Almost eight out of ten (79 per cent) in-house comms professionals cite private healthcare as one of their benefits, making it their most popular perk, according to new research.
It is followed by death in service, which more than half (55 per cent) of in-house PRs have as a benefit. Their third most chosen perk is life assurance (48 per cent.)
The data is from a survey of 350 corporate comms professionals, more than half (59 per cent) of whom work in-house, by comms recruiter The Works Search for its 2025 Salary Guide.
The report also reveals that private healthcare was ranked as the number one perk for those working in agencies too (76 per cent). The benefit is a “universal need reflecting a broader trend towards personal wellbeing and rising healthcare costs”, it concludes.
In-house professionals are far more likely to have private healthcare for their family, with 35 per cent citing this as a benefit compared to 23 per cent of agency professionals.
And “death in service (55%) and life assurance (48%) are higher priority in-house” with agency professionals far less likely to have them as benefits. Just 39 per cent of those in agencies have death in service as a benefit, while only 28 per cent list life assurance as a perk.
Long-term, security-focused, costly benefits
“These long-term, security-focused and costly benefits are prioritised by more experienced professionals and also tend to be on offer more to in-house employees,” the report states.
Those working in-house are also more likely to have private dental cover (32 per cent vs 24 per cent), while agency workers are more likely to have flu vaccinations as a perk (28 per cent vs 22 per cent).
Having fresh fruit and snacks in the workplace is a popular benefit across the board, in what the report describes as a way of luring people into the office and “a likely nod to the increasing number of in-office days now required”. However, it is far less important to those working in-house, cited by 36 per cent compared to 55 per cent of those in agencies.
Several benefits in the top 10 for in-house professionals are not in the list of those enjoyed by agency workers. These include share option schemes, income protection and charitable days.
While free breakfast/lunch, recruitment referral bonuses, and being allowed to work from anywhere for up to four weeks a year are not priorities for in-house professionals, they are highly rated by those in agencies.
The ability to work remotely for several weeks a year, picked by 29 per cent of agency professionals, reflects “the intense workloads and tight deadlines agencies are known for, and which can lead to burnout”.
The report adds: “Being able to temporarily work from a different location (especially a relaxing one) offers a mental reset without taking time off, which is an attractive balance between productivity and wellbeing.”
It notes that “in-house roles, particularly within larger or more established organisations, often come with more robust long-term financial perks” and that “agencies, often operating with tighter budgets and more variable revenue streams, tend to offer leaner benefits“.
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