Employee Benefits | What Employee Benefit Surveys May Be Missing
Your latest benefits survey looks encouraging. Employees say they are satisfied with the package, and few ask for major changes. Does that mean your benefits are meeting their needs?
The results are useful, but they may leave important questions unanswered. An employee can appreciate having coverage, yet struggle to find a provider, understand a bill, or use a service. As employers review feedback during open enrollment, the goal should be to understand the experience behind the rating.
Separate Satisfaction from Understanding
MetLife research released in September 2025 found that only 57% of employees fully understood what their benefits covered. A positive view of a benefits package does not tell an employer whether employees know how to use it.
The 2026 MetLife study showed improved understanding of more common benefits like dental insurance (78%), but there is still a need for more education on important benefits like disability and critical illness.
Instead of relying on one broad satisfaction question, ask about specific experiences. Could employees find the information they needed? Did they know who to contact for help? Was there a benefit they wanted to use but could not access? Include a “have not used” response so lack of experience is not mistaken for satisfaction.
Look Beyond the Average
An overall score can conceal different experiences across the workforce. Employees working overnight may have fewer opportunities to attend benefits sessions. New hires may still be learning the basics, while employees managing ongoing health needs may encounter barriers others never see.
Where participation and group size permit, review responses by work location, schedule or tenure. Protect anonymity and avoid reporting small groups or comments that could identify individuals. Check who responded, too. A strong score offers an incomplete picture if substantial portions of the workforce are missing.
Compare Feedback with Everyday Questions
Pair survey results with recurring questions to HR and aggregate information from benefits administrators. Repeated requests for help finding in-network care, accessing an account or resolving billing confusion can point to problems that a satisfaction survey misses.
Use utilization data carefully. Low use may reflect limited need, lack of awareness, or difficulty accessing a service. However, it doesn’t show which is the root cause. Ask about barriers without requesting diagnoses or individual claim details, and work with providers to protect sensitive information.
Turn a Finding into a Specific Improvement
Choose one issue to investigate and address. If employees struggle to locate covered providers, test the directory instructions and the process for getting help. Then ask whether the change made that task easier.
A benefits survey should help employers decide what to examine next. Its greatest value comes from connecting employee feedback to the practical experience of getting support.
Originally featured in UBA’s October 2026 HR Elements Newsletter.
