When benefits season feels more like a pop quiz than a plan. 

Every fall, millions of employees sit down to make choices that affect their health, finances, and future — often with a stack of PDFs, a dozen tabs open, and a fast-approaching deadline. 
 

It’s no wonder one in three employees say they regret their benefits decisions, according to the Selerix Employee Benefits Survey. 

Open enrollment isn’t meant to be a guessing game. Yet for too many, it’s exactly that — a stressful mix of confusion, time pressure, and second-guessing that leaves employees unsure if they chose right. 

Good Benefits, Bad Experiences 

Let’s be clear: the problem isn’t the benefits themselves. It’s the experience around them. 
 

The Selerix survey found that only 27% of employees fully understand their benefits, and 35% admit they’ve regretted a benefits choice — with 14% saying it’s happened more than once. 

That regret isn’t just about paperwork. It’s emotional. Employees who feel their benefits are unclear or impersonal are less likely to trust their employer or feel supported at work. 
 

In short, when benefits feel confusing, they stop feeling like benefits at all. 

Or, as one employee might put it: “Open enrollment shouldn’t feel like speed-dating your health plan.” 

When Confusion Costs More Than Coverage 

The human side of benefits confusion is real — and costly. 
 

Our research found that 39% of employees delayed or skipped care because they weren’t sure what their plan covered, and 21% missed work to sort out a benefits issue. 

That’s more than just lost time; it’s lost trust and well-being. If employees can’t confidently use their benefits, the organization’s investment doesn’t pay off. Benefits are meant to provide security, but unclear communication replaces that with stress. 

Imagine booking a flight without knowing the destination — that’s how open enrollment feels for many workers every year. 

The Annual Scramble That Sets Up a Year of Second-Guessing 

In The Open Enrollment Reset, we explored why the process itself often fails employees. 
The findings? Seven in ten employees spend less than an hour enrolling, only 16% use decision-support tools, and one in three wish they could redo their choices. 

So, what’s really broken isn’t the package — it’s the process. 
Employees aren’t making poor decisions because they don’t care. They’re making them because they’re rushed, overwhelmed, or unsupported. 

Open enrollment shouldn’t be a once-a-year fire drill. It should feel like a guided walk, not a checklist marathon. 

What Employees Actually Want 

Fortunately, employees are telling us exactly what they need — and it’s not more forms. 

1. Clarity Above All 

Employees crave plain-language education. 44% prefer detailed, educational communication over flashy or playful content. 
They want to understand costs, coverage, and trade-offs in human terms, not insurance jargon. 

2. Personalization That Feels Real 

When open enrollment feels relevant, satisfaction soars. In fact, 83% of employees who described their enrollment as “extremely personalized” were highly satisfied, compared to just 25% when personalization was missing. 

3. Support That Sticks 

Employees don’t want a single “benefits week.” They want an ongoing dialogue — reminders before deadlines, midyear refreshers, and access to on-demand education when life changes. 
When communication feels personal and continuous, regret drops and confidence rises. 

Turning Guesswork into Guidance 

Every frustration employees shared is also a fixable gap. 
Here are a few steps to move from confusion to confidence: 

• Start early. Launch benefits education six months before enrollment to give employees time to absorb choices. 

• Mix your channels. Combine email with text reminders, app notifications, and in-person Q&As to meet employees where they are. 

• Make decision support visible. Tools only work when employees can find and use them easily. 

• Keep talking year-round. Reinforce choices with quick reminders and life-event-driven messages throughout the year. 

Think of open enrollment like wellness: the best results come from consistency, not crash courses. 

Benefits Only Work When the Experience Does 

Benefits aren’t just about coverage — they’re a signal of how much an organization values its people. When the process is confusing, that signal gets lost. 
But when it’s clear, personal, and ongoing, employees feel supported — and that trust multiplies. 

At Selerix, we help employers turn open enrollment from guesswork into a guided experience. 
Our Engage platform delivers personalized, year-round communication that builds confidence and reduces regret — for the 26+ million employees who already enroll through Selerix today. 

Ready to reduce regret? 
Explore the Open Enrollment Reset 
Read the Employee Benefits Survey Report 
Learn how Engage helps make benefits communication clear, personal, and continuous.