With economic slowdown casting a shadow on profits, companies may increasingly turn towards offering flexible benefit programmes to employees, among other measures, for managing costs and attracting the right talent, a survey by global HR consultancy Mercer says. According to the survey, flexible benefits programmes, which allow employees to choose a mix of health insurance and other benefits as per their needs, has been gaining momentum, particularly in emerging markets like India, China and Vietnam. In the Marsh/Mercer Indian Flexible Benefits Survey 2008 , the consultancy found that close to half of the employers (48%) surveyed are upbeat about flexible benefits ...

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