Typically when benefits are under used, it comes down to employees not being familiar enough with them. People know how to use drugs, dental and health practitioners because they’re high frequency benefits. Health Spending accounts, EAP’s, and even some mental health coverages are not as frequent or common so people might be hesitant to use them or explore them. As an example for mental health; some plans cover psycho therapy, while others cover Psychology, understanding which is covered and how to access which one your plan covers can be confusing. Mental Health is also a topic employees might not be comfortable asking HR for help with.
Making sure your program doesn’t have those “hurdles” and designing a good communication strategy around the benefits plan will greatly help to increase engagement and appreciation.
