50 Employee Benefits Survey Questions to Ask Before Open Enrollment

Open enrollment is a chance to revisit what your employees actually value. But if you’re making benefits decisions based on last year’s enrollment data, utilization rates, or assumptions about what employees want, you may be missing important context.

Benefits are also a significant employer investment. In June 2026, benefit costs accounted for 30.0% of total compensation costs for private-industry workers, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

With that much at stake, understanding what employees value can help inform better benefits decisions.

An employee benefits survey can help.

The right questions can reveal which benefits employees value most, where your current package falls short, and what they would prioritize when trade-offs are necessary. That feedback gives HR and benefits teams another source of insight to consider alongside cost, utilization, and business priorities.

In this guide, you’ll find 50 employee benefits survey questions to help you gather that feedback before open enrollment.

Quick answer—What employee benefit questions should you ask before open enrollment? A strong employee benefits survey asks about more than satisfaction. Ask employees what they value, what’s missing, how they would prioritize competing benefits, and why those priorities matter. Combine quantitative questions with open-ended questions to understand both what employees want and the reasons behind those preferences.

Why Survey Employees Before Open Enrollment?

Post-enrollment surveys can tell you how employees experienced the enrollment process. But by then, your benefits decisions have already been made.

A pre-enrollment survey gives you an opportunity to listen earlier.

The goal isn’t to promise that every request will become a new benefit. No benefits budget can accommodate everything employees might want. Instead, use employee feedback to identify patterns, surface unmet needs, and understand where there may be a gap between what you’re offering and what employees value.

For a broader look at building an employee listening strategy, see our guide to building an effective employee listening program.

50 Employee Benefits Survey Questions

You don’t need to use all 50 questions. Choose the ones that will help you answer the specific benefits questions your organization is facing.

1. Health and Wellness Benefits

1. On a scale of 1–10, how well does our current medical plan meet your needs?
2. Which matters most when choosing a health plan: lower premiums, a lower deductible, or a broader provider network?
3. Have you ever avoided or delayed medical care because you were unsure what your plan covered?
4. How satisfied are you with our current dental coverage?
5. How satisfied are you with our current vision coverage?
6. Would you consider a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) if it included an employer contribution to an HSA?
7. How easy is it to find an in-network specialist through our current plan?
8. If we could add one health-related benefit, what would you want it to be?
9. How often do you use our current telehealth benefits?
10. What is the biggest frustration you have with our current health benefits?

2. Financial Security and Retirement

11. How confident are you that you are on track for your financial goals?
12. How easy is it to understand and use our 401(k) benefits?
13. How important is our current employer 401(k) match when deciding how much to contribute?
14. If you had to choose, which would you value more: a higher 401(k) match or student loan repayment assistance?
15. Would you be interested in access to one-on-one financial planning?
16. How confident are you in your understanding of HSAs and FSAs?
17. Would you value an employer-supported emergency savings benefit?
18. How important is employer-provided life insurance to you?
19. How well do our short- and long-term disability benefits meet your needs?
20. Would you use an employer-sponsored legal services benefit for needs such as estate planning or home buying?

3. Work-Life Balance and Family Support

21. On a scale of 1–10, how well does your current work schedule support work-life balance?
22. If you had to choose, which would you value more: additional PTO or a four-day workweek?
23. How comfortable do you feel taking your full allotment of vacation time?
24. Would you value designated meeting-free days or weeks?
25. How satisfied are you with our current parental leave policy?
26. What types of caregiving support would be most valuable to you?
27. If you had to choose, which would you value more: a home office stipend or a wellness benefit?
28. How useful is our current floating holiday policy?
29. Would you value the option to buy or sell additional PTO?
30. How well does our current bereavement policy meet employees’ needs?

4. Mental Health and Well-Being

31. How would you rate our organization’s support for employee mental health?
32. How familiar are you with our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and how to access it?
33. How easy is it to access the mental health resources available through our benefits?
34. Which would you value more: digital mental health resources, access to in-person therapy, or a combination of both?
35. How supported do you feel in taking time away from work when you need it?
36. Would additional paid time off specifically intended for mental health be valuable to you?
37. How interested are you in resources such as mindfulness, meditation, or stress-management programs?
38. How well does our current health plan support access to mental health providers?
39. What is the biggest barrier to using our current well-being benefits?
40. What could we do to better support your well-being through our benefits?

5. Professional Development and Growth

41. How well does our current benefits package support your long-term career development?
42. How satisfied are you with our current tuition reimbursement or education benefits?
43. Which would you value more: an annual learning stipend or company-sponsored training?
44. Would you be interested in professional coaching or mentorship?
45. How important is employer support for professional certifications or licenses?
46. Do you have enough time during the workweek to take advantage of learning opportunities?
47. What skills would you most like to develop over the next year?
48. Would you value a sabbatical program for long-tenured employees?
49. How would you rate our benefits education during the onboarding process?
50. If you could change one thing about our total rewards package, what would it be?

How to Get More Useful Employee Feedback

A good list of benefits survey questions is a starting point. How you ask them matters, too.

1. Explain why you’re asking

Tell employees how their feedback will be used and which decisions it may influence. Be honest about what the organization can change and what is already decided.

2. Ask about trade-offs

If you ask employees whether they want more benefits, you’ll probably get a lot of yeses.

Trade-off questions can be more revealing:

If you had to choose between an additional PTO day and a $50 monthly wellness stipend, which would you value more?

The goal isn’t to make employees choose between two arbitrary options. It’s to understand how they prioritize when resources are limited.

3. Give employees room to explain

A rating can tell you that employees aren’t satisfied with a benefit. It doesn’t necessarily tell you why.

Pair quantitative questions with open-ended questions such as:

What is the one thing you would change about our current benefits package, and why?

The responses can surface needs that predefined answer choices don’t capture.

4. Close the loop

Let employees know what you heard and what happens next.

You may not be able to implement every suggestion. But explaining which themes emerged, what you’re acting on, and where constraints exist shows employees that their feedback was considered. 

Learn more about turning employee feedback into action →

Different Tools for Different Benefits Decisions

Not every benefits question requires the same research approach.

A survey platform can help you measure preferences across your workforce. A benefits platform can help you deliver and manage the programs you offer. Qualitative research can help you understand the reasoning behind employee preferences.

The point isn’t to choose one tool for every benefits decision. Different approaches can play different roles in the process.

For example, a survey can show you that employees prioritize better dental coverage. A benefits platform can help you deliver the programs you ultimately select. Qualitative research can help you understand what employees mean by “better dental coverage” and what is driving that preference.

That distinction can matter when you’re deciding where to focus your benefits budget.

From Benefits Feedback to Better Decisions

A survey can show you what employees prioritize across the workforce. Sometimes, the next question is why.

For example, suppose 30% of employees say they want better dental coverage. That tells you there’s a preference worth exploring. It doesn’t necessarily tell you whether employees want lower out-of-pocket costs, better orthodontic coverage, a broader provider network, or something else.

That’s where qualitative research can add context.

With Remesh, organizations can bring employees into a moderated, anonymous conversation and explore those questions in real time. Employees can respond to prompts, react to other participants’ ideas, and surface areas of agreement across a large group.

Instead of stopping at “What benefits do employees want?”, you can explore “What’s driving that preference?”

That context can help HR and benefits teams make more informed decisions about where to focus their attention.

Key Takeaways

• Listen before decisions are finalized. Give yourself enough time to analyze feedback and incorporate relevant findings into benefits planning.
• Ask about priorities. Trade-off questions can reveal what employees value when resources are limited.
• Combine quantitative and qualitative feedback. Ratings show patterns. Open-ended responses can help explain them.
• Use the right research approach for the question. Surveys, benefits platforms, and qualitative research can serve different purposes.
• Keep the survey focused. You don’t need all 50 questions. Choose the questions tied to the decisions you’re trying to make.
• Close the loop. Tell employees what you heard and how their feedback will inform next steps.

Use Employee Feedback to Improve Your Benefits Program

Your benefits strategy shouldn’t rely on last year’s enrollment data alone.

An employee benefits survey can help you understand what employees value, where they’re experiencing gaps, and which priorities deserve a closer look before open enrollment.

The goal isn’t just a better overall benefits enrollment experience. It’s a benefits program that reflects what employees actually need and value.

When you need to go beyond survey results and understand the why behind the data, qualitative research can add valuable context. Learn more about how Remesh supports Benefits & Total Rewards research and helps organizations gather employee perspectives at scale.

Want to explore what deeper employee feedback could look like for your organization? Talk to Remesh.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should an employee benefits survey include?

An employee benefits survey should include questions about current benefits, unmet needs, priorities, and potential trade-offs. Include a mix of rating, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions so you can identify broad patterns while giving employees room to explain their preferences.

When should you send an employee benefits survey?

Ideally, several months before open enrollment. The right timing depends on your benefits renewal and planning cycle, but starting early gives HR teams time to analyze feedback and incorporate relevant findings into discussions with leadership, brokers, and benefits providers.

How long should an employee benefits survey be?

Aim for a survey employees can complete in about 10 minutes. If you need more depth, consider a shorter survey followed by qualitative research to explore the most important themes.

How can you increase employee benefits survey response rates?

Explain why you’re asking, keep the survey focused, make it easy to complete, and tell employees what happened with their feedback. Employees are more likely to engage when they understand the purpose of the research and see that their input is taken seriously.

Should an employee benefits survey be anonymous?

For questions involving sensitive topics, anonymity can make employees more comfortable sharing candid feedback. Clearly explain how responses will be collected and reported before employees participate.

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