There’s one good thing about tough economic times (if you’re willing to say there are any good things): It makes people have a greater appreciation for what they have.

Nowhere is this truer than in the world of employee benefits, because we’re seeing more and more evidence that many perks workers used to take for granted, and perhaps even felt entitled to, are now the very things that they have come to really count on and appreciate as the economy tightens up.

“In this environment, benefits are taking on a heightened importance for most workers. They are more actively involved in managing the benefits provided by their employers, says a new study conducted by MetLife,” and reported in The Arizona Republic.

“MetLife’s 7th Annual Employee Benefits Trends Study said 46 percent of workers surveyed say they are taking a greater interest in understanding the benefits they get through their employer,” the story said. “More than half say they appreciate the benefits more than ever before and 41 percent said their workplace benefits are the foundation of their financial security.”

What’s interesting to me about this MetLife study is that the company felt the need to do the survey twice—first in August and then again in November—because of “the recent volatility in the markets.”

Clearly, MetLife felt that data and opinions collected in the relative good times of last August just wouldn’t be representative of how workers feel today. And although I applaud MetLife’s decision to re-survey in November, I think the findings would probably be even more pronounced had they done taken them again—perhaps in February—after the economy REALLY took a nose dive.

You get a hint of this from the concerns workers expressed in the study.

“A third of workers are worried that their company will cut benefits in the next 12 months,” the Republic story said, “although the study shows only 15 percent of employers said they planned to make such cuts. This also indicates that company officials recognize the importance of benefits to worker morale—39 percent of employers believe that workplace morale is strongly linked to the quality of employee benefits.”

“Focusing on retirement has taken on a bigger role for many individuals. Six out of 10 employees say they have been motivated to look at the level of income they’ll need in retirement. That figure rises to 73 percent for Baby Boomers, participants born between 1946 and 1964 … [and] the biggest concern, cited by 65 percent of workers, is affording health care in retirement. The second biggest worry was a tie between outliving retirement money and having the money to care for a spouse’s long-term needs, both issues cited by six in ten participants,” the story added.

I don’t find it surprising that employees are more appreciative of their benefits, because most workers who still have jobs are concerned with keeping those jobs and all the perks and extras that come with it. That hasn’t really changed, but what has gotten people’s attention is the notion that losing a job doesn’t just mean losing a paycheck.

It also means losing health care, dental and eye coverage, paid vacation and probably access to a retirement plan. If those benefits were taken for granted in the past, they certainly aren’t anymore, at least not in this economy.

“Employees are looking more and more to the workplace for advice, education and guidance so they can make better decisions about their benefit programs … to help them craft a financial safety net for themselves,” said Bill Mullaney, president of MetLife’s institutional business.

Yes, benefits are one part of the safety net that workers depend on, in both good times and bad. It sometimes takes something like a huge economic downturn before people finally really appreciate what they have—and what they should never, ever take for granted again.

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