Employers invest heavily in benefits programs and value-added offerings, yet employee utilization often falls short. Imagine spending a significant amount on mental health benefits, for example, to discover that only a small percentage of employees are using them. According to the HUB International 2025 Workforce Vitality Gap Index, only 45% of employers analyze employee demographics when making benefits decisions — a significant missed opportunity that perpetuates utilization gaps.

While employers have good intentions, it remains a challenge for employees to navigate the complicated healthcare system and increasingly complex benefits programs. HUB International’s Chief Consulting Officer & Central Employee Benefits President Anthony Scott and National Health & Performance Practice Leader Fran Scott discuss why utilization gaps persist and what organizations can do differently to help employees get more from their benefits programs in 2026.

Q: What's the most common benefits utilization gap you see with clients?

Anthony Scott: Employers are adding more solutions to address specific employee needs, which is great, but employees don't always know which program to use for which issue. HUB consultants help by implementing advocacy programs and care navigation to guide employees to the right resources, along with clear communication through videos, microsites and apps.

Fran Scott: The utilization of traditional Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) is typically below 10% (often under 5%), and most employees can’t explain what it offers or how to access support. Research shows that less than half of employees trust their employer.1 When trust is low, the resulting skepticism can mean employees are less likely to believe benefits are genuinely available to support their wellbeing but rather to save the employer money.

Q: What can employers do to improve their benefits strategy to ensure better utilization?

Anthony: HUB Workforce Persona Analysis™ reveals what employees value at different life stages. One client had several hundred employees nearing retirement and a similar number aging off parents' plans — two groups with vastly different needs.

Persona Analysis identifies individual priorities, compliance requirements across geographies, communication preferences and social determinants affecting utilization.

Once we know all that information, we can tailor messaging accordingly: chronic condition management and Medicare transitions for older employees; preventive care and family formation benefits for younger workers.

This approach drives engagement because employees feel you care about them in the stage they are in.

Fran: Employee demographics reveal specific needs. As Anthony noted, a high proportion of younger employees may need different benefits like fertility and caregiving support for children, and female employees approaching or in midlife may have different health priorities, such as perimenopause/menopause support. Employees earning lower wages often face challenges like reliable transportation, stable housing and having enough food, all of which can impact their health (social determinants). And in workplaces where there's reluctance to discuss mental health, the way you talk about these benefits matters as much as offering them.

Q: Beyond sending more emails, what actually improves utilization?

Fran: It’s about marketing to your employees versus just communications. For example, we often advise clients to send out monthly awareness emails with topics that coincide with timely national campaigns such as anxiety-related articles during Mental Health Awareness Month. Employees want to open that email. For manufacturing firms with strong safety cultures, you can connect wellbeing to existing safety values, framing chronic disease prevention with the same urgency as workplace safety protocols. In the end, they have the same goals to keep the employee well.

Anthony: Employers need to have champions at the leadership level. Offering tools like learning management systems with videos during onboarding will ensure every new hire gets comprehensive information, not just five minutes during orientation. Communicate at the family level, too; spouses, partners and dependents often drive healthcare decisions, so providing shareable resources leads to more informed choices and stronger engagement.

Q: What red flags signal employees won't use offered benefits?

Anthony: If you're offering employee-paid options to lower-wage employees, they may be wasting money rather than investing in medical coverage or retirement. Use persona data and benchmarking to understand your employees, then ask what they want through engagement surveys.

The critical part? You must act on the feedback. Employees disengage when they’re ignored. Demonstrating that their voices shape benefits decisions builds trust and drives utilization.

Fran: Another issue is when benefits don't go far enough. With caregiving, people need a subsidy for actual care. A concierge service that helps find care will never get used by low-wage employees who can't afford care in the first place.

The HUB EDGE

To close utilization gaps and build benefits programs that deliver measurable value:

  • Use data to understand what matters at different life stages, from starting a family to managing chronic conditions to retirement.
  • Focus on outcomes, not features, by showing employees how benefits help them live the life they want, not just what's available.
  • Communicate year-round with messages tied to timely health topics and events that resonate with your workforce.
  • Make sure benefits actually solve problems, especially for lower-wage employees who need more than navigation help.
  • Ask the question: Do employees believe we genuinely care about them?

When trust exists and benefits align with real needs, utilization transforms into a driver of attraction, retention and organizational performance.

1 Harvard Business Review, “Most Employees Don’t Trust Their Leaders. Here’s What to Do About It,” December 2, 2025.