Table of Contents. Executive Summary. Benefits Communication. Health Care Reform. Wellness. Survey Demographics. Methodology

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2 Table of Contents Executive Summary Benefits Communication Health Care Reform Wellness Survey Demographics Methodology

3 Executive Summary Here s the Skinny 1 We wanted to know what employees think about the way their employers talk to them about benefits, wellness, and health care reform, so we partnered with The Olinger Group and designed a survey to find out this very thing. And what did we find? Lots of good stuff. For instance, did you know that employees in general prefer a personal touch (i.e., one-on-one communication) vs. group education when it comes to their benefits? Or that a scant 15.1% of employees describe themselves as knowledgeable or very knowledgeable about the public health insurance exchanges? Or how about the fact that 77.6% of employees think that a wellness program is at least somewhat important for a company to provide, but 18.8% say they don t know if their workplace even has one? These are just a few of the interesting nuggets we identified, so read on to find out more. Key Findings While the largest segment (29%) of employees said they preferred one-on-one interactions with their HR department, their employers most frequently use non-interactive, text-based formats such as (62.5%), websites (53.5%), and direct mail (52.8%) to communicate benefits information. Although 87.1% of employees say they somewhat agree, agree, or completely agree that they know when they can make changes to their health plan, less than one third (29.5%) actually understand that they re only able to change enrollment information during open enrollment or qualifying events. Employees want to include their spouses and partners in important health insurance decision-making. When asked how important is it to include their spouses and partners when deciding which health plan to get, 71.5% say it s important or very important. Employees do feel that it s important to understand health care reform. In fact, 90.3% say that it s at least somewhat important, and 71.5% believe it s either important or very important. More than half of respondents are confused about a very important aspect of the wellness offerings where they work how the wellness program is paid for. Almost half (45.3%) think they have to pay something to participate, and 11.3% aren t sure. Employees tell us that the most helpful ways to talk to them about wellness involve more personal interaction with experts. One-on-one meetings, live presentations, and interactive content represent what they say are the top three most helpful communication methods.

4 Benefits Communication 2 A Range of Different Communication Methods From the great-grandpappy of all benefits communication the live presentation to newcomers and upstarts like social media and interactive content, employees are exposed to a variety of benefits communication methods. How does your company communicate information about your benefits to you? Select all that apply % Website Direct Mail 53.5% 52.8% Live Presentation Posters/Flyers Benefits Fair One-on-One Meetings Interactive Content Videos Social Media I Don t Know Other 38.3% 31.3% 29% 25.5% 15.8% 13.5% 10.3% 1% 0.8% Most Common: The Text-based Respondents tell us that text-based communication methods dominate, with (62.5%), non-interactive websites (53.5%), and direct mail (52.8%) being the most prevalent. Not as Common: The Face-to-Face Communication methods requiring face-to-face interactions with live human experts live presentations (38.3%), benefits fairs (29%), and one-on-one consultations (25.5%) are next. Least Common: The Newfangled Interactive content (15.8%), videos (13.5%), and social media (10.3%) are the least commonly used ways to talk to employees.

5 Benefits Awareness and Usage Nearly all of the 400 employees we spoke to said that their companies offered health insurance just one person responded that he or she didn t know for sure. No surprise there. More surprising, though, was that their awareness of other options wasn t as solid. 3 Which benefits do employees say they take advantage of? Employees responding I don t know when asked if their company provided a certain benefit Critical Illness and/or Accident Insurance Legal Assistance Pet Insurance FSA (Parking & Transit) Employee Assistance Program FSA (Dependent Care) Wellness Program Accidental Death & Dismemberment Long-term Disability Short-term Disability FSA (Medical Expenses) Vision Insurance Life Insurance Retirement Benefits Dental Insurance Health Insurance 28.8% 34.1% 28% 18.3% 26.3% 20.9% 25.8% 14.8% 23.3% 22.4% 19.8% 11.3% 18.8% 13.8% 12.3% 11% 9.5% 31.2% 5% 3.5% 1.8% 1% 0.3% 42% 45.3% 44.8% 44.2% 68.7% 73.5% 77.2% 88.5% 95.7% Core Benefits Dominate Benefit options for health, dental, retirement, life insurance, and vision are clearly top-of-mind for employees. However, fewer than half of respondents report taking advantage of voluntary offerings.

6 Enrollment Confusion When it comes to enrollment, however, things aren t so rosy. Employees seem baffled about just when they are allowed make changes to their health care plans. Although a strong majority (79%) of surveyed employees understand that open/ annual enrollment is a time when they can make changes to their health plans, less than half (42.5%) realized that they could change their health benefits selections because of a qualifying event like marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child. When are you allowed to make changes to your health plan enrollment? Select all that apply. 4 At Open/Annual Enrollment 79% For a Qualifying Event When New Plans Are Offered Plan Pricing Changes At Any Time I Don t Know 42.5% 16.5% 10.3% 9.3% 2.5% ONLY 29.5% OF EMPLOYEES IDENTIFIED BOTH OPEN ENROLLMENT AND QUALIFYING EVENTS AS BEING TIMES WHEN HEALTH PLAN CHANGES COULD BE MADE. Never 0.3% Overconfident or Misinformed? Although 87.1% of employees say they somewhat agree, agree, or completely agree that they know when they can make changes to their health plan, less than one third (29.5%) actually understand when those changes can be made. How much do you agree with the following statement about your health insurance? I know when I can make changes to my health plan 1.3% Completely Disagree 32.5% 1.3% 3.3% 7.3% 15.8% Disagree Somewhat Disagree Neither Disagree nor Agree Somewhat Agree Agree 38.8% Completely Agree

7 Communication Preferences When it comes to communication preferences, the largest segment (29%) of employees said they preferred one-on-one interactions with their HR department. Social media was the least preferred method of benefits communication. Next in line? Getting nothing from the employer and having to figure things out on their own. Most Preferred Communication Methods 5 One-on-One Meetings 29% Direct Mail Website Live Presentation Benefits Fair 18.5% 17.8% 13.8% 9.8% Interactive Content None (would rather figure it out on my own) Social Media Other (specify) 6.3% 2.3% 2.3% 0.5% Least Preferred Communication Methods Social Media 39.5% None (would rather figure it out on my own) 23.3% Benefits Fair 10.5% Live Presentation 7.8% Direct Mail 7% One-on-One Meetings 5.5% Website 4.3% Interactive Content 2.3%

8 What Employees Say About Their Most Preferred Communication Methods 6 On my Own I do better by myself. Live Presentation They tend to have a Q&A time period where I may not have thought of the question that someone else has because I have so much running through my mind. I can write notes and read information handed out during presentation. Benefits Fair You have all of the information provided by individuals who know each program, and you can just concentrate on the program that you have questions about rather then have to get information on programs that you don t want. One-on-One Meetings I feel that it would be the easiest way to communicate and gain knowledge on a one-on-one basis because then you know for sure if the person will understand. It may not be the easiest to do in a large company like the one I work at, but it would definitely be the most helpful. Because it is easily accessible through my phone. Social Media Website I can access it 24/7 and don t need to keep stacks of paper around. I can look up exactly what I need at any time. Can review with my wife at home on our schedule. Direct Mail Interactive Content Because I can select the information that is relevant to ME only (e.g.: I no longer have dependents, so I would want to skip those items). It is usually about updates or changes, and is fast and easy to read. Other

9 What Employees Say About Their Least Preferred Communication Methods 7 On my Own Because these benefits are very complex and in some instances downright complicated. It would be much too time consuming and frustrating to try to find out information on these benefits by oneself. Live Presentation It is hard for me to pay attention the whole time, and I d probably forget what was said. Benefits Fair They are never individual enough, and people just go and mingle and get in the way. Too many employees in the company won t have time to get to everyone. One-on-One Meetings I m not interested in interacting with my company on social media AT ALL. Social Media Unless you know what you re looking for, it s harder to find what you need to know. Website Direct Mail I don t check my mail often, so I wouldn t get the information, and also, information in mail wouldn t really help if I have questions or concerns. More often than not, technical difficulties hamper the experience. Interactive Content Zero participants selected other for this question. Other

10 Benefits for the Whole Family! Employees want to include their spouses and partners in important health insurance decision-making (we ll let you decide if this one is surprising or not). Most have strong feelings about the matter (71.5% say it s important or very important) and seven out of eight (88.6%) consider it at least somewhat important. 8 How important is it to you to include your spouse/partner when deciding which health plan to get? 1.4% 7.4% Not at All Important 0.9% Not Important 39.2% 1.8% 17.1% Not That Important Neither Important nor Unimportant Somewhat Important Important 32.3% Very Important Relationship Status 1.8% 0.8% Who is the primary decision maker for health insurance choices in your household? Married Me 14% 1.5% Partnered (with benefits eligibility) Partnered (without benefits eligibility) Single 29% My Spouse/Partner Both of Us 21.8% 1.3% 53% Divorced Separated 6.5% 64.5% 6% Widowed Prefer Not to Say More than half (54.3%) of the employees we surveyed are married or have benefits-eligible partners. The majority (64.5%) of respondents identify themselves as their family s primary decision makers for health insurance benefits.

11 Quality Benefits Communication Materials Are Key Materials matter, according to our survey respondents. Nearly two thirds of employees (65.4%) think it s important or very important for their spouses and partners to understand their company s benefits offerings. Fewer than 12.8% find it less than at least somewhat important. How important is it to you that your spouse/partner understand your company s benefits offerings? 1.8% % 0.9% 3.2% 6.9% 21.7% Not at All Important Not Important Not That Important Neither Important nor Unimportant Somewhat Important Important 31.3% Very Important How Dual-Income Household Insurance Benefits Decisions Are Made People consider a variety of factors when making health insurance benefit decisions, but factors of cost and choice are the most prevalent by a slim margin. 28.3% of married or partnered employees say they choose the employer whose health insurance plan has a better selection of benefits, and 24.6% say they choose the employer that has more affordable health insurance plan offerings. What is the primary reason you and your spouse/partner chose one company s plan over the other s? We chose the employer that had the more affordable health insurance plan offerings We chose the employer whose health insurance plan offerings were the easiest to understand We chose the employer whose health insurance plan offerings were the easiest to use 24.6% 5.1% 4.3% 14.5% OF EMPLOYEES SAID THEY JUST GO WITH THE PARTNER WHO ALWAYS GETS THE INSURANCE. We chose the employer whose health insurance plan had a the better selection of physicians 5.8% We chose the employer whose health insurance plan had a better selection of benefits We chose my employer because we always use my employer for health insurance 28.3% 8.7% We chose my spouse/partner s employer because we always use his/her employer for health insurance Other (specify) 5.8% 6.5% 10.9% OF EMPLOYEES DO NOT SHARE A HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN WITH THEIR BENEFITS-ELIGIBLE SPOUSES AND PARTNERS. My spouse/partner and I do not share a health insurance plan 10.9%

12 Health Care Reform 10 Closing the Knowledge Gap Here s a shocker (sarcasm intended): employees admit that they could stand some education on health care reform. Only 15.1% say they re knowledgeable or very knowledgeable on the subject. How knowledgeable are you about public health insurance exchanges (also known as public health insurance marketplaces)? 11.3% 15.5% Not at All Knowledgeable Not Knowledgeable 3.8% 1 Not That Knowledgeable 25.3% Neither 18% Somewhat Knowledgeable Knowledgeable 16.3% Very Knowledgeable Employees Know Health Care Reform Is Important Despite their lack of knowledge, a lot of employees do feel that it s important to understand health care reform. In fact, 90.3% say that it s at least somewhat important, and 71.5% believe it s either important or very important. How important do you feel it is to understand health care reform? 0.5% 7% Not at All Important 35% 1% 1.3% 18.8% Not Important Not That Important Neither Important nor Unimportant Somewhat Important Important 36.5% Very Important

13 It All Goes Back to Health Benefits Employees crave education on health care reform because they re concerned about the Affordable Care Act affecting their employer-provided health coverage. Only 11.8% say that they re not concerned or not that concerned. How concerned are you with health care reform affecting your employer-provided health coverage? 3% 11 25% 2% 6.8% 15% Not at All Concerned Not Concerned Not That Concerned Neither Concerned nor Unconcerned Somewhat Concerned 24% 24.3% Concerned Very Concerned Employees Have Faith in You Nearly 4 out of 5 employees (79.9%) rate the confidence level for their employers ability to explain health care reform as being greater than a five on a scale of zero to 10. More than a third (37.8%) rate their confidence levels as being eight or greater. On a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being Not at all confident and 10 being Completely confident, how confident are you in your employer s ability to explain health care reform to you? 4.8% 2.3% 4% 4.5% 4.8% 17.3% 10.5% 14.3% 16% 9.8% 12%

14 Health Care Reform Communication Preferences 12 We asked employees how they would best like to learn about health care reform from their employers, and received a variety of responses. Below is a word cloud representing the most commonly occurring suggestions and themes. We get health care reps to explain our options in meetings, but they actually make the meetings too difficult for us. I don t understand what they are saying. It s like they are rocket scientists. I am receptive to any method, but a format where I do not have to interact with other people who are going to complain about politics and other social hot-button issues is by far my most preferred method. I don t want them to talk to me about it.

15 Wellness 13 Employees Are High on Wellness Half of the employees (50.1%) have strong, positive feelings about their company s wellness programs, and the majority (77.6%) think wellness is at least somewhat important for the company to provide. How important to you is it for your company to offer an employee wellness program? 2.2% Not at All Important 17.9% 2.2% 3.7% 14.3% Not Important Not That Important Neither Important nor Unimportant 32.2% 27.5% Somewhat Important Important Very Important The Good The Bad The Ugly Nearly four out of five employees (79.5%) say they somewhat agree, agree, or completely agree when asked if they understood their company s wellness program. Nearly one in five (19.8%) respondents are opting out of their wellness programs completely, and 68.5% say they are taking advantage of less than half of their wellness program s offerings. More than half of respondents are confused about a very important aspect of the wellness offerings where they work how the wellness program is paid for. Almost half (45.3%) think they have to pay something to participate, and 11.3% aren t sure. How much do you agree that you understand your company s wellness program? 1.1% What percentage of your wellness program do you think you take advantage of? You indicated that your company offers a wellness program. Please indicate if it is covered in full by your employer or offered for a supplemental amount. 15.8% 7% 19% 19.8% 11.3% 3.3% 9.2% 12.5% 13.4% 43.3% 34.8% 28.9% 20.9% 27.8% 31.9% Completely Disagree Somewhat Agree 76% % I Don t Know Covered In-Part Disagree Agree 51-75% Offered for a Supplemental Amount Covered In-Full Somewhat Disagree Completely Agree 26-5 Neither Disagree nor Agree

16 And They re Receptive to the Wellness Message Nearly 9 out of 10 employees (89.7%) rate their comfort level for receiving health information from their employers as being greater than a five on a scale of zero to 10. Furthermore, more than half (52.9%) rate their comfort levels as being eight or greater. On a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being Not at all comfortable and 10 being Completely comfortable, how comfortable do you feel with your employer educating you about health information? % 1.3% 1.8% 2.3% 3% 13.8% 6.5% 16.5% 21.3% 13.3% 18.3% The Boss Is a Trusted Source Furthermore, when it comes to health information, employees say they rely on their employers more than any other source and that includes their personal physicians! Which of the following sources do you use to learn about health information in general? My Employer Primary Care Physician Websites Like Web MD or the Mayo Clinic Health Insurance Companies Friends and Family News Websites Magazines Television Social Media Government Resources Other (specify) Wikipedia Blogs 18.3% 18% 10.8% 6% 5.8% 2% 1.8% 1.8% 1.5% 1.3% 1% 1% 31% % 31%

17 Wellness Communication Flat, text-based communications are the most commonly recognized ways employees say their companies reach out to them about wellness. (60.1%) is by far the most common, followed by websites (45.8%) and print-based formats like posters/flyers (28.6%) and direct mail (28.2%). 15 How does your company communicate information about your wellness program to you? 60.1% Website 45.8% Posters/Flyers Direct Mail Live Presentation One-on-One Meetings Interactive Content Social Media Videos Other I Don t Know 28.6% 28.2% 20.9% 11.7% 10.3% 7.7% 6.6% 2.2% 1.5% But What Methods Are Most Helpful? Employees tell us that the most helpful ways to talk to them about wellness involve more personal interaction with experts. One-on-one meetings, live presentations, and interactive content are among the top three communication methods employees described as somewhat helpful, very helpful, or extremely helpful. (The next-highest rated method was Direct Mail, which 88.4% of employees described as somewhat helpful, very helpful, or extremely helpful. ) One-on-One Meetings Interactive Content Live Presentation 97% 92.9% 92.8%

18 How helpful was the communication method in helping you understand your company s wellness program? 16 Not at All Helpful Not Helpful Not Very Helpful Neither Helpful nor Unhelpful Somewhat Helpful Very Helpful Extremely Helpful Not at All Helpful Not Helpful Not Very Helpful Neither Helpful nor Somewhat Helpful Very Helpful Extremely Helpful Unhelpful 0.6% 0.6% 7.9% 10.4% 37.8% 32.3% 10.4% Website 0.8% 0.8% 5.6% 10.4% 31.2% 39.2% 12% Posters/Flyers 1.3% 9% 19.2% 41% 24.4% 5.1% Direct Mail 2.6% 1.3% 7.8% 31.2% 44.2% 13% Live Presentation 7% 26.3% 49.1% 17.5% One-on-One Meetings 3.1% 18.8% 34.4% 43.8% Interactive Content 3.6% 3.6% 21.4% 46.4% 25% Social Media 4.8% 23.8% 42.9% 14.3% 14.3% Videos 5.6% 5.6% 16.7% 27.8% 22.2% 22.2% Other 33.3% %

19 Survey Demographics 17 Gender Relationship Status Age Range 1.5% 1.8% 0.8% 0.5% 14% 20.8% 6.5% 47% 53% 53% 21.8% 6% 28.3% 19.8% 24.3% 1.3% Female Male Married Divorced Partnered (with benefits eligibility) Separated Partnered (without benefits eligibility) Widowed Single Prefer not to Say Ethnicity Highest Level of Education Household Income 0.8% 2% 2% 2.8% 5.8% 5.3% 9.5% 6.5% 17% 14% 19.5% 13% 8.8% 17.8% 75.5% 34.5% 15% 19.3% 31.3% Caucasian African American Asian Hispanic Other Prefer Not to Say High School Graduate or Equivalent Completed Some College, but No Degree College Graduate Graduate Degree or Higher Under $35,000 $35,000 $49,999 $50,000 $74,999 $75,000 $99,999 $100,000 $149,000 $150,000 $199,999 $200,000 or more Prefer Not to Say Associates Degree

20 Methodology 18 The ALEX Asks: What Employees Think About Your Benefits Communication survey report is based on data gathered by The Olinger Group, which partnered with The Jellyvision Lab to create a custom, online survey of 400 full-time, benefitseligible employees of companies with more than 2,000 employees. The survey was fielded from July 30 through August 7, The survey comprised 47 questions, and took approximately 18 minutes to complete. Crosstabs were used to determine how most people receive communication from their companies. About ALEX ALEX is a web-based virtual counselor who transforms jargon, legalese, and gobbledygook into personally relevant information employees can use to do things like make sense of health care reform and select their best-fit benefit plans. Employees adore him, and when HR leaders see how he reduces employee confusion, boosts engagement, and drives benefits savings, they can t help but fall in love as well. Today, ALEX is available to more one million employees across 100+ organizations, and almost 9 of those who use him say they better understand and appreciate their benefits thanks to his help. To learn more about ALEX, please visit meetalex.com. About The Jellyvision Lab If your company website has a lot to say and is currently doing it in a way that s too technical or filled with corporate jargon, marketing speak, impersonalized FAQs, and outsourced sales reps referring to massive binders of robotic text, then you should seriously consider calling The Jellyvision Lab today. For more information and sample work, visit jellyvisionlab.com. About The Olinger Group The Olinger Group is a full-service provider of custom market research for organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profits. The Olinger Group has kept the feel of a boutique firm by focusing on smart science, dedicated project management and cutting-edge technology. The Olinger Group is an industry leader in implementing the latest technology and specialty teams to answer business questions for companies in the healthcare, hospitality, real estate and retail industries. Contact ALEX 848 W. Eastman St. Chicago, IL (312) fosburg@jellyvision.com