The non-financial benefits market in Poland is worth nearly PLN 16 billion
In 2024, 91% of companies employing at least nine employees plan to maintain or increase the budget for non-financial benefits. Employers agree that benefits have a positive impact on employee satisfaction and those supporting personal development and resilience, i.e. the ability to adapt to changing conditions and regeneration, are gaining importance among them.
91% of Polish employees in small, medium, and large enterprises have access to non-financial benefits. According to a survey commissioned by Benefit Systems, on average, they can use six different benefits, and the employer spends an average of PLN 2,020 on benefits for one team member per year. The number and variety of benefits increases with the size of the company. Large enterprises with over 250 employees offer each of them eight benefits on average. The entire non-financial employee benefits market in Poland is worth nearly PLN 16 billion.
– The continuing popularity of non-financial benefits is related, among other things, to their effectiveness. Over 80% of employers notice the positive impact of these solutions on employee satisfaction, which also translates into lower turnover in teams or commitment to performing professional duties. When selecting non-financial benefits, employers try to follow current employees’ needs. 81% of enterprises note that benefits should address environmental and social problems. In turn, 72% of companies also realise that an important task of non-financial benefits is to support a healthy lifestyle and physical activity. As a result, over the last few years, in the portfolio of benefits offered by employers we have seen not only well-known and still desired positions such as sports cards or insurance, but also more and more benefits that respond to emerging problems or current events. What is extremely important, these benefits gain in the eyes of employees – emphasises Emilia Rogalewicz, Management Board Member at Benefit Systems – the company that created the MultiSport Programme.
Appreciated benefits
According to the results of a market study of non-financial benefits conducted on behalf of Benefit Systems, benefits connected with personal development and resilience, i.e. those that support the acquisition of new competences, such as courses, training, advisory services or education funding are highly appreciated by employees (at least 75% of responses).
– In the face of the pace which our reality is changing at, as well as the multitude of negative events, benefits supporting personal development or building resilience seem to be a very rational direction not only from the perspective of employees, but also employers. Providing employees with a constant opportunity to acquire new competences, e.g. in the field of mental training, coping with stress or financial intelligence, makes them more aware and can prepare them for future challenges, both private and professional – explains Emilia Rogalewicz, and adds: – We have known for years that prevention is better than cure. Today, prevention gains a new, broader perspective than the medical one, which we know perfectly well. Prevention today also means acquiring new skills to better cope with challenges or problems in the future. Guided by such conclusions, we are gradually developing the Benefit Systems offer, including the MultiLife Programme. It is a benefit that provides access to a variety of expert knowledge in the form of webinars, courses and individual consultations that help strengthen the well-being and resilience of employees, including such solutions as professional development, languages courses, supporting mental and physical health and building financial intelligence.
Regeneration and relaxation do matter
An important category of benefits also includes those supporting regeneration, such as massages and physiotherapy, subsidies for recreation or the well-known MultiSport cards, which rank first among the most satisfying non-financial benefits.
– The MultiSport Programme enjoys unflagging popularity. Today it is used by over 1.5 million poeople in Poland, and according to almost 70% of employees, the card should be part of the basic package of non-financial benefits.[1] This is a benefit that addresses many current needs. It makes it easier to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, and is an important element of prevention and everyday hygiene in both personal and professional life. One in three adult Poles consider physical activity to be the best way to relieve stress.[2] It is worth remembering that the MultiSport card provides both the opportunity to use a wide range of over 5,000 sports and recreational facilities, and also includes special initiatives and educational activities, such as the Summer Game, which rewards the variety of exercises and their regularity, or health-promoting challenges that support a conscious and effective approach to a healthy lifestyle – points out Wojciech Szwarc, Management Board Member at Benefit Systems, responsible for the development of the network of partner sports facilities.
Company loans took second place among the benefit solutions most appreciated by employees. Language courses came in third place.
Non-financial benefits through the eyes of employees
65% of employees assume that non-financial benefits should be something special and guarantee access to satisfying services or products that they would prefer not to spend money on themselves. Nearly half of working Poles believe that employers should increase access to benefits online. In turn, according to almost 30% of employees, companies should offer the widest possible access to benefits, and non-financial benefits should support the household budget and provide relief from expenses.
1,2 Raport MultiSport Index 2023
Agnieszka Bemowska-Niewiarowska
More about non-financial benefits market research: Employer survey: 400 companies of a certain size in terms of the number of employees: 10-49 N=200, 50-249 N=175, 250+ N=25. The survey was carried out qualitatively using the online in-depth interview (IDI) technique and quantitatively using the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) technique between June and September 2023. The employee survey was carried out using the CATI method on a representative, random sample of 1,000 working Poles over 18 years of age between June and September 2023. Farmers and agricultural workers were not included among the respondents. The survey commissioned by Benefit Systems was conducted by the Minds&Roses agency.
Benefit Systems has been operating on the Polish market for over two decades and is one of the leaders in providing non-financial benefits that support employee well-being. The company is the creator of the MultiSport Programme, which enables physical activity in sports facilities throughout the country. Its portfolio also includes the MyBenefit cafeteria platform and the MultiLife wellbeing programme. For several years now, the company’s sports offer has been developed on foreign markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. The Benefit Systems Group operates over 240 fitness clubs on four markets (in Poland it is responsible for the Fabryka Formy, FitFabric, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place, Saturn Fitness, StepONE, Total Fitness and Zdrofit networks). An important area of Benefit Systems activities is the promotion of an active lifestyle at every stage of life, which is why the company implements initiatives supporting physical activity of children, adults, and seniors, also as part of the MultiSport Foundation. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been part of the global B Corp initiative, bringing together companies operating and engaging in solving the most important social problems. More information can be found at benefitsystems.pl/en.
