Lydia G. Jilek is a Senior Consultant with a focus on voluntary benefits in the Health and Benefits practice of WTW (Willis Towers Watson). She has 20 years of experience in the health and voluntary benefits space and currently advises employers on the development of strategies around supplemental health products.
The COVID-19 pandemic drove more employers to offer voluntary employee-paid benefits. To ensure that employees appreciate these offerings, they need to be aware they are available and understand them.
The pandemic has given rise to an increase in benefits that protect employees against big hospital bills and loss of income and provide personal protection. Employers are supplementing existing core benefits with more personalized benefits to provide additional ways to support their employees' overall well-being and enhance the perceived value of their benefits offerings.