shrm survey findings: 2013 employer perspectives on disability benefits--executive group life...

SHRM Survey Findings: 2013 Employer Perspectives on Disability Benefits—Executive Group Life Benefits

In collaboration with and commissioned by MassMutual

September 18, 2013


• The 2013 Employer Perspectives on Disability Benefits survey, which was commissioned by MassMutual, is a collaboration between the Society for Human Resource Management and MassMutual.

• The survey was sent to a randomly selected sample of SHRM members from a variety of industries. A response rate of 10% was achieved with 4,402 responses.

• The main purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of organizations’ needs and gaps regarding long-term disability and executive benefits. The 2012 data were collected from a sample including small-, medium- and large-staff-size organizations (see slide 17).

• The findings are divided in the following topics: Base Group Long-Term Disability Plans Compensation and Buy-Up Coverage Supplemental Plan/Individual Disability Income Carrier Satisfaction/Changes Executive Group Life Benefits

2013 Employer Perspectives on Disability Benefits—Executive Group Life Benefits ©SHRM 2013 2

Introduction


• The results of each question are reported by the overall sample, and then, where applicable, statistically significant differences by organization staff size, industry and region are included. Only statistically significant differences with a sample size of 25 or more were reported.

• The results are based on respondents who indicated that they were either “extremely knowledgeable,” “very knowledgeable” or “somewhat knowledgeable” about their organization’s employee benefits plan. The results include respondents from publicly owned for-profit or privately owned for-profit organizations only.


Introduction (continued)

Industries Organization Staff Size Region

Accounting/architectural Computer and electronic

products/technology Energy, gas, oil Financial services Health care services Information services Law firms and legal services Manufacturing Pharmaceutical and medicine Physician and dental offices Professional, scientific and

technical services Telecommunications Utilities Wholesale and retail trade Other industries

1 to 99 employees 100 to 499 employees 500 to 2,499 employees 2,500 to 24,999 employees 25,000 or more employees

Midwest Northeast South West



Executive Group Life Benefits


• Do organizations offer a special class of benefits to their executives? Approximately one-third (31%) of organizations reported offering these benefits for executives. Larger staff-size organizations and organizations in the law firms/legal services industry are more likely to offer this special class of benefits.

Among those organizations, 31% provide executives Group Universal Life (GUL) or Group Variable Universal Life (GVUL) as a carve-out benefit from their group term plan. Larger staff-size organizations are more likely to offer executive GUL or GVUL as a carve-out benefit.

• Have many organizations recently switched their executive group life carriers? Only 19% of organizations reported switching their executive group life carrier in the past three years.

Among those organizations that switched carriers, the top reasons that prompted the carrier change are 1) cost of plan (56%), 2) recommendation of an advisor (38%), 3) lower administrative fees (36%), 4) ease of administration (22%), and 5) additional features available (20%).


Key Findings in Executive Group Life Benefits


• Is offering executive group life coverage to executives a possible talent management strategy? Currently, only a small proportion of organizations offer executive group life benefits. Larger organizations are more likely to offer these benefit compared with organizations with fewer than 500 employees. Organizations that do provide this coverage may be more successful in attracting and retaining top executives.


What do these findings mean for HR professionals?



Do you offer a special class of benefits to executives?

Yes

No

31%

69%

Note: n = 3,894. Respondents who answered “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.



Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Do you offer a special class of benefits to executives?

Larger staff-size organizations are more likely than smaller organizations to offer a special class of benefits to executives. Law firms/legal services are more likely than financial services; wholesale/retail trade; other industries; energy, gas, oil, etc. to offer a special class of benefits for executives.

Comparison by organization demographics

100 to 499 employees (27%)500 to 2,499 employees (33%)

2,500 to 24,999 employees (46%)25,000 or more employees (55%)

> 1 to 99 employees (22%)

Law firms and legal services (54%) >

Financial services (32%)Wholesale and retail trade (32%)

Other industries (31%)Energy, gas, oil (29%)

Telecommunications (26%)Professional, scientific and technical services (24%)Computer and electronic products/technology (21%)



Do you offer executive Group Universal Life (GUL) or Group Variable Universal Life (GVUL) as a carve-out benefit from the organization’s group term plan?

Yes

No

31%

69%

Note: n = 908. Only respondents whose organizations offer a special class of benefits to executives were asked this question. Respondents who answered “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.



Note: Only statistically significant differences are shown.

Do you offer executive Group Universal Life (GUL) or Group Variable Universal Life (GVUL) as a carve-out benefit from the organization’s group term plan?

Larger staff-size organizations are more likely than smaller organizations to offer executive Group Universal Life (GUL) or Group Variable Universal Life (GVUL) as a carve-out benefits from the organization’s group term plan.

Comparison by organization demographics

500 to 2,499 employees (36%)2,500 to 24,999 employees (48%)25,000 or more employees (61%)

>1 to 99 employees (22%)

100 to 499 employees (21%)

25,000 or more employees (61%) > 500 to 2,499 employees (36%)



How important are the following benefits for your executives?

Note: Only respondents whose organizations offer executives GUL or GVUL as a carve-out benefit were asked this question. Respondents who answered “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

Ability for a carrier to offer financial counseling programs/estate resolution services as an additional benefit with a life insurance plan (n = 247)

Availability of dependent riders on a life insurance plan (n = 235)

Ability to offer life insurance that does not have an increase in rates when the executive leaves the organization (n = 246)

Ability to offer employee-paid voluntary life insurance coverage (n = 250)

11%

7%

4%

6%

19%

14%

8%

10%

23%

32%

30%

24%

34%

32%

40%

41%

13%

16%

18%

18%

Not at all Important Not Very Important Somewhat Important Very Important Extremely Important



Has your organization switched executive group life carriers in the past three years?

Yes

No

19%

81%

Note: n = 231. Only respondents whose organizations offer executives GUL or GVUL as a carve-out benefit were asked this question. Respondents who answered “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis.



What prompted the carrier change?

Cost of plan

Recommendation of an advisor

Lower administrative fees

Ease of administration

Additional features available

Flexibility of benefit

Recommendation of the Board/Senior Management

Ease of understanding plan

Technology capabilities

Dissatisfaction with service

Types of plans used by competitors

Dissatisfaction with product offering

Performance of investment funds

Other

56%

38%

36%

22%

20%

13%

9%

4%

4%

4%

2%

2%

0%

7%

Note: n = 45. Only respondents whose organizations offer executives GUL or GVUL as a carve-out benefit and have switched executive group life carriers in the past three years were asked this question. Respondents who answered “don’t know” were excluded from this analysis. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.

2013 Employer Perspectives on Disability Benefits—Executive Group Life Benefits ©SHRM 2013


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Demographics



Approximately what percentage of regular, full-time and part-time employees are eligible for employee benefits at your organization?

Less than 25%

25% to 49%

50% to 59%

60% to 69%

70% to 79%

80% to 89%

90% to 99%

100%

Full-time Employees(n = 4,182)

1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 4% 12% 78%

Part-time Employees(n = 3,470)

66% 3% 5% 1% 2% 3% 4% 16%



Which of the following is closest to your job title?

Manager

Generalist

Director

Chief Human Resource Officer

Vice President

Administrator

Supervisor

Associate Director

Specialist

Associate Vice President

Senior Vice President

Analyst

Chief Executive Officer

President

Chief Human Capital Officer

Senior Executive Vice President

Executive Vice President

Other

32%23%

19%9%

6%

2%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

1%

%

%

%

%

%

3%

n = 4,394



Demographics: Organization Staff Size

1 - 99 em-ployees

100 - 499 employees

500 - 2,499 employees

2,500 - 24,999 employees

25,000 or more employees

25%

33%

18%

17%

7%

n = 4,382



Demographics: Organization Profit Status

Privately owned for-profit

Publicly owned for-profit

72%

28%

n = 4,402



Demographics: Organization Region

Midwest

South

West

Northeast

35%

26%

22%

17%

n = 4,106



Demographics: Organization Industry

PercentageManufacturing 16%

Wholesale and Retail Trade 14%

Financial services A 10%

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 8%

Energy, Gas, Oil B 6%

Telecommunications 6%

Accounting / Architectural C 4%

Computer and Electronic Products/Technology D 4%

Health Care Services E 4%

Utilities 4%

Information Services F 3%

Pharmaceutical and Medicine G 2%

Law Firms and Legal Services 2%

Physician and Dental Offices 1%

Other industries 16%

n = 4,402

A Includes Banks, Insurance Companies, Securities and Commodities, Other Finance and Insurance Services categories. B Includes Energy Extraction and Refining, Gas and Oil, and Other Oil, Gas, and Energy Extraction and Refining categories. C Includes Accounting, Tax, Payroll Services and Architectural, Engineering categories. D In the survey labeled as Manufacturing: Computer and Electronic Products/Technology. E Includes Hospitals and Other Health Care Services categories. F Includes Publishing, Motion Picture, Broadcasting (except Internet) and Other Information Services categories. G In the survey labeled as Manufacturing: Pharmaceutical and Medicine category.



U.S.-based operations only 66%

Multinational operations 34%

Single-unit organization: An organization in which the location and the organization are one and the same.

26%

Multi-unit organization: An organization that has more than one location.

74%

Multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies and practices

64%

Each work location determines HR policies and practices

4%

A combination of both the work location and the multi-unit headquarters determines HR policies and practices

33%

Is your organization a single-unit organization or a multi-unit organization?

For multi-unit organizations, are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit headquarters, by each work location or by both?

Does your organization have U.S.-based operations (business units) only, or does it operate multinationally?

n = 4,387 n = 4,398

Note: n = 3,410. Percentages do not equal 100% due to rounding.

Corporate (companywide) 74%

Business unit/division 15%

Facility/location 11%

n = 3,407

What is the HR department/function for which you responded throughout this survey?

Demographics: Other


• Response rate = 10%

• 4,402 HR professional respondents from a randomly selected sample of a variety of industries in SHRM’s membership

• Margin of error +/- 2%

• Survey fielded: July 10, 2012 to August 3, 2012


SHRM Survey Findings: 2013 Employer Perspectives on Disability Benefits—Executive Group Life Benefits


Survey Methodology



23Disability and Executive Benefits Survey ©SHRM 2012

About MassMutualFounded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyholders. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyholders every year since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company’s strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.

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About SHRMThe Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 250,000 members in over 140 countries, the Society serves the needs of HR professionals and advances the interests of the HR profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM has more than 575 affiliated chapters within the United States and subsidiary offices in China and India.

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