Paid sick leave continues to top the list of benefits and incentives that matter most to employees, according to new research by HR, payroll and benefits software provider, Ciphr.
A poll of 2,000 UK employees found that over two-thirds (68%) think company sick pay is the most important employee benefit to have – ranking it above all other benefits, incentives and rewards.
This is an almost identical result to a similar survey Ciphr ran four years ago, when 67% of 1,000 employees said sick pay was the benefit they valued most.
After paid sick leave, the other most in-demand work incentives in 2026 include annual pay rises that match or exceed inflation – perhaps unsurprising after years of higher living costs – and flexible working hours (selected by 60% and 58% of surveyed employees respectively).
Pension contribution matching and having extra holiday allowance, on top of statutory minimum holiday entitlement and bank holidays, are also seen as valuable rewards by around half of employees (54% and 50% respectively).
The rest of the top 10 features an equally balanced mix of financial and non-financial incentives – highlighting that while being paid (as a salary or into a pension, for example) is a key motivator to why people work, it’s not all-important.
Many of the benefits and incentives that employees prize most highly are those that support their health, wellbeing and work/life balance and invest in their skills and future career development.
