Survey Finds More Companies Cutting Benefits in 2009

Looks like Starbucks’ dollar coffees are coming at the perfect time for the thousands of U.S. employees who are soon going to have to start paying for their morning caffeine fixes.

Following in the steps of Google and the like, nearly four in ten (38 percent) employers plan to cut back on various benefits this year, in efforts to curb overall operating expenses, according to CareerBuilder’s most recent survey  of over 3,000 hiring managers and HR professionals nationwide. 

Of those employers cutting back, nearly two thirds (65 percent) indicate that they’ll cut or scale back on company social events such as picnics and holiday parties.  Sixty-one percent will curtail business travel, while 25 percent expect to scale back on healthcare benefits and 11 percent plan to reduce wellness benefits.

For 34 percent, those cuts include putting the kibosh on special office perks like free coffee, ice machines and discounted vending.  Another 28 percent are cutting back on incentive trips, while 21 percent are reducing their participation in philanthropic activities.

But the news isn’t all bad. “While reigning in spending in certain areas, we also see companies offering more flexible work arrangements and placing an increased emphasis on employee recognition programs to help maintain job satisfaction levels within their organizations,” says Rosemary Haefner, CareerBuilder’s Vice President of Human Resources.

So where does your company fall?  What office perks have you had to (or will) cut back on? What do/will you miss the most?

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on February 18, 2009
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• Categories: Employee Retention, Survey Results