Global organizations invest millions, sometimes tens of millions, each year to design and roll out employee benefits. They partner with expert brokers who collaborate with HR leaders to produce impressive portfolios: big budgets, big plans, and “tailored” solutions across multiple countries and business units. The goal is always to provide support, motivation, and meaningful reassurance to employees worldwide.
But here’s the disconnect: When employees actually need to engage with those benefits, too many are left uncertain or unaware of what’s available to them. According to Payroll Integrations’ inaugural State of Employee Financial Wellness Report, while 57% of employees feel “completely” or “very educated” about their company’s benefits, a concerning 25% report feeling “a little” or “not at all” informed. As the report highlights, this gap remains a major challenge and a clear opportunity for improvement.
Where Traditional Benefit Approaches Fall Short
- Brokers serve HR, not employees: Most brokers primarily serve HR professionals and benefits teams, focusing on reports, pricing, and strategy. Direct engagement with employees, the ones who truly need it, is rare. Leaving employees without expert guidance on the benefits offered is where ROI takes a hit with low adoption.
- Employees as afterthoughts: Employee experience is “handled” with periodic presentations, webinars, or “swing by my desk” sessions. Ongoing engagement, personalization, and a strong customer-service approach are missing.
- Complexity without clarity: Benefits information arrives in dense, technical policy documents or jargon-heavy slides. There’s plenty of data, but not enough digestible meaning.
- Critical questions go unanswered: When employees face major life events like having a child, they often don’t know what options exist, who to ask, or where to start. The “find HR and hope for the best” approach puts HR teams in the difficult position of being expected compliance experts, rather than people-focused supporters.
- No modern technology experience: Despite so much of life moving to apps and instant tools, benefits communications lag. Few employers offer real-time self-service, AI chatbots, or intuitive dashboards, leading to unanswered questions, unclaimed benefits, and wasted value.
Unlocking Value, Not Just Spending It
Let’s be honest. If your VP of HR can’t confidently answer a benefits question without a quick Google search, and your highest earners aren’t sure how to use their own plans, the true value of that investment is questionable. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers spend an average of $12.77 per hour worked on benefits, which accounts for 29.6% of total compensation costs—adding up to roughly $26,540 per employee annually. Yet too often, that significant investment fizzles out at the very moment it should have the greatest impact: when employees actually need to engage with and use their benefits.
What impact does that investment truly have if employees can’t interact with their benefits in real time? When, in moments that matter, employees don’t know where to turn and are left guessing, or go without support? Without real-time engagement, clarity, and tailored support, benefits budgets risk being spent but not truly felt by your people.
Rethinking What “Support” Really Means
The industry now needs a single, accessible experience. A unified, transparent solution where brokers, HR leaders, employees, and benefit providers share one clear, consistent source of truth.
Here’s what that future should look like:
- Complex benefit documents transformed into straightforward, jargon-free tables.
- Every employee receives a comprehensive, personalized breakdown of their benefits—not just blanket information.
- Employees can tailor their benefits to match their stage of life and real needs, always within company guidelines.
- Real customer support, with AI-powered tools able to answer the majority of questions, and human expertise for unique or sensitive issues.
The Bottom Line
Employee benefits should provide comfort, clarity, and real value. The solution lies in adopting a modern, unified platform where everyone can access one clear source of truth. This approach transforms complexity into clarity, empowers employees to personalize their plans, and delivers rapid, AI-driven support. The outcome is simple: engaged, empowered employees and a benefits program that delivers on its promise.
The future is now with Eppione; we deliver this today. With a single, intuitive platform, Eppione turns dense documents into clear summaries, allows employees to personalize their benefits, and uses AI-powered support to address questions instantly. Companies can finally maximize their investment, ensuring employees understand and use their benefits with confidence.
To learn more about Eppione, feel free to contact us or schedule a demo.
