According to a new study commissioned by Unum and conducted by Harris Interactive, employees are placing more value on benefits than ever.  

"This economic environment has caused employees to take a hard look at how to protect their income and savings from not only another recession but from personal hardship, as well," says Bill Dalicandro, vice president at Unum. "Employees are recognizing the important role financial protection benefits in particular can play in protecting their financial stability." 

During the survey, respondents rated both employer-sponsored and private benefits based on their importance, and financial protection benefits experienced some of the highest gains. On a scale of importance with one being not at all important to 10 being extremely important, 53 percent of employees marked long-term disability insurance as an eight or higher, which is a seven-point gain from 2008. For short-term disability insurance, half of respondents rated it an eight or higher, a jump from 45 percent in 2008.