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Employee benefits are complex and expensive, typically one of the top three expenses for employers. Yet, companies often make costly benefits decisions without meaningful data on what their employees actually want or need. According to SHRM's 2018 Employee Benefits Report, more than one third of respondents increased benefits offerings in the last year, likely without the right information at hand.

Increasing the benefits available to your employees may sound like a smart move in general. After all, what person doesn't want more everything? But it's crucial that businesses consider whether their benefits offerings actually meet their employees' specific needs, and deliver the impact intended. Often, adding extra benefits or new plans to existing packages leads to employee confusion and wasted organizational resources, if the new options are underutilized or perceived as duplicative.

Related: How do millennials make benefits enrollment decisions?