One of my more mercurial bosses once admonished me about something I did (or didn't) do, declaring it didn't matter because "perception is reality." So, ultimately, what I did didn't matter as much as what it looked like I did.
It's an argument I've struggled with in the years since, exacerbated by our society's embrace of "perceived" celebrities such as the Kardashians (how many are there?).
That being said, employee perception of – and appreciation for – their benefits is a more important reality than ever in these less-than-stable times.
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Mercer's latest Workplace Survey backs that up, revealing roughly "eight out of 10 employees said their benefits are one of the reasons they work where they do." More than 75 percent of them said their benefits made them feel appreciated as workers. In fact, according to Mercer's numbers, satisfaction with health benefits specifically has more than doubled in the last four years.
Skeptics might argue that, if anything, health benefits over that same time period have eroded away while the costs associated with them continue to climb. We're getting less for more, basically, or in the best case scenario, we're breaking even. Yet our appreciation for what we have is greater than ever. So you tell me what's real.
The Mercer study also took a look at the retirement side of things, showing workers breaking against the conventional wisdom that hard economic times tend to be hard on employee saving. On the contrary, workers remain worried about their jobs but are actually putting more money away into retirement accounts.
Again, people like me will point to the proliferation of auto-enrollment features out there for the jump in 401(k) savings ratings, in particular, but maybe we really are witnessing a sea change in employee savings behavior. We'll see.
It looks like a malingering economy has shored up the attitudes of those who've actually managed to keep their jobs and led them to be more than just positive, but actually proactive in their approach to shaping their own futures.
Either way, I think I lean more toward Philip K. Dick: "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
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