In a tight labor market attraction and retention are key goals of employers looking to maintain productivity and continuity. Beyond the "standard" benefits being offered, employers are considering other ways to stand out and offer benefits packages that support employee work-life balance and wellness.

A new survey from Marsh McLennan Agency in partnership with the National Business Research Institute, called Absence, Disability, and Leave Benchmarking Report, looks at the top challenges facing midsize company benefits packages. Some of the challenges include: Staying updated and compliant with state and local leave laws (42%) as well as integrating mandated leave, paid leave, disability and company sponsored leave benefits (41%).

Interestingly, the report shows, for employers under 500 lives, about 50% of them handle benefits in-house vs. 50% co-sourcing or outsourcing. Over 500 lives, that changes to 70% of employers outsourcing or co-sourcing.