Open enrollment is coming: Are your benefits an effective retention tool?

Every fall open enrollment season is an opportunity to make sure your insurance benefits are supporting both employee recruitment and retention in your business. This year, regardless of the range of benefits you offer to various categories of staff, how can you use this period to help your team understand their value?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that benefits take-up rates for part-time workers tend to be low — 42 percent for part-time staff as opposed to 65 percent for full-time staff, according to 2025 data. Further, it found that only 25 percent of service workers participated in a retirement plan, when offered.
In your business, do you have data demonstrating which benefits employees actually use and appreciate? Beyond health insurance and retirement plans, hourly workers may place a premium on transportation assistance, education benefits, childcare support or other programs that help them manage everyday needs. Mine your utilization data and employee survey responses to identify any gaps between what you’re offering and what your people want.
How you’re communicating matters too. To better support hourly workers, consider using multiple channels to share information in digestible chunks — in text messages, break room signs, or brief pre-shift conversations, for example. Managers can reinforce key messages and point to resources employees can consult for further information. If you manage open enrollment well, you can help employees see their benefits as a key part of their overall compensation — support they have a vested interest in retaining.