30 Reasons Employees Hate Their Managers: What Your People May Be Thinking and What You Can Do About It

Chapter 24. The cost of my benefits is eating up my paycheck

Four out of ten employees say their benefits do not meet their needs.

My wife received a 5 percent raise last year, but she also received an increase in the amount of money deducted from her paycheck for health insurance. The net result: a decrease in her take-home pay. This is a common frustration for U.S. workers.

The Problem for Employers

The cost of health care, which has risen astronomically in the past few decades, is crippling many companies. When General Motors recently reported a $1.1 billion first-quarter loss, it announced that the increased costs of providing health-care coverage for its employees, retirees, and their dependents was the most significant factor. The company reported ...