2026 SELERIX EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SURVEY

The Confidence Gap in Benefits Decisions

Most employers are investing real dollars in benefits. But investment alone doesn’t close the navigation gap — the distance between being enrolled and actually understanding, trusting, and using benefits. This year’s data shows where that gap lives, and what it costs.

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35%

of employees regret their benefits choices — unchanged year over year

23pt

gap between employees who feel confident and those who actually understand their benefits

1 in 2

employees have taken or turned down a job based on benefits

REPORT SUMMARY

Good Benefits.
Broken Experience.

Most employers aren’t stingy with benefits. The packages are there. The plans are real. The investment is genuine. What this year’s data makes clear is that investment alone doesn’t translate into a good experience — and a good experience is what actually determines whether benefits do their job.

The problem is navigation. Employees are enrolled in benefits. What they lack is guidance: before the decision, during enrollment, and in the months of living with the choices they made. That gap between being enrolled and actually understanding, trusting, and using benefits is what we call the navigation gap. And without deliberate intervention, it doesn’t close.

Explore the key findings below.

01

Confused Employees Don’t Need More OE Time. They Need Better Guidance.

Employees who spent more than two hours on benefits decisions had a 62% regret rate — nearly three times higher than those who spent under ten minutes. More time isn’t a sign of diligence. It’s a sign of being lost. Only 28% felt guided step-by-step through enrollment, and nearly half went it alone.

62%

Regret rate among those who spent 2+ hours on OE
vs. 23% among those who spent under 10 min.

28%

Felt guided step-by-step through enrollment

02

Regret Is Flat. Personalization is  the Lever Nobody’s Pulling.

Benefits regret held at 35% — unchanged from last year. Without deliberate change, the needle won’t move. But personalization moves it dramatically: employees who described their OE as extremely personalized reported 76% satisfaction. Those who felt no personalization: 20%. A 56-point gap, driven entirely by experience quality — not plan design.

35%

have benefits regret — unchanged year over year

56pt

satisfaction gap:
personalized vs. generic OE
76% satisfied (personalized) vs. 20% (not at all)

03

Employers Are Missing the Communication Window.

The problem isn’t that employees ignore benefits content — it’s that they’re not encountering it at the right moment. 41% planned to return to a benefits message and never did. Only 20% say communications arrive when they’re ready to act. Deadline reminders drive clicks. Personalized messaging drives decisions. Most strategies aren’t delivering either.

41%

planned to return to a benefits message and never did

20%

say communications consistently arrive when they’re ready to act

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Go beyond the overview and explore the trends shaping today’s benefits landscape. Download the full report for deeper insights, data-backed analysis, and strategies to support smarter decisions for your organization.

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44%

of 35–54s have benefits regret — highest of any cohort

8%

of 55+ enrolled in long-term care,  despite being offered it
vs. 24% of 35–54s

Three Age Cohorts. Three Distinct Benefits Challenges.

Younger employees are the most confused and least supported — yet paradoxically least likely to use available tools. Mid-career employees carry the highest regret (44%) and the most missed work (32%). And 55+ employees have quietly disengaged, with voluntary benefits utilization at single-digit rates for the coverage types they need most. One strategy can’t serve all three.

04

05

Benefits Confusion Carries Real Risk.

46% of employees feel confident managing benefits on their own. Only 23% actually understand their benefits well. That 23-point gap is where regret lives and care gets delayed — and it’s harder to fix than visible confusion, because employees don’t know to ask for help. Employees who knew where to turn after enrolling were 4x more likely to be very satisfied than those who didn’t.

46%

feel confident managing benefits on their own

23%

actually understand their benefits well
A 23-point gap between perceived and actual capability

06

The Biggest Warning Sign Isn’t Frustration. It’s a Shrug.

Among employees very likely to stay with their employer, 82% are very satisfied with their benefits. Among those not likely to stay at all, the dominant response to their benefits isn’t frustration — it’s indifference. Half of all employees have taken or turned down a job because of benefits. Quiet disengagement is a retention risk hiding in plain sight.

36%

45%

07

Compliance Confusion is Concentrated, and Addressable.

36% of employees avoided changing their benefits because they weren’t sure of the rules. That self-suppressed behavior never shows up in engagement data — but it does show up in coverage gaps and missed qualifying life events. The confusion concentrates at specific moments: eligibility and waiting periods, life event changes, ACA rules, COBRA. Specific gaps have specific fixes.

36% avoided changing benefits because they didn’t understand the rules
45% of 35–54s avoided benefits changes — highest of any cohort

About This Survey

The 2026 Selerix Employee Benefits Survey was conducted in January 2026. Respondents were employed adults aged 18 or older across a range of industries, job levels, household incomes, and regions in the United States. This is the second annual survey; where question structures are consistent with 2025, year-over-year comparisons are noted.