits. At least one in five employees is dealing with employee benefit issues in the workplace at least once a month.
When asked which employee benefit activities employees are spending time on at work, 30% spend time looking up healthcare providers followed by 28% looking up health/wellness information on line.
Table 34
"On average, how often do you take some time at work to deal with your employee benefits?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Frequency of Time Taken at Work for Benefits | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
3 Qtr 2006 EE |
| At least once a day | 1% | 1% |
| At least once a week | 3% | 4% |
| At least once a month | 18% | 16% |
| At least once every three months | 18% | 17% |
| At least once every six months | 22% | 19% |
| At least once a year | 39%SIG | 44% |
| N=1181 | N=1360 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Table 35
"Which of the following activities have you spent time at work dealing with in the past year?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Activities Time was Spent on | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
| Looking up healthcare providers | 30% |
| Looking up health/wellness information on-line | 28% |
| Following up on claims or billing statements | 22% |
| Checking investment returns | 19% |
| Rebalancing 401(k) account | 17% |
| Flex reimbursement filings | 14% |
| Changing asset allocations | 14% |
| None of the above | 34% |
- Female employees are significantly more likely than male employees to say they spend time at work looking up healthcare providers and looking up health/wellness information on-line.
- Male employees are significantly more likely than female employees to say they spend time checking investment returns, rebalancing their 401(k) account and changing asset allocations at work.
Healthcare Benefit Costs
As shown in table 36, almost half (47%) of the employees said the cost of their share of employer-sponsored healthcare has increased in 2007. Table 37 shows how employees have covered the additional expense. The majority of the employees (64%) have been able to absorb the cost increase without making any changes in coverage. Twenty percent have reduced other personal expenses to cover the additional costs.
Table 36
"For 2007, has the cost of your share of your employer-sponsored healthcare benefit increased?"
Base: 1122 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who have medical insurance offered through employer
| Your cost of Employer-sponsored Healthcare increased | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
| No | 36%SIG | 30% |
| Yes | 47%SIG | 61% |
| Not Sure | 17%SIG | 10% |
| N=1122 | N=1391 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Table 37
"How will you (or did you) cover the additional healthcare benefit expense?"
Base: 522 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who have medical insurance offered through employer and have seen an increase
| Covered Additional Healthcare Expense by... | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
| Absorbed the cost increase-made no changes in coverage | 64% | 65% |
| Reduced other personal expenses | 20% | 19% |
| Elected less expensive medical plan/coverage option | 10% | 11% |
| Elected not to participate in other benefits (such as vision or dental coverage) | 7%SIG | 4% |
| Reduced amount contributed to company retirement plan | 1% | 2% |
| Other | 8% | 6% |
| N=522 | N=866 |
Salary Increase
Employees were asked if they anticipate receiving a raise from their employer in 2007. Sixty-five percent anticipate receiving or have already received a raise in 2007. Significantly fewer employees are not anticipating a raise (23%) than when this question was last asked in 2003 (29%).
Employees were asked what percent increase was expected/received, and the answered given by the largest percentage of employees (44%) was 3% to 4%.
Table 38
"Do you anticipate receiving a raise from your employer in 2007?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Expect a Raise in 2007 | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
| I have received a raise already | 16% | 17% |
| I anticipate a raise | 49%SIG | 41% |
| I do not anticipate a raise | 23%SIG | 29% |
| Not sure | 12% | 13% |
| N=1181 | N=1511 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Table 39
"What percent increase was your raise or do you anticipate it will be?"
Base: 775 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who received or anticipate a raise
| Percent Increase Expected | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
| 1 to 2% | 19% | 18% |
| 3 to 4% | 44% | 48% |
| 5 to 6% | 23% | 22% |
| 7 to 8% | 4% | 4% |
| 9 to 10% | 6% | 4% |
| More than 10% | 5% | 4% |
| N=775 | N=872 |
Length Of Average Workweek
Two out of three employees (68%) say they are working about the same this year as last year at this time. Almost one-fourth (24%) feel they are working more this year.
Table 40
"Compared to this time last year, how has the length of your average workweek changed?"
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| Length of Workweek Compared to Last Year | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
4 Qtr 2006 EE |
3 Qtr 2004 EE |
| I am working less this year. | 8%SIG | 11% | 6% |
| I am working about the same this year. | 68%SIG | 59% | 64% |
| I am working more this year. | 24%SIG | 29% | 30% |
| N=1181 | N=1197 | N=1227 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Defined Contribution Plan
Four out of five employees who have a defined contribution plan reported having money in the account. Employees with money in the account were asked how recently they have changed their asset allocations and how recently they rebalanced their plan. Forty-three percent have not made any changes to their asset allocations and forty-five percent have never rebalanced their account.
Table 41
"Do you have money in a defined contribution account like a 401(k) at work?"
Base: 858 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who have a defined contribution plan
| Money in Defined Contribution Account | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
| Yes | 81% |
| No | 19% |
| N=858 |
Table 42
"How recently have you changed your asset allocation regarding specific funds in your 401(k) retirement plan?"
Base: 716 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who have money in a defined contribution plan
| Changed Asset Allocation in 401(k) | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
1 Qtr 2003 EE |
| Within the past month | 8% | 6% |
| Within the past 6 months | 22% | 21% |
| Within the past 12 months | 15% | 14% |
| Within the past 2 years | 10% | 13% |
| Have not made a change | 43% | 45% |
| Not sure | 2% | 2% |
| N=716 | N=903 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
- Male employees are significantly more likely than female employees to say they have made a change within the past month/past 6 months (37% vs 19%).
Table 43
"How recently have you rebalanced your 401(k) retirement savings to represent your originally desired case/equity/bond split?"
Base: 716 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees who have money in a defined contribution plan
| Rebalanced 401(k) | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
| Within the past 3 months | 12% |
| Within the past 6 months | 8% |
| Within the past year | 12% |
| More than a year ago | 14% |
| Never have rebalanced my 401(k) savings | 45% |
| Not sure | 10% |
| N=716 |
- Female employees are significantly more likely than male employees to say they have not rebalanced their 401(k) savings (52% vs 40%).
401(k) Automatic Enrollment
Do It For Me Trend - In today's society, people are interested in having others handle their matters for them rather than doing it themselves. This is also true related to retirement planning and investments and the trend has been labeled "do it for me." To examine this trend in the 10 to 1,000 employee marketplace, employees were asked to answer a variety of questions related to this trend.
Automatic enrollment is a program that some employers put into place to aid in retirement plan participation and to encourage employees to save for the future. In automatic enrollment, the employer enrolls all eligible employees into their retirement plan and starts the deferral process by imposing a minimum deferral rate usually between 1 and 3% of annual salary. To identify what the penetration of automatic enrollment is, employees were asked if their employer had automatic enrollment – 21% offer it. Table 44 also shows the penetration of automatic enrollment by firm size.
Table 44 - Presence of Automatic Enrollment – 10-1,000 Employee Firms
"Does your employer automatically enroll all employees in their 401(k) retirement plan with a set deferral rate percentage (e.g. 1-3% of annual salary)?"
Base: 858 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees whose company offers a defined contribution plan
| Presense of Automatice Enrollment | 1 Qtr 2007 EE |
3rd Qtr 2006 EE |
3rd Qtr. 2005 EE |
3rd Qtr. 2004 EE |
2007 Firm Size | ||||
| 10-50 | 51-100 | 101-200 | 201-500 | 501-1,000 | |||||
| Automatic Enrollment | 21% | 19% | 18% | 18% | 14% | 15% | 20% | 29% | 27% |
| No Automatic Enrollment | 67% | 69% | 72% | 72% | 75% | 75% | 67% | 59% | 57% |
| Not Sure | 12% | 12% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 9% | 13% | 12% | 16% |
| N=858 | N=1003 | N=792 | N=752 | N=209 | N=148 | N=166 | N=195 | N=140 | |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
Forty-one percent of the employees surveyed agree completely or somewhat that all eligible employees should be auto-enrolled.
Table 45
"All eligible employees should be automatically enrolled into their employer-sponsored 401(k) retirement plan and a standard deferral rate set up."
Base: 1181 employed U.S. adults in firms of 10-1,000 employees
| All Eligible Employees should be Automatically Enrolled in 401(k) Level of Agreement |
1 Qtr 2007 EE |
2 Qtr 2006 EE |
2 Qtr 2002 EE |
| Agree Completely | 19%SIG | 28% | 10% |
| Agree Somewhat | 22%SIG | 31% | 25% |
| Neither Agree Nor Disagree | 27%SIG | 20% | 19% |
| Disagree Somewhat | 15% | 14% | 18% |
| Disagree Completely | 16%SIG | 6% | 28% |
| N=1181 | N=1100 | N=982 |
SIG= Significant at the 95% confidence level
