How to Run an Employee Benefits Survey: What to Ask and What to Do With the Answers
Survey employees before you set next year’s benefits, keep it to about ten questions, ask what they value and what confuses them, and never ask about health conditions. Then act on the top two or three findings and tell employees what changed.
Two Good Times to Ask
Before Renewal and Enrollment
Run the survey two to three months before renewal, so the answers can shape plan design and contribution decisions.
After Enrollment
A short follow-up after the window closes shows what employees understood and where they struggled, while the experience is fresh.
Five Kinds of Question Worth Asking
Value
Which benefits matter most to you, and which would you give up first? Ranking forces trade-offs.
Understanding
Can you explain the difference between our plans, and do you know what your deductible is?
Access
Do you know who to call with a benefits question, and did you get an answer?
Gaps
What do you need that we do not offer, such as childcare, student loan help or time off?
Open Comment
What one change would improve your benefits? Free text surfaces issues you did not think to ask about.
Keep It Short, Anonymous and Legal
Ten Questions or Fewer
A survey that takes five minutes gets answered. Use a mix of rating, ranking and one open question.
Protect Anonymity
Report results only for groups large enough that no one can be identified, and say so in the invitation. Employees answer honestly when they trust that.
Do Not Ask About Health
Do not ask about diagnoses, medications or family medical history. Ask about the benefits, not the employee’s health.
Turn Answers Into Decisions
Pick Two or Three Findings
Choose the issues that appear most often and that you can change this plan year. Trying to fix everything fixes nothing.
Match Findings to Fixes
Confusion calls for better communication. Gaps call for a new benefit. Low value calls for a cost or design review.
Report Back
Tell employees what you heard and what you will change. The second survey only works if the first one led somewhere.
Common Questions
How many employees need to respond?
The more the better, but a response rate above half gives a reliable picture. Follow up once with a reminder.
Should the survey be anonymous?
Yes, for questions about value and understanding. If you need follow-up, offer an optional contact line separate from the answers.
Can I ask employees about their health?
No. Medical inquiries of employees are restricted by the ADA. Ask about benefits and access, not about health conditions.
Who should run it?
HR, your advisor or an outside survey tool. What matters is that employees believe their answers are not tied to them.
Where These Rules Come From
42 U.S.C. §12112 (ADA, Discrimination, Including Medical Inquiries)
CFH are licensed insurance brokers, not attorneys or tax advisors. This page is general information, so confirm your situation with your benefits attorney or tax advisor.
Related Guides
Benefits Communication and Enrollment Engagement
How to explain the answers you act on.
How to Measure the Return on Employee Benefits
How survey data fits a benefits review.
Send us your renewal.
We’ll tell you whether it looks competitive, where we see opportunity, and the five questions we’d put to your carrier. No cost, and no obligation to move anything.
The renewal letter
Your current plan summary
Contribution split by tier
Enrolled counts by tier
Four documents, two more if your group is 50 or more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
Switch to CFH. Unhappy with your broker? Your employees won’t notice. You will. →
Cookies on This Site
We use cookies to keep the site working properly and to understand how it is used. You can decline anything that is not essential. See our Privacy Policy for the detail.
- Essential — needed for the site to load and for you to move around it. These cannot be switched off.
- Analytics — tell us which pages get read, so we know what is worth writing more of.
- Advertising — set by third parties such as ad and social platforms to measure and target campaigns.