The employee benefits landscape has changed dramatically over the past two years thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, economic fluctuations, and significant decreases in job satisfaction. As a result, millions of employees have left their jobs, benefits advisors, HR leaders and business managers are grappling with the fallout from the previous 12 months, and there are more changes on the way in 2023. 

Fortunately, there are noticeable trends in what benefits employees want, which HR leaders and their advisors can take advantage of to help employers attract and retain new talent. These redesigned benefits programs can also develop greater loyalty and job satisfaction with those employees already on their rosters. 

Key to all of this is the answer to a simple question: What do employees want? 

From the great resignation to the great reshuffle

In 2021, a movement known as the Great Resignation swept the U.S. workforce, leading to more than 47 million employees quitting their jobs in that year alone and a further 20 million in the first half of 2022. Yet employees were not just quitting their jobs, they were also finding new jobs. Many even switched their occupations entirely. According to a Pew Research Study, this "great reshuffle" saw an average of 4 million people switch jobs each month between January and March 2022, translating into an annual turnover rate of 30%.