Benefits satisfaction is on the decline as employee expectations increase and needs go unmet.
Only 61% of employees feel satisfied with their benefits offerings, compared to 66% during the same period last year, according to new data from consulting firm WTW. It’s information that serves as a warning to employers so they don’t risk wider-spread employee dissatisfaction that could negatively impact engagement, retention, or productivity.
Benefits satisfaction can fluctuate for several reasons, explained Jill Havely, head of global community excellence, employee experience, at WTW.
“Satisfaction may be down if employees feel their benefits don’t align with their needs, or if they’re unclear about what’s available to them,” she said.
While the data from WTW doesn’t single out specific benefits, Havely said lower satisfaction is more prevalent with “offerings that are complex, the value is under-communicated or not well explained, or they are perceived as less relevant.”
Higher Expectations
Better benefits transparency and communication around offerings has long been a rallying cry from many HR and benefits experts, but many employees still lack understanding about what is offered and how to utilize benefits.
“The benefits process is incredibly confusing,” Amy Mosher, chief people officer at Charlotte, N.C.-based software firm isolved, told SHRM recently. “There are very few employees out there who feel confident in their understanding of their benefits.”
However, WTW’s survey finds that understanding about benefits has actually trended up in the past year — 84% of employees said they feel well informed about company benefits, a rise from 77% in 2024 — data signaling that employees are aware of what their employer offers, but don’t feel like the benefits offered meet their needs.
“In today’s environment, employees are more aware of their options and have higher expectations for personalization and transparency,” Havely said.
Health Benefits Costs
Possibly contributing to the decline are increased costs for health benefits. Health care costs are often a point of discontent for employees — and a pain point for employers — but this year has been especially difficult on workers’ wallets.
Premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage have hit nearly $27,000 a year, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) analysis, with workers contributing $6,850 toward the cost on average. The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, a nonprofit organization based in Brookfield, Wis., with 31,000 employer members, recently found that organizations are projecting a 10% hike in health care costs in 2026. And a survey of employers from benefits consultant firm Mercer last month found that the increase in health benefits costs for 2026 may be the biggest in 15 years.
Rising health care costs for employees are “definitely a concern,” said Kimberly Landry, associate research director at LIMRA, an insurance industry trade association based in Windsor, Conn. “Those deductibles can’t get much higher at this point. [Employees] will start to question the value of their coverage. Plus, wages and salaries haven’t been keeping up.”
Employer Action
The data is significant for employers as benefits are tied to overall employee satisfaction. And when satisfaction drops, decreased engagement, higher turnover, and reduced productivity often follow.
Employers also risk not realizing the full value of their investment in benefits, Havely explained. “If employees don’t appreciate or use the programs provided, the intended return on investment is lost,” she said. “There’s also a reputational risk. Low satisfaction can lead to a breakdown in trust and belief in the employee value proposition, ultimately undermining the employer’s brand and contributing to disengagement.”
To help get a hold on elevated dissatisfaction with benefits, employers might want to talk to — and listen to — employees about benefits offerings to find out what’s working and what’s not. That can be done through employee surveys, focus groups (virtual or in-person), and feedback channels, she said.
“It’s important to identify which benefits employees value most and invest in those programs to generate the highest perceived value,” Havely said. “Approaches like conjoint analysis can help organizations pinpoint the combination of rewards that matter most to their workforce.”
From there, employers can tailor their benefits offerings to better meet employee needs and ensure communications are clear, regular, and relevant, Havely said. Leveraging technology to centralize information, simplifying language, and equipping managers to answer questions can all help boost satisfaction.
“Ultimately, it’s about creating a benefits experience that employees value and understand,” she said.