TL;DR: Low benefit-utilization usually isn’t a Plan Design problem. It’s an awareness problem. When employees don’t know what they have or how to use it, good benefits go unused, costs rise, and the value of your investment gets buried in confusion instead of turning into measurable outcomes.
Key Takeaways:
- Better communication can raise use of existing benefits without adding more programs.
- Quarterly updates, Open Enrollment education, and benefit navigators help employees act with confidence.
- Analytics can show which benefits, such as telemedicine, need more focused promotion.
Many employers already offer strong benefits, but employees often miss them because the message isn’t clear or support stops after enrollment. Recent market data shows many workers still underuse Voluntary Benefits, and some don’t even realize they have them, which is why clear, actionable communication matters so much.
For HR, finance, and executive leaders, the goal is better ROR from what you already fund. A future-focused approach, backed by simple reporting and steady education, can improve both employee experience and business performance, much like these open enrollment communication strategies show in practice.
Low utilization usually starts with low awareness, not low value #
Most benefit-utilization problems begin long before a claim is filed or a service is used. Employees often miss help they already have because the message never lands at the right time, in the right format, or in plain enough language. That gap matters, because a strong benefit only helps when people know it exists, trust it, and understand when to use it.
JA’s people-first view is useful here. Benefits are not lines on a budget sheet. They affect a parent trying to find Urgent Care after hours, an employee under financial strain, or a family member who needs Counseling support. When awareness is weak, the value stays hidden, and both the employee experience and the employer’s ROR suffer.
Why employees miss benefits that could help them right now #
Low use does not always mean low interest. In many workplaces, it means employees are busy, distracted, and trying to process too much at once. Enrollment happens in a rush, inboxes fill up, and vendor names blur together. A service may be available all year, but if no one remembers what it does in the moment of need, it may as well be invisible.
That is why benefit-utilization often comes down to behavior and communication. People do not stop to study benefits during a sick child’s fever, a stressful week, or a surprise bill. They act on what is easiest to recall. If the only message they remember is “call your carrier,” then telemedicine, Care Navigation, EAP support, and Financial Wellness help may never enter the picture.
Several common issues drive that disconnect:
- Employees see too many messages at once, so benefit details compete with payroll notices, manager updates, and daily work.
- Vendor brands are often more visible than the purpose of the benefit, which leaves people unsure about what each service actually does.
- Many workers do not know the best use case for each option. They may not realize telemedicine can handle common, lower-acuity issues, or that an EAP may support stress, family concerns, and short-Term Counseling.
- Some benefits feel too hard to start. If access takes multiple logins, phone numbers, or apps, people put it off.
- Others assume a service is only for a major event, when in reality it can help with everyday decisions, such as finding In-Network care or getting support before a problem grows.
This is especially true for benefits that sit outside the medical plan’s main ID card. Care Navigation, advocacy, and Financial Wellness programs often offer real help, but they are easy to overlook because they are not part of an employee’s normal healthcare routine. A benefit can be strong on paper and still miss the people it was meant to help.
Open Enrollment habits make the problem worse. Earlier guidance shared by JA noted that many employees spend very little time reviewing elections, which is why encouraging employees to review benefits during open enrollment still matters. A rushed annual review creates a weak foundation for year-round use.
Employees rarely ignore benefits because they have no value. More often, they overlook them because life moves faster than the communication plan.
Recent SHRM reporting adds useful context. Employees are planning to spend more time reviewing benefits because money is tight and healthcare costs keep rising. That attention is helpful, but it does not fix awareness by itself. If communication still relies on generic emails and vendor jargon, more review time will not always lead to better benefit-utilization.
Clearer messaging changes the equation. When employees hear, in simple terms, “Use telemedicine first for minor illnesses,” or “Call Care Navigation before a scheduled procedure,” they are far more likely to act. People need cues they can remember under pressure, not long lists they forget by next week.
How poor visibility affects cost, culture, and employee trust #
When employees do not use the right benefit at the right time, costs often rise later. A missed telemedicine visit can turn into an Urgent Care or ER claim. A skipped care-navigation call can lead to higher-cost providers or avoidable confusion. A forgotten EAP may leave stress untreated until it shows up in absence, burnout, or medical claims. Low visibility does not just reduce engagement, it can shift care into more expensive channels.
That timing matters more now because employer health costs are climbing fast. SHRM reported that employers expect health benefit costs to rise 6.5% in 2026 on average, the steepest jump in 15 years. In that environment, better benefit-utilization is not a small communication fix. It is a practical way to improve decisions employees already make every day.
Poor visibility also weakens how employees see Total Rewards. If workers only recognize medical coverage and miss everything around it, they are likely to undervalue the full investment the employer makes. Financial Wellness support, advocacy, mental health help, family support, and convenience-based care may all be funded, yet none of that builds appreciation if it stays hidden.
The cultural cost is just as real. When employees cannot find help during a hard moment, they often assume help is not there. Over time, that shapes trust. A company may care deeply about its people, but if employees cannot connect that care to a clear, usable experience, the message gets lost. Support has to feel reachable.
This is where the human side matters most. Better utilization helps budgets, yes, but it also helps the employee with a child home sick, the caregiver balancing work and family, and the worker trying to stretch each paycheck. JA’s view of meaningful impact fits here well: the goal is not only lower downstream cost, but better support for people and the families who rely on them.
A simple pattern shows up in strong programs:
- Employees know what the benefit is.
- They know when to use it.
- They know how to access it quickly.
- They trust that it will help.
When one of those steps breaks down, utilization drops. When all four are clear, both employee confidence and employer outcomes improve. That is why visibility is not a nice extra. It is part of plan performance, workforce experience, and the Return on Relationship you build over time.
Build a year-round communication plan that keeps benefits top of mind #
Benefit-utilization improves when communication shows up all year, not just during enrollment. Employees need short reminders, timely examples, and clear next steps they can use in real life. That matters even more now, because SHRM reports that employers are managing a growing mix of benefits, while Mercer and KFF show health costs are still rising. When people know what they have, when to use it, and how to start, they act with more confidence and your investment works harder.
What to include in quarterly newsletters so employees actually read them #
Quarterly newsletters work best when they stay narrow. Most employees will not read a mini handbook in their inbox, but they will scan a short update that solves a problem they may face this month. Pick one or two benefits per issue and explain them in plain language.
A useful newsletter answers four questions fast:
- What is this benefit?
- When should I use it?
- How do I access it?
- Why does it matter to me or my family?
That structure helps people connect the benefit to a real moment. For example, telemedicine should not be described as a vendor feature set. It should be framed as a quick option for common illnesses, after-hours care, or help when a child wakes up sick. Mental health support should be tied to stress, grief, family strain, or burnout, not broad clinical terms that feel distant.
The strongest topics for repeat promotion are often the ones employees overlook. In many plans, those include:
- Telemedicine, for minor illnesses, simple follow-up care, and after-hours questions
- Mental health support, including Counseling or EAP-connected care when available
- FSAs and HSAs, especially reminders tied to tax savings, eligible expenses, and contribution timing
- Advocacy or Care Navigation, for help finding providers, understanding bills, or planning a procedure
Simple examples matter because they turn a benefit from abstract to usable. A line such as “Use care advocacy before a scheduled MRI to compare locations and costs” is far more likely to drive benefit-utilization than a long paragraph about member support services.
Keep the tone practical. A good newsletter sounds like a partner giving useful guidance, not a carrier document pasted into email. If you want a stronger framework, JA’s employee benefits communication whitepapers offer helpful ideas for shaping messages employees can absorb quickly.
If an employee has to reread a benefit message three times, the message is too hard to use.
How Open Enrollment workshops can do more than explain plan choices #
Open Enrollment workshops should do more than compare premiums, deductibles, and payroll deductions. They should also teach employees how to use their benefits after they enroll. That is where confidence starts, and confidence is one of the clearest drivers of future benefit-utilization.
A strong workshop includes plan comparison, but it also covers what employees are likely to face during the year. Show them where to log in. Walk through how to find an ID card. Demonstrate how to locate In-Network care. Show where telemedicine sits in the member portal. If advocacy support is available, explain the exact moment an employee should call.
Real-life scenarios are especially effective because they lower confusion. Use examples such as:
- A parent needs care for a child on a Sunday night
- An employee wants to compare imaging costs before a procedure
- A new hire needs help choosing between an FSA and an HSA
- A worker feels overwhelmed and needs mental health support quickly
These examples help employees picture themselves using the benefit before the need shows up. That mental rehearsal matters. People tend to act on what feels familiar, especially under stress.
Live Q and A is just as important. Employees often stay quiet in written channels, but they will ask useful questions in a workshop when the setting feels safe and clear. Those questions also tell HR where confusion still exists. In turn, that helps shape future communication.
Open Enrollment is also the right time to remind employees that support does not end after elections close. Reinforce year-round knowledge such as advocacy lines, price transparency features, dependent care reminders, and account management steps. A workshop should leave employees with a simple message: “You are not on your own once you enroll.”
That kind of planning also supports the employer side of the equation. When people use care in the right setting and understand the knowledge available to them, the organization is more likely to see measurable outcomes. For teams planning this season, JA’s open enrollment checklist essentials can help organize the communication side as well as the enrollment mechanics.
Why simple messages work better than long benefits guides #
Most benefit messages fail for one reason. They ask employees to process too much at once. Long guides may be accurate, but accuracy alone does not drive action. People need short, clear instructions they can use in a busy workday.
Plain-English messaging at about an 8th grade reading level usually works better because it reduces friction. Employees should not need to decode benefit terms before they can decide what to do. Say “Use telemedicine first for a sore throat, rash, or pink eye” instead of giving a broad service description. Say “Call the advocacy number before surgery to compare costs” instead of listing program features.
Short formats are often the most useful:
- FAQs for common points of confusion
- Checklists for enrollment, first-time use, or year-round reminders
- Text-friendly reminders that fit on a phone screen
- Role-based messages tailored to the employee’s situation
Role-based communication is especially helpful because employees do not all need the same message. A new hire may need a simple “start here” sequence. A manager may need talking points to direct team members to support. Parents may need reminders about pediatric telemedicine or dependent care accounts. Remote workers may need virtual-care guidance first. Hourly teams may need printed handouts, text reminders, or break-room signage rather than email-heavy campaigns.
SHRM’s 2025 benefits survey highlights how crowded the benefits environment has become, with employers managing a larger set of offerings than in prior years. That makes simplicity even more important. When the menu grows, the message has to shrink.
There is also a trust issue here. Dense guides often feel like fine print, while simple messages feel usable and honest. Employees are more likely to believe a program can help when they can understand it on the first pass. Over time, that builds stronger habits, better recall, and better benefit-utilization across the Plan Year.
Benefit navigators help employees take action, not just receive information #
Awareness matters, but action is what raises benefit-utilization. Employees often know a benefit exists and still do nothing because the next step feels unclear, the issue feels urgent, or the process feels too hard. A benefit navigator closes that gap. Instead of leaving people with a long list of vendors and phone numbers, navigation support gives them direction they can use right away.
What a benefit navigator does for employees and HR teams #
A benefit navigator helps employees move from confusion to a clear next step. That may mean explaining which benefit fits the situation, helping someone find the right Provider, fixing an access problem, or sorting out a claim that has stalled. When a worker is stressed, even simple tasks can feel heavy. A navigator turns scattered information into usable guidance.
That support matters because healthcare decisions rarely happen at a calm moment. An employee may be dealing with a sick child, a denied claim, or a bill that doesn’t make sense. In those moments, people don’t need more PDFs. They need someone who can say, “Start here.”
For HR teams, that same support removes a steady stream of routine questions. Instead of chasing carrier contacts, resending login links, or explaining the same process over and over, HR can focus on higher-value work. Better follow-through also means fewer loose ends after Open Enrollment and fewer employees who give up halfway through the process.
Where navigators can raise utilization the fastest #
Navigation support tends to help most where the first step is easy to miss. Telemedicine is a common example. Employees are far more likely to use it when someone shows them when it fits, how to log in, and what issues it can handle. The same is true for preventive care, where reminders and simple scheduling help can turn “I should do that” into a completed visit.
Guided support also helps in higher-friction areas, including:
- Behavioral Health and EAP access
- pharmacy questions, prior authorizations, and lower-cost options
- complex claims and billing issues
- family care and caregiving support
These areas often carry the most confusion, so they often show the fastest lift. SHRM and KFF both show rising employer pressure on cost, access, and mental health support, even though they do not publish direct navigator utilization data. That makes practical guidance more important, not less. When employees get help with the first move, they are much more likely to use the benefit all the way through. For cost-related confusion, JA’s guidance on care coordination and second opinions adds useful context.
Use analytics to find underused benefits and target the right message #
Better benefit-utilization starts with a simple truth: low use has a cause. If a program is available but barely touched, the answer is usually in the data. When you line up enrollment, claims, and communication activity, patterns start to show. That gives HR, finance, and leadership a clearer view of what needs attention, where employees get stuck, and which messages are most likely to drive action.
JA’s approach fits well here because the goal is not more noise. The goal is a strategy shaped around your people, your plan, and the outcomes that matter most. In a year when Mercer and SHRM report health cost pressure is rising sharply, that kind of focus matters even more.
How to spot hidden gaps in telemedicine and other low-use programs #
Telemedicine is one of the clearest examples of missed opportunity. Many employers offer it, many employees say they value convenience, yet actual use often stays lower than expected. That gap can come from three places: awareness, access, or relevance.
Start with a basic comparison. Look at how many employees are eligible, how many registered, how many completed a visit, and how often telemedicine was promoted. Then compare that with Urgent Care or low-acuity ER claims. If registration is low and email open rates are weak, awareness is probably the issue. If people enroll but few ever use it, access may be too hard. If use is flat in a workforce with on-site clinics or strong primary care access, the issue may be relevance.
A quick review often tells a clear story:
- Low enrollment plus low click rates usually points to poor visibility.
- High enrollment plus low visit volume often points to friction, such as login trouble or unclear instructions.
- Good awareness plus low use in one employee segment may show the message missed that group’s real needs.
This is where benchmarking helps. Comparing your patterns against broader employee benefits benchmarking data can show whether your results are normal for your industry, size, or region, or whether a communication gap is holding the program back.
The same method works beyond telemedicine. Review EAP use against stress-related questions from HR or manager referrals. Compare chronic condition support enrollment with high-cost claims tied to diabetes, hypertension, or musculoskeletal issues. Check fertility benefit awareness against age bands and dependent coverage patterns. Review Financial Wellness participation alongside loan requests, retirement plan borrowing, or employee questions about budgeting and debt. Each one tells you whether people don’t know, can’t start, or don’t see a fit.
If a benefit is funded but rarely used, the first step is not replacing it. The first step is finding where the experience breaks down.
For telemedicine, that review should also include behavior. Remote workers, field teams, and shift-based staff may have the strongest use case, yet they often get the same message as office-based teams. JA has long emphasized the value of shared knowledge that helps employees act with confidence, and that same principle applies here. Programs rise when people understand exactly when to use them, not when they receive another broad reminder.
Turn utilization data into targeted promotion that feels personal #
Once the data shows who is underusing a benefit, the next move is better targeting. Broad reminders rarely change behavior because they ask every employee to sort out what matters to them. Most people won’t do that in a busy week. A stronger strategy sends useful guidance to the groups most likely to need it.
Segmenting does not need to be complex. It can start with common workforce patterns:
- Families may need reminders about pediatric telemedicine, urgent after-hours care, and dependent support.
- Remote workers may respond better to virtual-first care and digital navigation help.
- Shift-based teams may need text messages, break-room signs, or manager talking points instead of email.
- Younger employees may need plain language on preventive care, mental health access, and Financial Wellness basics.
- Members with chronic conditions may benefit from reminders tied to Care Management, medication support, and follow-up visits.
Timing matters just as much as audience. Telemedicine messages work best during flu season, back-to-school periods, or weekends and holidays. EAP outreach may land better during periods of high stress, such as year-end, layoffs, or major workplace change. Financial Wellness messages often gain traction before bonus cycles, Open Enrollment, or tax season.
The message should feel personal because it is useful, not because it is invasive. Keep it short. Tie it to a real need. Make the next step obvious. A message like “Need care tonight? Use telemedicine before Urgent Care for common minor issues” is more likely to drive benefit-utilization than a generic note that says virtual care is available.
This kind of targeting also supports Return on Relationship. It shows employees that the employer understands how they live and work, and it helps leaders move from one-size-fits-all communication to a success journey shaped around the population they serve. For added ideas on building trust and action, JA’s guidance on benefits awareness strategies is still relevant.
Which metrics show whether your strategy is working #
You do not need a huge dashboard to track progress. A small scorecard, reviewed regularly, is usually enough to show whether your strategy is moving benefit-utilization in the right direction. Keep the focus on metrics leaders can understand and teams can act on.
The table below shows a practical scorecard.
| Metric area | What to track | Example signals |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Message reach and engagement | Newsletter click rates, QR scans, workshop attendance |
| Participation | First-time use or sign-up | Telemedicine registrations, EAP logins, navigator enrollment |
| Repeat use | Ongoing behavior | Repeat telemedicine visits, recurring portal use, return workshop attendance |
| Cost trends | Claims or care shifts | Fewer low-acuity ER visits, higher preventive care completion, lower avoidable spend |
| Employee questions | Friction points | HR tickets, call center themes, repeated access issues |
A few examples make this easier to apply. If telemedicine visits rise after a seasonal campaign, that is a strong sign your message matched the moment. If preventive care completion improves but employee questions also rise, the communication may be working while access still needs attention. If newsletter clicks are strong but sign-ups stay flat, the issue may be the handoff to the vendor or member portal.
Keep the review cadence simple. Monthly checks can work for communication signals. Quarterly reviews are often enough for broader claims trends. Over time, this gives leadership a cleaner picture of what is working, what needs adjustment, and where more support could create measurable outcomes.
For employers that want a more refined view, claims data analysis can help connect use patterns, cost movement, and employee behavior without making the process feel overly technical. The point is accountability with clarity. When a program improves awareness, drives action, and shifts care in the right direction, you can see it.
A simple action plan leaders can use to improve utilization this year #
If you want better benefit-utilization this year, start small and stay close to what employees are actually experiencing. Most employers do not need a full rebuild. They need a tighter loop between employee feedback, focused promotion, and easier access. That is how awareness turns into action and action turns into measurable outcomes.
Start by listening to employee questions and pain points #
Strong action starts with listening. Before you build a campaign, find out where employees get stuck. In many organizations, the clearest answers are already sitting in HR inboxes, manager conversations, help desk tickets, and claims complaints.
Look for patterns such as:
- repeated questions about what a benefit does
- confusion about vendor names or login steps
- complaints tied to denied claims, billing issues, or hard-to-find support
- manager feedback that employees do not know where to start
Pulse surveys help fill in the rest. Keep them short and direct. Ask employees what benefit they have not used, what feels confusing, and what would make access easier. Anonymous feedback matters here, especially for topics like mental health, family support, and financial stress.
This approach lines up with JA’s view that listening has to come first. Benefit communication works better when leaders understand the person behind the question, not just the data line on a report. A parent trying to find after-hours care, or an employee facing a claim issue, will show you where the real friction lives.
Low benefit-utilization often starts with a simple problem: employees do not know what to do next.
Manager input also matters because supervisors hear concerns employees may never send to HR. If several managers say their teams ask the same questions, that is not random noise. It is a signal. Treat those questions as roadmap items for your next round of communication.
For teams trying to build more trust through regular dialogue, JA’s guidance on effective employer-employee relations adds useful context.
Pick two or three underused benefits and promote them for one quarter #
Do not try to fix every gap at once. A focused pilot is easier to manage, easier to measure, and more likely to gain support across HR, finance, and leadership. Pick two or three benefits that offer clear value but low use. Telemedicine, EAP support, care advocacy, and Financial Wellness programs are common examples.
Start with a simple baseline. Measure where utilization stands today, then run a short education push for one quarter. That baseline can include registrations, first-time use, employee questions, and related claims patterns. You do not need a perfect dashboard. You need a clean before-and-after view.
A practical quarterly pilot often follows this sequence:
- Choose a small set of underused benefits with clear use cases.
- Set a baseline for awareness, sign-ups, and actual use.
- Run simple education across email, manager talking points, and short reminders.
- Review what changed after one quarter, then decide what to expand.
Keep the message plain. Tell employees when to use the benefit, why it helps, and exactly how to access it. A short note that says “Use telemedicine first for common minor illnesses” will usually outperform a long vendor summary. The same goes for EAP support. SHRM has reported that EAP use remains low even when employers offer it widely, and lack of awareness is still part of the problem. That means focused promotion can move the needle without adding a new program.
This is also where a step-by-step strategy helps. JA’s Evolution(R) process for benefits strategy reflects the same discipline: listen, assess, communicate, execute, and then review measurable outcomes. That cadence works well for utilization efforts because it keeps the work grounded and accountable.
Make benefits easier to understand, access, and trust #
Promotion alone will not fix a hard-to-use experience. If employees hit friction at the moment of need, benefit-utilization will stall. The goal is to remove as many barriers as possible so the next step feels obvious.
Focus on a few practical fixes first:
- Cut extra logins where possible, or at least give one clear access point.
- Use plain names for benefits instead of relying on vendor branding alone.
- Shorten the path from message to enrollment, registration, or appointment.
- Put support contacts in visible places, including email signatures, HR pages, and enrollment materials.
Clarity matters because most employees will not study benefits in a calm moment. They use them when life gets messy. If the EAP is hidden behind a vendor name they do not recognize, or telemedicine requires three clicks and an app download, many people will stop before they begin.
Trust matters too. Employees need to know who to call when something goes wrong. A visible support contact, a benefits navigator, or a clear HR handoff can make the difference between a funded benefit and a used one. The more direct the support, the more likely employees are to follow through.
Keep reinforcing the same core message over time. Better utilization comes from clarity, access, and ongoing support. When those three are in place, employees are more likely to use the benefits you already fund, and leaders are more likely to see stronger ROR from the strategy already in motion.
Conclusion #
Low benefit-utilization usually comes back to one simple issue: employees cannot use what they do not understand or remember. When the message stays clear all year, through quarterly newsletters, stronger Open Enrollment workshops, and guided support at the moment of need, benefits become easier to trust and easier to use.
That is why the strongest strategy is often more disciplined communication, not a longer list of offerings. Benefit navigators help employees take the next step with confidence, while analytics show where underused programs like telemedicine need more focused promotion. For employers with diverse workforce needs, a more tailored approach to communication also aligns with the shift toward personalized employee benefits.
For leadership teams, the takeaway is clear. Better awareness creates better decisions, stronger employee support, and more measurable outcomes from the benefits already in place.
