Just 56 percent of employees say they feel very confident they will make the right decisions during open enrollment, and a majority just keep making the same choices each year or fail to actively enroll, potentially leaving money on the table, according to a new survey.

Approximately one in five workers who had the opportunity to participate in a benefits enrollment last year failed to act and defaulted to either the prior year's choices or their employer's default choices. Men (24 percent) were twice as likely as women (12 percent) to fail to act.

"We encourage employees to cast a 'vote for you.' In other words, take full advantage of the benefits employers are offering and the discounts available through group pricing," says Todd Katz, executive vice president at MetLife. "This is a once-a-year opportunity for employees to maximize their total compensation package by selecting benefits options that meet their specific needs."