Employee gripes: Health care costs, low raises

Cost-cutting by big companies in response to the changing business landscape has their employees worried about money.

Three out of four employees of big corporations say some of their companies' recent decisions, such as increasing health care premiums and giving smaller raises, are hurting employees' finances, a new survey shows.

"The last two years have been a period of rapid change among large employers which has required them to take measures to cut costs," says Shane Bartling, a senior consultant at Towers Watson, a human resources consulting firm, which sponsored the survey of 4,248 full-time employees at companies with 1,000 or more workers.

When employees were asked about changes their companies have made in the last two years:

• 47% said their employer had layoffs.

• 38% said their employer significantly increased health care premiums or out-of-pocket medical expenses.

• 32% said their companies reduced pay increases.

• 24% mentioned cuts or significant changes in retirement benefits.

The survey also showed that 47% of employees are worried about their current finances; 58% are worried about their future finances. "Clearly the level of worry is correlated to employers' actions," Bartling says.

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Most (83%) people say their savings falls short of the recommended amount, while 60% say they need to save more if they hope to retire comfortably, the survey found.

The new data come on the heels of another report out last week which showed how little money many people have saved. About 36% of workers have less than $1,000 in savings and investments that could be used for retirement, not counting their primary residence or defined benefits plans such as traditional pensions, and 60% of workers have less than $25,000, according to a telephone survey of 1,000 workers and 501 retirees from the non-profit Employee Benefit Research! Institute and Greenwald and Associates.

"It is a tough situation out there when it comes to cutting benefits," says financial planner Anthony Saccaro, president of Providence Financial and Insurance Services in Woodland Hills, Calif. "I understand why companies are doing it. Quite frankly, there are a lot of unknowns including taxes and Obamacare."

Some people may want to bail from their current company, but it's often difficult to find another job, especially for older employees, he says.

If you are making a decent salary, there may be advantages to sticking with your current company, even if you don't get another pay raise, he says.

People need to do the research to figure out how much they need to retire, he says. There is a small percentage of people who think they can't retire, but they have enough money to retire comfortably as long as they are prudent with their money and invest it wisely, he says.