More than a third of employees regret the benefits choices they made during their last open enrollment, a figure unchanged from the previous year, according to new research from Selerix. The data also reveals that employees who described their enrollment as "extremely personalised" reported 76% satisfaction with their selections - a 56-point gap over those who felt no personalisation at all.
The cost of one-size-fits-all enrollment
Selerix found that 35% of employees regret their open enrollment decisions. Tim Pratte, CEO of Selerix, said the findings show employees "continuing making consequential decisions without real guidance and living with the results."
He added, "That is a solvable problem - one that clearer decision support, more personalised communication, and year-round engagement can address." Only 20% of employees who didn't think their benefit plans were personalised felt satisfied with their choices. The report noted that personalisation is "a lever nobody's pulling."
AI as an underused tool
Artificial intelligence can help deliver that personalisation, but employees aren't yet ready to trust it with their benefits. A separate Prudential 2026 Benefits & Beyond study shows 83% of employers are interested in using AI to help workers understand their benefits, yet only 58% of employees are willing to use the technology for that purpose.
"AI can make benefits simpler, more personalised, and easier to use, but employees won't embrace it unless they trust it," said Michael Estep, president of Prudential Group Insurance. More than half of employees cited privacy and security as their top AI concern, while 49% worry about inaccuracy and reliability. Another 25% said they simply don't trust the technology.
Scott Roth, vice president and chief technology officer at Prudential Group Insurance, said benefits is "one of the clearest applications for AI given how complex and individual these decisions can be." He noted that many employees still struggle to navigate their options. "AI can help simplify that, but they need confidence in the guidance they receive and how their information is handled."
Where employees will engage
The Prudential data shows openings: 58% of employees are willing to use AI to learn about benefits in general, and 57% are open to receiving personalised benefits information from the technology. Roth said trust must be built "intentionally," outlining three principles: communicate proactively and transparently, empower employees with education, and focus on human-centric technology.
"To close this gap, we employers should focus on three things: being transparent about data security, educating employees so they feel empowered, and keeping humans at the centre of our technology," Roth said.
Why this matters for HR
Nearly three in four employees want a more personalised benefits experience, and 29% said personalised recommendations would help them the most. With a multi-generational workforce - each cohort needing a different benefits experience - a monolithic enrollment process cannot serve everyone. HR teams that pair personalised communication with transparent AI guidance can close the satisfaction gap without requiring plan redesigns. The data suggests the opportunity is large and the tools exist; the missing piece is employee trust, which can be built through clear data practices and education.
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