With renewal season fast approaching, now is the perfect time for benefits advisors to guide employer clients in surveying their employees not just to check a box, but to build strategic benefits programs that reflect real employee needs.

Too often, employers assume they know what their people want. But the data tells another story. According to Aflac, while 80% of employers think employees are satisfied with their benefits, only 58% of employees say the same. That’s not just a disconnect, it’s a strategic vulnerability.

As an advisor, this is your moment to lead: Help your clients dig into the data, identify benefit gaps and create renewal strategies that drive satisfaction, retention and ROI.

Why benefits surveys matter — especially now

Employee benefits typically account for 30% to 40% of total compensation. Yet many employers have limited visibility into whether that investment is actually valued by their workforce. That’s where employee benefits surveys come in.

Encourage clients to run strategic surveys that uncover:

  • What benefits employees value most
  • Where current offerings fall short
  • Emerging needs or preferences (e.g., mental health, flexible work, student loan assistance)

Why it matters:

  • 60% of employees say benefits are a key factor in whether they stay or leave a job (Forbes).
  • Employees who are highly satisfied with their benefits are far more likely to report job satisfaction and productivity (EBRI).
  • Without data, employers risk investing in programs no one uses.

Feedback without action breeds distrust

If your clients ask for feedback, they must be ready to act on it.

Nothing erodes employee trust faster than surveys that go nowhere.

As an advisor and partner, you play a crucial role here: Make sure surveys are not an exercise in futility. If employers collect feedback and ignore it, the message they send is clear: We asked, but we don’t care.

Set your clients up for success by reinforcing this best practice:

  • Survey → Analyze → Act → Communicate
  • Even small improvements show employees that their voice matters.
  • Transparency builds credibility, especially if changes take time.

Build better surveys with these categories

Recommend clients cover these key areas in their employee benefits surveys:

  1. General benefits satisfactionOverall impressions, understanding and usefulness of current benefits.
  2. Health care coverageAffordability, coverage depth, network satisfaction and mental health access.
  3. Retirement and financial wellnessConfidence in retirement readiness and desire for financial education.
  4. Work-life balance and flexibilityPTO, remote work, flexible hours and family support.
  5. Wellbeing and developmentParticipation in wellness programs, satisfaction with mental health support, and learning opportunities.

Encourage surveys to be:

  • Concise (5-10 minutes max)
  • Anonymous
  • Actionable: Collect data that can directly inform renewal and plan design decisions

Post-survey: Clients need a plan, and you’re the guide

Don’t let your clients stop at collecting data. Help them:

  • Analyze survey insights for trends and opportunity areas
  • Segment findings (e.g., by age, family status, or job function) to personalize strategies
  • Prioritize actions based on feasibility and impact

Create an implementation timeline that includes:

  • Short-term wins (low-cost, high-impact adjustments)
  • Mid-term changes (plan design or contribution tweaks)
  • Long-term initiatives (like rolling out a new benefit category)

And most importantly please help them communicate back to employees what’s changing and why. This closes the feedback loop and builds trust ahead of open enrollment.

Final thought for benefits advisors

With so much at stake during renewal season, you have a golden opportunity to go beyond compliance and cost containment. By helping clients survey smartly and implement confidently, you position yourself as a trusted advisor, not just a transactional partner.

Encourage your clients to listen, but remind them that listening without action is worse than not asking at all.

Let’s make this renewal season a chance to connect employees with benefits that truly matter.

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