One big question I hear from Kansas community banks today is simple: How do we find good people, and just as importantly, how do we keep them? That is not just HR. It is bank leadership. Kansas community banks depend on experienced, dependable employees. The people in your branches, lending teams, operations areas and back offices take care of customers, protect the bank and keep things moving. In many Kansas communities, bank employees are also trusted faces in town. When you lose good people, it costs time, money, customer relationships and institutional knowledge. That is why employee benefits matter. For years, many employers looked at benefits as something they had to offer and renew each year. Today, benefits need to be viewed differently. They are part of your compensation strategy, your culture and one way your bank tells employees, “We value you.” Employees Are Looking at the Whole Package Pay is always going to matter. Nobody is suggesting otherwise. But employees are looking at more than the paycheck. They want to know whether they can afford the health plan, protect their family, save for retirement and have flexibility when life happens. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, benefits accounted for 29.9% of private-industry compensation costs in December 2025. Employers are already making a major investment in their people. The question is whether employees understand it, and whether it helps recruit and retain talent. Health insurance remains one of the most important benefits. SHRM’s 2025 Employee Benefits Survey found that 88% of employers rated health-related benefits as extremely important or very important. Employees may not talk about benefits until they need them, but when they do, they matter. Why Benefits Matter When Hiring and Keeping Good Employees By Alex Greig, President, Bankers Insurance Solutions 32
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