Before open enrollment, a CEO should see one number above all others: only 32% of employees say they understand the benefits you're paying for. A short pre-enrollment survey turns that blind spot into plan decisions you can actually act on.
Key takeaways
Only 32% of employees say they're knowledgeable about their benefits, and just 43% know how to enroll.
Run a short pre-enrollment survey 90 to 120 days before open enrollment.
Keep it under 10 questions so completion rates hold up.
Map every answer to a plan-design decision before you finalize the plan year.
Ask about care access and cost, not satisfaction. Vague questions give you nothing to act on.
Report back what you heard and what you're changing. That builds trust.
What does the survey data say your employees don't understand?
Most of it. Only 32% of employees say they're knowledgeable about their benefits, and just 43% know how to enroll. Those figures come from the New York Life Group Benefit Solutions survey.
You're spending real money on a package most of your workforce can't describe. That gap costs you at renewal and at the point of care.
Confused employees don't just cost goodwill. They drain the plan budget, and we've run the math on that.
Most employers design benefits from the top down. The CFO looks at cost trends. HR looks at what competitors offer.
Nobody asks the people using the plan what's actually working or what's broken. A short, well-designed survey before open enrollment fixes that. But only if you know what to ask.
Which survey questions actually expose problems?
Don't ask employees if they're "satisfied," because that word is too vague to act on. Ask questions that reveal specific issues and unmet needs.
Can you name the three health plans we offer and explain the difference?
Did you use your HSA or FSA last year? If not, why not?
Have you delayed or skipped a medical appointment because of cost?
Did you have trouble scheduling a timely appointment with a provider?
Do you understand how your deductible works?
What benefit do you wish we offered that we currently don't?
Did you use any wellness programs last year?
The scheduling question matters more than most employers realize. The KFF 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey found 17% of employers say concern about scheduling timely appointments is high, and 26% say it's moderate. Larger firms with 200 or more workers report even higher concern.
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If your employees can't get in to see a doctor, that may be a fiduciary issue.
Also ask about financial education. The New York Life survey found 28% of employees now want financial education as a benefit, up from 22% before. That's a fast-moving trend.
What should the survey data change in your plan design?
Map the answers to decisions before you finalize the plan year. Survey responses mean nothing if they sit in a spreadsheet.
Low HSA use usually means one of two things. Employees don't understand it, or the deductible is too high to bridge without help. Both are fixable.
When the survey shows low utilization and cost-related care delays together, that's a plan-design problem, not an education problem. Consider an employer HSA seed contribution or a lower-deductible option.
Widespread scheduling complaints make a direct case for direct primary care or a telehealth-first benefit. We've walked through the on-site clinic ROI for workforces stuck using the ER as a doctor's office.
How do you run the survey without turning it into a massive project?
Keep it under 10 questions. Anything longer and completion rates collapse. Use a five-point scale for attitude questions and yes/no for utilization questions.
Leave one open text field: "what else would you like us to know?"
Run it 90 to 120 days before open enrollment. That gives you time to act, talk to your broker, and adjust plan options.
Share a summary of what you heard and what you're changing. That one step builds more trust than any benefit upgrade.
The SHRM 2025 Employee Benefits Survey tracks more than 200 benefits across nearly 4,000 U.S. organizations. You don't need all of them. You need the right ones for your workforce.
A survey tells you which ones those are. Skip it and you're guessing. Guessing with a six-figure benefits budget is a bad habit.
Frequently asked questions
When should we run the pre-enrollment survey?
Run it 90 to 120 days before open enrollment opens. That window gives you time to act on the results, talk to your broker, and adjust plan options. Anything closer and you're just collecting data you can't use this year.
How many questions should the survey include?
Keep it under 10. Completion rates drop fast past that point. Mix a five-point scale for attitude questions with yes/no items for utilization, plus one open text field.
What do we do with low HSA-utilization answers?
Treat low use as a signal, not a verdict. It usually means employees don't understand the account, or the deductible is too high to bridge. A seed contribution or a lower-deductible option can help, and our renewal timeline and broker-question templates walk through how to raise it with your broker.
Do we have to share the results with employees?
You don't have to, but you should. Sharing a short summary of what you heard and what you're changing builds trust faster than any new benefit. It also lifts response rates the next time you ask.
