HELP! Why Is Nobody Using the Benefits I Offer?

TL;DR

How to Get Employees to Actually Use Your Benefits

The Problem

70% of employees don't use benefits due to: lack of personalization, poor communication, or overly complicated processes.

The 3-Step Solution

1. Personalize: Flexible menus where everyone chooses what works for them

2. Simplify: Eliminate forms and red tape

3. Communicate: Use real testimonials and specific examples

What To Measure

• Adoption rate (how many use each benefit)

• Usage frequency (how often per month)

• Time to first use (how quickly they adopt new benefits)

Top 5 Benefits For 2025

1. Flexible multi-category budget

2. Mental health days (no questions asked)

3. Transportation/gas subsidy

4. Online courses

5. Wellness memberships

Key Insight

Customizable benefits generate 3x greater emotional impact and retention than salary bumps.

Red Flags

• Less than 30% use benefits regularly

• Employees ask "What benefits do we have?"

• Benefits go unused for 6+ months

Budget Benchmark

15-25% of gross salary per employee. Tech companies: 20-30%.

Golden rule: Better to have a few well-executed benefits than many poorly communicated ones.

You recently launched a new benefit. You thought it through, budgeted it carefully, and even put some love into that Slack announcement. You documented it in onboarding and mentioned it in the all-hands meeting. Yet all you hear is *crickets*. No questions via email. No "thanks." Not even an emoji reaction. It's like sending a thoughtful text and getting back "k."

That feeling doesn't show up on any dashboard, but it stings: you designed something that seemed to make perfect sense, and nobody's using it. Did the design fail? Did the team fail? Did you fail?

None of the above. Well, not entirely.

The Real Causes and How to Fix Them

If You Don't Personalize, You Lose Relevance

Some companies offer a back-to-school kit as a benefit when September rolls around. But what about someone with no kids who lives alone with their dog? That benefit has zero value to them. Same thing happens when you offer a gym membership benefit, but that gym chain doesn't exist in the city where your remote employee lives.

Bottom line: if the benefit doesn't connect with their reality, it becomes invisible.

If you design benefits assuming your entire team lives the same way, in the same country, at the same age, with the same family situation—well, that doesn't happen even in sitcoms.

What actually works:

• Benefit menus where everyone chooses and can change their selections monthly if they want

• Flexible budgets with autonomous usage

• Surveys that don't just measure satisfaction, but actual needs

You don't have to predict what everyone wants. You just have to ask. Or let them choose something they'll actually use.

The Benefit Exists, But Nobody Knows (Or It's Too Much of a Pain)

Here's another cause that hurts even more: you designed something useful, but it wasn't communicated well. Sometimes the team doesn't even know they have that benefit. Or they just don't use it because who wants to pay out of pocket for a membership, submit an invoice for reimbursement, and wait for it to show up in their next paycheck? And this creates more work for you too—you have to send it to Finance, validate the expense, process the payment, etc.

And yeah, if using it requires logging into some forgotten platform, filling out forms, and waiting for HR approval during business hours... forget it. It's easier to get through the DMV. >.<

What does work:

• Actually include the benefit in onboarding (for real, not just as a link in a PDF)

• Clear internal campaigns with examples

• Real testimonials from people who've used it

• Leaders and managers using it and talking about it

A benefit without promotion is like a Netflix show that never gets recommended—it might be amazing, but nobody's going to discover it by accident.

Diagnose. Fix. Adjust.

Suddenly, you might find yourself humming "Help!" by The Beatles because you genuinely feel like you need somebody (not just anybody). Don't worry, here's your action plan:

1. Run a survey. But don't ask if they like the benefit. Ask if they use it, if they know how it works, if they find it useful.

2. Look at real data. Platform usage, reimbursement rates, inquiries. Sometimes silence isn't disinterest—it's friction.

3. Add flexibility. You don't need a thousand options. Just a few that address different realities.

4. Communicate better. Use channels people actually read. Skip the corporate speak. Be clear, direct, and approachable.

5. Keep iterating with data. What worked in 2022 might be irrelevant in 2025. Don't fall in love with the benefit—fall in love with the impact it creates.

Benefits Also Say Who You Are

Don't design benefits just to check a box. Do it to express culture. If you say you prioritize mental health, offer guilt-free rest days. If the company says it promotes diversity, think about benefits that consider different types of families, bodies, ages, and lifestyles.

Benefits say more about your company than your "About Us" page. And watch out for contradictions: if your website says you value flexibility but using a benefit requires emailing for permission and explaining yourself... something doesn't add up.

The problem isn't that your team doesn't value what you do. The problem is that if you don't personalize, if you don't communicate, if you don't listen... the benefit isn't perceived. And if it's not perceived, it doesn't exist.

FAQ: Employee Benefits

Why don't employees use company benefits?

The three main causes are: lack of personalization (benefits that don't fit their reality), communication problems (they don't know they exist or they're hard to use), and complicated processes (too much friction to access). 70% of employees don't use benefits because they don't connect with their specific needs.

How can I increase employee benefit adoption?

Three effective strategies:

1. Create flexible menus where each employee chooses based on their situation

2. Simplify access by eliminating unnecessary forms and approvals

3. Communicate with real examples and testimonials from other employees who already use them

How do I measure if a benefits program is working?

Key metrics:

• Adoption rate: % of employees using each benefit

• Usage frequency: How many times per month it's used

• Net Promoter Score: Whether they'd recommend the benefit

• Time to first use: How quickly they adopt new benefits

What are the most valued employee benefits in 2025?

Top 5 benefits with highest adoption:

1. Flexible budget for use across multiple categories

2. Mental health days without justification

3. Transportation/gas subsidy

4. Online courses and training

5. Wellness memberships (gym, meditation apps)

How do I effectively communicate new benefits?

4-step strategy:

1. Include in actual onboarding (not just PDFs)

2. Use testimonials from employees who've tried it

3. Have leaders set the example by using and mentioning benefits

4. Internal campaigns with specific cases and real numbers

What mistakes should I avoid when designing company benefits?

Most common errors:

• Assuming all employees have the same family reality

• Creating bureaucratic processes to access benefits

• Not clearly communicating how each benefit works

• Not measuring or iterating based on real feedback

How much budget should I allocate to employee benefits?

Market benchmark: 15-25% of gross salary per employee. Tech companies typically invest 20-30%. What matters isn't the amount but perceived value: better to have a few well-executed benefits than many poorly communicated ones.

Do personalized benefits really work better?

Yes, for three reasons:

1. Greater relevance: Each employee chooses what they need

2. Sense of autonomy: They control their decisions

3. Actual usage: They only choose what they'll effectively use

Studies show 40% higher satisfaction vs. fixed benefits.

How do I know if I need to change my benefits program?

Warning signs:

• Less than 30% use benefits regularly

• Employees ask "What benefits do we have?"

• High turnover despite competitive salaries

• Negative feedback in engagement surveys

• Benefits unused for 6+ months

  
  

Need Help Implementing These Changes?

Don't stay stuck humming "Help!" like you're auditioning for a Beatles cover band. We get it—even the best intentions can fall flat without the right execution, and sometimes you really do need somebody (not just anybody). Like us =)

At Atlas, we help 200+ companies get their employees to actually use their benefits. Schedule a 15-minute demo and we'll show you how to increase adoption 3x in the first 30 days.