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UK Employee Benefits Guide 2026-7 - Pre-order your copy
Published date: 22 September 2026
Pre-order your free copy of the UK & Ireland Employee Benefits Guide
Looking to improve your employee benefits strategy in 2027? Our free UK & Ireland Employee Benefits Guide reveals what benefits professionals value most - helping you attract and retain top talent in a competitive market. Fill in the form to pre-order the upcoming edition of the benefits guide.
Following the success of our 2025-6 guide, we surveyed over 3,000 professionals across the UK and Ireland to understand the evolving state of employee benefits in 2026-7.
This year’s guide offers deeper insights into the value and impact of employee benefits and hybrid/flexi-working policies, helping you build competitive packages that meet workforce expectations.
What is the Robert Walters Employee Benefits Guide?
The guide is a comprehensive analysis of the benefits professionals receive and prioritise, based on real survey data from professionals across the UK & Ireland. It includes tables covering the benefits professionals are receiving, segmented data by seniority and company size. The guide also has insightful key findings and expert HR recommendations.
What’s in the guide?
The comprehensive guide covers the exact employee benefits professionals are receiving across the UK & Ireland - and what they value most in 2026-7.
1. The perks professionals receive in 2026-7
The guide includes segmented data on the benefits received across the following categories:
- Financial security & overall compensation
- Pensions, wealth building & income protection
- Hybrid & flexible working
- Annual leave and other paid leave
- Health, wellbeing & insurance
- Parental leave, family & household support
2. Explore the key trends shaping employee benefits
The guide goes beyond looking at which benefits are offered. It examines how employees value their benefits and the impact they can have on satisfaction, loyalty and retention.
Financial security and overall compensation
Understand the role pensions, bonuses and wider financial benefits play in employees’ perceptions of their overall package. The research found that employer pension contributions were the highest-rated core benefit, while pension and bonus provision were both closely associated with loyalty and benefits satisfaction.
Hybrid and flexible working
Explore changing expectations around hybrid working, including office attendance, employee autonomy and the impact flexibility can have on retention. The guide also examines commuting habits, associated costs and the benefits that could support office attendance.
Annual leave and work-life balance
Understand how highly professionals value annual leave and the practical barriers that can prevent employees from using their full entitlement, from heavy workloads and tight deadlines to insufficient cover.
Health, wellbeing and insurance
Discover how employees value healthcare, insurance and wellbeing support, including private medical insurance, preventative healthcare, mental health support and lifestyle benefits.
Family and caring benefits
Explore how parental leave, family support and caring benefits are perceived across the workforce, and why benefits with lower overall usage can still play an important role at key stages of an employee’s life.
Personalisation and relevance
Discover the relationship between benefits personalisation and employee satisfaction. The research explores whether employees feel their package reflects their individual needs and priorities, and how having greater choice can influence their overall perception of their benefits.
3. Practical recommendations for employers
The third edition translates the research findings into practical recommendations for organisations looking to strengthen their employee benefits strategy.
Recommendations focus on:
- Financial wellbeing and security
- Work-life balance through flexibility and time away from work
- Employee health and wellbeing
- Employees through family and caring benefits
- Improving personalisation, relevance and benefits communication
The recommendations are designed to help employers consider not only what benefits they provide, but also how those benefits are communicated, accessed and experienced by employees.
Why do employee benefits matter?
Employee benefits are an important part of the overall employee proposition. The research within the guide shows that employees consider factors including work-life balance, long-term financial security and total compensation when assessing the value of their benefits package.
An effective benefits strategy therefore goes beyond the number of benefits offered. Employers also need to consider whether benefits reflect employee priorities, are communicated clearly, provide meaningful choice and can be used effectively in practice.
The upcoming edition of the Employee Benefits Guide gives employers the data and practical insights they need to assess their current approach and identify opportunities to strengthen their offering.
Pre-order your free copy today.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can the guide help my company?
The Employee Benefits Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the benefits professionals across the UK & Ireland receive and value most.
With segmented data by seniority and company size, the guide helps employers benchmark their offering and tailor packages to meet workforce expectations.
The guide complements the compensation data in the 2026 UK Salary Survey, to support strategic decision-making around benefits, retention, and employer branding.
Additionally, the guide includes expert recommendations on how to improve your benefits package and keep it aligned with current trends and employee expectations.
Pre-order copy of the guide today using the form on this page, and you'll also receive access to the most recent edition.
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How do employee benefits impact satisfaction and retention?
Benefits play a central role in shaping how professionals feel about their employer. The guide explores how specific benefits - such as pensions, bonuses, and flexible working - affect satisfaction scores and job-seeking behaviour.
Employers can use these insights to reduce turnover and improve engagement by aligning their benefits strategy with employee priorities.
Pre-order the upcoming edition of the guide to tap into insights that will position your organisation as a top choice for job seekers, and help avoid losing talent to competition.
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Is the guide relevant to all industries and company sizes?
Yes. The guide includes responses from professionals across a wide range of sectors, including finance, technology, legal, and more.
It also features tables comparing the benefits received by employees in SMEs and large enterprises, making it applicable to organisations of all sizes.
For more specific industry insights, feel free to get in touch with one of our specialist recruiters who can offer insight on compensation trends in your sector.
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What makes the guide different from other resources?
The Employee Benefits Guide stands out from other resources due to its comprehensive approach, combining extensive data from a survey of over 2,000 professionals across the UK and Ireland with expert recommendations from leading HR professionals.
Unlike typical reports that offer only data or general advice, this guide provides a deep dive into the benefits that employees actually receive and value most, alongside actionable insights on how to enhance your benefits package.
This blend of quantitative data and qualitative expert analysis makes the guide a unique and invaluable tool for companies aiming to optimise their benefits strategy.
Pre-order your copy of the guide today by filling in the form on this page.
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What makes the latest guide different from the previous edition?
This year’s guide includes expanded insights into hybrid and flexible working, bonuses and pensions, and changing expectations in the market.
This year's guide is set in the context of changing expectations in the workforce, including rising commuting costs and productivity pressure. With this in mind, the latest benefits guide includes added detail on the impact of changing hybrid policies on retention and satisfaction.
It also includes added insight into financial benefits like bonuses and pensions.
It also features recommendations to offer strategic context to the data. The guide is designed to help employers respond to evolving employee expectations with clarity and confidence. Pre-order your copy of the upcoming edition of the guide today.
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What types of benefits are covered in the guide?
The guide covers a wide range of the most common benefits offered to UK & Ireland employees, including financial (bonuses, pensions), paid leave, family support (maternity, paternity), insurance and health cover, wellbeing perks, and flexible working arrangements.
It also explores how these benefits are valued, how it impacts loyalty, variation between different groups, alonside recommendations to help employers tailor their offering effectively.
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Can Robert Walters help us review and improve our benefits offering?
Yes, we can enhance your benefits package by leveraging our market intelligence services. Through a data-driven approach, they provide comprehensive salary and benefits benchmarking, ensuring your compensation packages are competitive and aligned with industry standards.
The team analyses a wide array of data sources to offer insights into salary trends, benefits preferences, and competitor strategies. This enables your company to attract and retain top talent, stay ahead of market changes, and make informed decisions that support long-term business growth.
Salary and compensation benchmarking ensures your pay and benefits packages are designed to attract top talent, retain your best people, and keep your business competitive long into the future.
Find out more about our compensation benchmarking solutions here.