What are the most useful metrics employers use to measure their benefits?
Organisations are demanding stronger proof that benefits investment is driving real business value.
By shifting to outcome‑led measurement and demonstrating clear return on investment (ROI) on key metrics, reward leaders have an opportunity to show which benefits truly move the needle on employee performance, and where to focus next for maximum impact.
REBA’s Benefits Design Research 2026, in partnership with Howden, reveals the most common business or people outcomes used to measure the performance of benefits.
The research, drawing on insights from 381 organisations, found a clear gap between perceived impact and the measures required to verify them.
The two most commonly used metrics for assessing benefits performance are were benefits take‑up and employee engagement.
Metrics like employee absence and productivity, despite being core reasons for introducing benefits, are still the least used when assessing performance.
This gap means reward leaders may miss the opportunity to show how benefits contribute to business outcomes.
With employee benefits often operating on separate systems, even basic metrics can be time‑consuming to piece together.
In this context, it is understandable that more than half (52%) of respondents described their approach to reviewing benefits performance as informal or emerging.
The opportunity for reward leaders now lies in developing more connected, accessible measurement practices over time.
Find out how you can set business outcomes and prove ROI by downloading REBA’s Benefits Design Research 2026.
The research was conducted as an online quantitative survey in January 2026 among REBA’s membership community and wider database of HR professionals.
It contains insights from a broad range of company sizes and industry sectors, including Boots UK, Dentsu, Ocado, Rolls-Royce, Santander and Unilever.
