You’ve seen it happen.
A client’s health plan includes a 24/7 nurse line, a mental health support app, a free gym membership, and discounts on everything from dental work to eyeglasses. But when you ask employees if they’re using these resources, the answer is almost always the same:
“Wait—we have that?”
It’s not that these perks aren’t valuable. In many cases, they’re incredibly useful and well-designed. The problem is employees often don’t know they exist—and if they do, they don’t remember how to access them.
So let’s talk about the real issue: how these “extras” get lost in the shuffle and what brokers, HR teams, and benefit platforms can do to fix it.
Why Perks Get Overlooked
Here are some of the biggest reasons employees miss out:
1. Information Overload at Open Enrollment
Employees are bombarded with details during enrollment season. They’re comparing medical plan options, reviewing costs, trying to figure out deductibles—and somewhere in the fine print is a mention of telehealth or a wellness app.
Most people are just trying to get through enrollment without making a mistake. They’re not going to remember a page 12 footnote about free financial counseling.
2. No Central Place to Access Perks
Even if someone hears about a benefit, finding it later is a challenge. They forget the website, lose the flyer, or don’t remember which vendor offered what. If there’s no central hub that links everything together, it’s out of sight, out of mind.
3. Lack of Consistent Reminders
The most successful consumer apps rely on frequent nudges: push notifications, emails, reminders. Benefits don’t usually work that way. If employees don’t get regular communication about these extras, they simply forget they’re available.
4. Disconnected Platforms
Too often, perks are scattered across carrier portals, third-party apps, HRIS platforms, and enrollment tools. That fragmentation makes it harder to create a cohesive benefits experience—and easier for useful features to fall through the cracks.
Why It Matters
These extras aren’t just fluff. They’re often key value drivers in a benefits package:
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A $0 telehealth visit can save an employee time and money—and reduce claim costs for the employer.
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A mental health app can support retention and productivity during times of stress.
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A wellness program can improve long-term health outcomes.
But none of that happens if no one uses them.
Worse, when employees don’t know about the full range of their benefits, they may assume their plan is lacking—and become more likely to shop around or ask for costly enhancements.
How to Make Perks More Visible and Valuable
Here’s what brokers and HR teams can do:
🗂 Create a Benefits Hub
Build a single place where employees can see their coverage, perks, documents, and tools. It doesn’t have to be complex—it just needs to be accessible, organized, and easy to navigate. (Bonus if it works well on mobile.)
🔁 Send Reminders Throughout the Year
Open enrollment shouldn’t be the only time employees hear about their benefits. Create a communication calendar and highlight different features throughout the year—especially during times when they’re most useful (like flu season for virtual care).
📣 Call Out the “Hidden Gems”
Don’t bury valuable perks in the middle of a dense packet. Give them their own section. Use bullet points, icons, callouts—whatever helps them stand out and feel tangible.
📊 Track Usage (If You Can)
Some carriers and platforms offer data on employee utilization. If you can access it, use that information to find gaps in awareness—and target your messaging accordingly.
Small Changes, Big Impact
You don’t have to overhaul your entire approach. Sometimes, adding a simple portal, a clean one-pager, or a few scheduled emails is enough to boost awareness and engagement.
Because when employees actually know what they have, they use it. And when they use it, everyone wins.
Need help building better communication tools or creating a digital home for all those hidden gems?
📧 Contact Eric at [email protected] to see how we can help.
