July 17, 2025

How Education and Options Boost Employee Benefits Satisfaction

As you gear up for open enrollment season, enhancing your employees’ benefits experience isn’t just a checkbox; it’s essential for engagement and retention. A 2025 study by research and consulting organization LIMRA, reported by BenefitsPRO, reveals powerful insights about the role of education and choice in driving employee satisfaction:

• 7 in 10 employees say they’re at least somewhat satisfied with their benefits—but only 43% are highly satisfied.
• Roughly 60% say their benefits motivate them to stay with their employer (41% say much more likely). Meanwhile, a dissatisfied minority (~20%) feels less committed.
• Most notably, over 70% of employees who fully understand both their insurance and retirement benefits report high satisfaction, while those with poor understanding tend to feel disengaged.

For employers, this means that helping employees understand and access their benefits isn't just helpful, it’s a competitive advantage. Here are four actionable strategies to prepare for open enrollment and drive smarter benefits use year-round.

1. Educate to Elevate

Understanding drives satisfaction, and education is how you bridge the gap:

Only 42% of employees reported receiving total compensation statements, and fewer than half found traditional emails helpful. Instead, live education, whether through group sessions or one-on-one guidance, is significantly more effective.

Open enrollment tips for success:

• Provide total compensation statements to each employee to show the full value of employer-paid benefits.
• Schedule interactive education sessions, such as group webinars, one-on-one meetings with benefits experts, or dedicated office hours for employees to ask questions and get clarity.

2. Offer Real Choice

A richer benefits menu leads to higher satisfaction.

Only 25% of employees with 1–3 benefit options were satisfied, compared to 63% satisfaction among those with 10 or more benefits.

Ways to expand choice:

• Add flexible benefits options such as FSAs, HSAs, lifestyle accounts, or multiple medical plan tiers.
• Survey employees to better understand which voluntary benefits (e.g., vision, dental, identity theft protection, pet insurance) matter most to them.

3. Make Benefits Easy to Access and Use

Ease of access matters just as much as what you offer.

87% of employees who say their benefits are easy to access are highly satisfied. On the flip side, nearly 60% who struggle with access also struggle with understanding their benefits.

Steps to improve access:

• Streamline enrollment tools and create a central benefits hub on your intranet or website.
• Offer FAQs, tip sheets, and reminders throughout the year.
• Ensure mobile-friendly and accessible communications for all employees.

4. Leverage Human Element in Education

HR and third-party advisors are becoming more essential, with 40% of employees turning to HR and 18% to external experts. These personal interactions increase confidence and clarity, especially for new hires, 92% of whom said group or one-on-one sessions were extremely helpful. Employees want more than digital tools.

Best practices:

• Schedule open office hours or one-on-one Q&A sessions with your HR team, benefits partner or broker.
• Lean on your TPA, broker or benefits partners – they may offer ready-made toolkits, explainer videos, and other education materials.

When done well, open enrollment reinforces the value of your total rewards program, empowers employees to make informed choices, and builds long-term loyalty. Education, choice, accessibility, and the human touch are key ingredients in helping your benefits stand out and work harder for your people.

Looking for more tips to enhance open enrollment? Here are five more tips for a smooth open enrollment period.