Employers are offering more perks than Amazon on Prime Day but employees aren’t scrolling right past them.
Despite spending $26,000 per employee on benefits, companies are seeing low engagement, zero ROI and billions are going to waste every year on unused benefits.
Here’s why it’s happening andhow to fix it.
1. They don’t know what’s available
You can’t use what you don’t know exists.
It’s one of the most common (and most avoidable) reasons employees skip out on benefits.
Why it happens:
- Benefits are buried in onboarding paperwork
- Communication is scattered or inconsistent
- Info overload makes it hard to absorb
- There’s no single place to find it all
What to do about it:
Make benefits part of everyday life, not just open enrollment.
Build a consistent rhythm of communication throughout the year. Use moments that matter like back-to-school season, Mental Health Month, or tax time to surface relevant benefits. Keep the language plain, the format visual, and the delivery channels where your people already are (Teams/slack, email, intranet, etc.).
And don’t stop at awareness. Make it easy to take action. Link directly to the benefit, not just a landing page. Use QR codes for physical spaces.
Think like a marketer. Awareness is only the first step.
2. It doesn’t feel personal
If it doesn’t feel relevant, it won’t get used.
One-size-fits-all benefits rarely fit today’s diverse workforce and employees are quick to tune out what doesn’t apply to them.
Why it happens:
- Benefits are built without employee input
- Programs don’t flex for different life stages or needs
- There’s no data to guide personalization
What to do about it:
Usebehavioral data to deliver targeted, timely benefit recommendations based on real life moments like becoming a parent, moving cities, or managing a chronic condition.
Think Netflix-level curation, but for health and wellbeing.
See how personalization drives better outcomes →
3. It’s too hard to understand
Nearly 70% of employees don’t understand their benefits. And for most, the experience feels more like decoding a legal document than accessing a support system
Why it’s so confusing:
- Jargon-filled language
- Dense PDFs with no real-world examples
- Eligibility rules that vary across plans or roles
- Summaries that read like compliance checklists
What to do about it:
Write for real people. Use plain, conversational language. Replace PDFs with digestible formats like checklists, short videos, or interactive FAQs. Make eligibility crystal clear with side-by-side comparisons or decision support tools.
If you have multiple vendors, consider consolidating benefit information into a single, searchable hub where employees can find answers without jumping through hoops.
4. The experience is difficult to use
Even when people understand their benefits, using them can still feel like a chore.
In our 2024 Insights: Employee Health and Productivity report, we found that most employees have to use 2-5 websites, portals or apps just to access their benefits.
That’s time lost, productivity drained, and trust eroded.
Why this happens:
- Multiple logins across disconnected vendor sites
- No central hub to view or manage everything
- Poor mobile access or optimization
- Inconsistent interfaces across platforms
- No real-time guidance or virtual support
What to do about it:
Create one front door. Whether it’s a portal, app, or benefits hub, make it simple, searchable, and mobile-ready. Include how-to guides, step-by-step instructions, and clearly marked next steps.
Consider layering in live support like chat, phone, or a dedicated team to walk employees through enrollment or usage questions.
Learn how our integrated, personalized health platform makes navigation effortless →
5. It’s not accessible enough
Employees are busy. If accessing a benefit feels like a chore, they’ll likely skip it.
Common accessibility challenges
- Limited hours or in-person-only services
- Platforms that don’t work well on mobile
- Inconvenient locations or timing
- No integration with daily tools or workflows
- Language and cultural barriers that exclude
What to do about it:
Design for real life. That means mobile-first tools, flexible virtual options, and content that’s available in multiple languages and formats (and no, we don’t mean using Google Translate).
If you have a distributed or international workforce, make sure your programs adapt to local norms, compliance needs, and cultural expectations.
Turn benefits into ROI
Without engagement, there is no ROI. Full stop.
That’s the bad news. The good news? Every one of these barriers can be overcome.
Whether you choose to tackle them in-house or partner with a platform like Personify Health, the goal is the same: design a benefits experience people actually want to use.
Because when benefits are easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to act on, people engage. And when they engage, outcomes improve, and ROI follows.
Want to see how Personify Health is helping companies turn engagement into ROI? Download our eBook Engage or Bust: The Brutal Reality for Self-Funded Employers