--- description: Fewer workers are using nap rooms. title: Why Employers Are Offering More Generous Benefit Packages image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcde3c6fc869af284/6988592335ba6fdb0dc0e02f/healthcare.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [employee benefits](/tag/employee-benefits/) ## employee benefits Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Why Employers Are Offering More Generous Benefit Packages by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2015 7:15 PM CUT  BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 05: A doctor holds a stethoscope on September 5, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. Doctors in the country are demanding higher payments from health insurance companies (Krankenkassen). Over 20 doctors' associations are expected to hold a vote this week over possible strikes and temporary closings of their practices if assurances that a requested additional annual increase of 3.5 billion euros (4,390,475,550 USD) in payments are not provided. The Kassenaerztlichen Bundesvereinigung (KBV), the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, unexpectedly broke off talks with the health insurance companies on Monday. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images) BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 05: A doctor holds a stethoscope on September 5, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. Doctors in the country are demanding higher payments from health insurance companies (Krankenkassen). Over 20 doctors' associations are expected to hold a vote this week over possible strikes and temporary closings of their practices if assurances that a requested additional annual increase of 3.5 billion euros (4,390,475,550 USD) in payments are not provided. The Kassenaerztlichen Bundesvereinigung (KBV), the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, unexpectedly broke off talks with the health insurance companies on Monday. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)Adam Berry—Getty Images by [Claire Groden / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## Claire Groden / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2015 7:15 PM CUT Employers are offering more generous benefit packages, primarily driven by improvements in health care coverage. Of the 402 human resource departments that responded to a [survey](http://www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Documents/2015-Employee-Benefits.pdf "undefined") from the Society of Human Resource Management, 35% said they were improving their benefits packages and 58% said they were keep them the same in 2015\. Last year, only 28% of respondents said they were improving their packages. Over the past five years, employers have especially improved mental health coverage, with 91% saying they would improve coverage in 2015, up from 82% in 2011\. Over the same period, contraception coverage also improved, with 83% of employers making improvements this year, up from 69%, and the percentage of employers boosting critical illness insurance rising from 22% to 34%. Health savings accounts, which are tax-deductible accounts for medical expenses, have also seen an uptick, with usage rising 8% in the past five years. As health care expenses rise for the majority of companies, many are offering preventative health benefits in order to tamp down spending in the long run, the study found. Those include health and lifestyle coaching, wellness programs, and smoking cessation programs, among others. Meanwhile, nap rooms, which were considered a preventative measure on the study, logged a 4% decrease in the past five years. In terms of leave benefits, paid maternity and parental leave has increased in prevalence in the past five years. Flexibility is on the rise too: 56% of employers this year reported allowing workers to telecommute on an ad-hoc basis, compared to 42% in 2011. According to the study, employers sink much of employee compensation in benefits that workers don’t notice in their paychecks: almost a third of private industry employee compensation came in the form of benefits in 2014\. “In an environment with limited compensation growth in most sectors of the U.S. economy, a competitive benefits package can make the difference in attracting top talent to an organization,” the study said. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3941978/benefit-packages-health-costs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3941978/benefit-packages-health-costs/"},"headline":"Why Employers Are Offering More Generous Benefit Packages","datePublished":"2015-06-30T19:15:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T08:40:40.021Z","description":"Fewer workers are using nap rooms","url":"https://time.com/3941978/benefit-packages-health-costs/","keywords":["employee benefits","Healthcare","health","pubdesk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcde3c6fc869af284/6988592335ba6fdb0dc0e02f/healthcare.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Claire Groden / Fortune"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcde3c6fc869af284/6988592335ba6fdb0dc0e02f/healthcare.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Doctors Seek Higher Fees From Health Insurers","caption":"Doctors Seek Higher Fees From Health Insurers","creditText":"Adam Berry—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/employee-benefits/","name":"employee benefits"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3941978/benefit-packages-health-costs/","name":"Why Employers Are Offering More Generous Benefit Packages"}}]}] ```