Given today's economy, employers have continually looked for ways to control costs, and in many cases, freezing salaries have been part of cost containment strategies. While this may work from a financial standpoint, employee morale typically takes a hit when salary increases are implemented. Thus, employers must look at other nontraditional benefits to motivate the work force, says Scott Thompson, advisor at FirstPerson Benefit Advisors, an employee benefits firm in Indianapolis.

"The marketplace isn't dictating that employers have to look at salary," Thompson says. "Instead, they can look at more nontraditional, lower-cost ways to impact and motivate their employees, which can increase productivity and improve the health of their people."

While health insurance is a highly valued benefit among employees, especially considering the high prices of medical treatments, Thompson is seeing more employers focus on benefits that drive productivity. Too often, employers only focus on helping employees understand their benefits during open enrollment and forget about them the rest of the year, but employees need help more than once a year. The health care system is continuously used by many employees, and sometimes they need help sorting through the complications that arise.