Millennials Most Confident about Benefits Decisions

Millennials are by far the most confident about their ability to make the right benefit decisions, according to The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.

Ninety-six percent of Millennials reported they feel “highly confident” versus 66% of Gen Xers and 64% of Baby Boomers.   

The survey also found nearly 80% of employees spend less than a total of two hours evaluating their insurance benefits options, including group medical, dental, life, and disability insurance.    

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Only 32% of all employees described their approach to open enrollment as one that incorporates a “careful review” of their benefits details and options. Millennials are more likely than their older co-workers to say they carefully enrolled in available benefits options (50% vs. 30% of Gen Xers and 31% of Baby Boomers).   

Yet, the research indicates that Millennials may be underinsured. A smaller percentage of Millennials (78%) are currently enrolled in available benefits as compared to their older colleagues (92%), particularly life (48% vs. 71%) and disability insurance (53% vs. 68%). 

While online benefits enrollment has become the new normal—with its use more than doubling in five years to 62%—many of the same communication and engagement challenges still persist, according to research from The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. A majority of workers, regardless of age or life-stage, say they try to better understand their benefits options by reading their benefits materials (77%) and reviewing their prior year’s selections (66%); however, a minority reported that they have attended benefits meetings (37%), spoken with a benefits adviser (29%), used online planning tools (28%), or spoken with a carrier representative (14%) prior to enrollment.  

While some challenges continue, the research found that online enrollment can help improve employee perceptions of employer benefits communication and education efforts; 61% of workers who used an online benefits enrollment tool and found it to be a very easy process gave top ratings to their employers’ benefits education and communication efforts, compared to 35% of others.    

Full research results can be viewed at http://www.aboutemployeebenefits.com/reports/Research-Reports-Benefits-and-Behavior.html.

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