Most U.S. workers believe their companies' employees benefitscan be substantially improved, according to a new report.

Guardian LifeInsurance Company of America, New York, published this findingin a national survey of 1,071 employee benefits decision-makers,including benefits executives, business owners, human resourcesprofessionals and financial management professionals. The GuardianWorkplace Benefits Study polled benefits professionals at U.S.business with at least five full-time employees.

When asked to attach a value to their employeebenefits on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest valueand 1 the lowest, more than 6 in 10 workers (64%) rate theirbenefits in the moderate (6-10) range, the average score being 6.8in Guardian's Benefits Value Index.

Just 20% of the respondents give their benefits packages a high(9-10) BVI rating. Sixteen percent of those polled rated theirbenefits in the low (1-5) range.

To arrive at a BVI rating, Guardian asked employees about thedegree to which they agree their company offers benefits that meetpersonal needs, are affordable, positively impact their personalhealth, wellness and financial securities and help them make theright choices for their current personal and/or familysituation.

On average, the survey states, about half of workers (49%) saythey are highly satisfied with their benefits package while four inten employers (42%) believe their workers are highly satisfied.Additionally, more than 1 in 10 employees (12%), report thatsatisfaction with their benefits package has worsened in the pastyear, compared to just 5% of employers who say so.

“There appears to be general agreement between employees andemployers—though workers are more emphatic—that benefits programsare not well understand, appreciated or simply [are] not meetingthe needs of many workers,” the report concludes.

The report adds that workers' perceptions about the value oftheir employee benefits are influenced by socioeconomic status.College-educatedindividuals have a 7.0 BVI score as compared to 6.5 for thosewho only have a high school degree or less.

Similarly, workers with greater household incomes($200,000-plus, $150,000-$199,000, $100,000-$149,000 and$75,000-$99,000) provide higher BVI scores (7.1, 7.2, 6.9 and 7.2,respectively) than those with lower household income incomes: 6.7and 6.4, respectively, for those earning $50,000-$74,999 and$25,000-$49,000.

The study adds that workers who are in the “family formationyears” and have experienced one or more “life events” during thepast two years (e.g., have children, getting married, buying ahouse, etc.) tend to place a lower value on their employee benefitsthan do other workers.

“This study indicates that as workers advance through theirvarious life stages and achieve greater stability in their lives,employee benefits may become increasingly more valuable,” thereport states.

This article was originally posted at LifeHealthPro.com, a sister siteof Credit Union Times.