Research reveals that the critical gaps in data maturity have a negative impact on the decisions of the advantages
April 2, 2025 – Howden Employee Benefits today publishes its survey on the design of 2025 services, conducted in partnership with Reward & Employeeeeefits Association (REBA). Research reveals that a third of the changes in services offered have been rejected by management teams due to insufficient data, demonstrating that meticulous examination was on investment in services.
The survey reveals the critical gaps in the maturity of the data surrounding the programs of benefits, limiting the capacity to initiate stakeholders, to make data -based decisions and to measure the return on investment of their approaches and plans.
The survey, which includes the contribution of 360 respondents representing nearly two million employees, highlights the growing pressure on the reward professionals to respond to external influences and the demand of employees, while showing that they spend judiciously and a maximum commercial impact.
The research also demonstrates the important challenges that the reward teams face to collect the required data and have internal skills and tools to govern their programs and report performance up. Overall, this is a demonstration of how, in such uncertain times, the reward teams have much more to do in the best use of data.
Lack of data and rejection of change proposals
More than 80% of respondents have made significant changes to their advantages in the past year, the health and well-being of employees emerging as the main engine, demonstrating the growing demand for employees of access to the services sponsored by employers, as well as the growing pressure on the culture and productivity of the workplace.
That said, more than a third of the proposals have been rejected due to a lack of data demonstrating that the proposals would achieve the desired results. Without improving the capture and data analysis – more than 80% of respondents said they thought that future projects are likely to reject without a clear and convincing profitability analysis.
Matthew Gregson, Executive Director of Howden Employee Benefits, Comments: “This year's research shows the clear imperative for the reward professionals to adopt the use of data in both governing their programs, by initiating decision -makers and by driving change. Without IT, well-being advantages and programs can stagnate, do not keep the pace of employee expectations or organizational needs. ”
Data maturity: the gap between the need and the use of data today
Although most data forms have been recognized as important for the management of benefits programs, too few teams collect and use this data, and even fewer reports on the performance of their programs regularly.
In fact, the only two data points used by the majority are the costs of the benefits (67%) and the satisfaction of the employees (62%). Other data points, such as absence rates (42%), health care claims (35%) and well-being scores (23%) are all much less reported.
Projectors on social benefits
In addition to the continuous declaration of benefits programs, research has examined the use of data to affect change. The first major point to note is the place where decisions are made, with pension changes almost 3 times more likely than wellness changes to go up to the level of the board of directors for approval. There may be two different inferences from this – one relating to the difference in size of the change, because the changes in pensions are often complex and costly, but the other being in the lack of commitment to the card with well -being, due to a lack of convincing data.
The following lies in the data type used to generate decisions. With pensions, the use of comparative analysis (used by 85%of those offering changes) is more than twice as likely than members' results (38%) or King's modeling (29%) to obtain approval. The concern is that decision -making is influenced by a single metric – competitiveness. In comparison, with regard to the various pillars of well-being, employee opinion is much more used than claims and other measures to determine the recommendations.
Matthew Gregson explains: “Although it is recognized that there are important obstacles to obtaining and analyzing quality data, it is clear that today, not enough good data is used to validate the recommendations that are made before the board of directors and other decision -makers.
Obstacles to data quality
Recognizing the position in which most reward teams are with regard to data, research has also explored the obstacles that teams must overcome to improve their maturity of data. And the results have been enlightened, in terms of approach that should be adopted to improve data maturity.
- 59% have trouble with data availability and conviviality;
- 51% face difficulties in the collection of reference external data; And
- 48% lack tools and 24% of skills to analyze and interpret data.
For the largest employers, there will probably be budgets and the need to bring these solutions internally and competence reward teams or work in partnership with data teams in the company to improve data maturity. But for average and SME organizations, the reality is that they will depend more and more on their advisers and advantageous insurers to take them on this trip. This is where the market must respond with data, research and tools to empower HR teams and awards.
Debi O'Donovan, Director of Reward & Employee Benefits Association comments “Although it is apparently flooded with data sources, there are still important shortcomings in the information on the analyzed data that employers really need. However, while the benefits of employees continue to be used more strategic in companies.
Matthew Gregson concludes: “I do not remember a more essential moment in the reward strategy, due to so many internal and external challenges faced by employers. And with the economic uncertainty and the costs of employers, the additional budget to solve problems and improve offers will not come easily. The decision-making, safeguarded, once the initiatives are given, with the measures that prove the continuous value of investments in advantages and well-being to stimulate business. »»
For more information and to download a copy of the search, visit: https://www.howdengroup.com/uk-en/employee-benefits/reba-benefits-design-research-2025
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About Howden
Howden is a global group of insurance intermediary with the ownership of employees in its heart. Founded in 1994, it provides insurance brokerage, reinsurance and subscription brokerage services and solutions to customers ranging from individuals to larger multinational companies.
The group operates in 55 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, employing $ 22,000 and manipulating $ 45 billion on behalf of customers.
For more information, please visit www.howdengroup.com And www.howdengroupholdings.com
About reba
The Reward & Employee Benefits Association (REBA) is a flourishing community of HR professionals dedicated to the pursuit of best practices in reward and benefits. Synonymous with excellence, reba informs and authorizes its members to develop their networks, advance their knowledge, find and connect with advanced suppliers and prepare.
Reba's research draws from its diversified network to provide an overview of the strategies that a wide range of organizations are implementing.
For more information, please visit www.reba.global
