According to a survey by MetLife, employees are interested in receiving information geared toward their life stage (“people like me”) on what kinds of benefits to select during their company's open enrollment period. Fifty-nine percent of employees would like their employer to suggest benefits that would be appropriate for someone in their life stage, and 22 percent said guidelines or instructions for “people like me” would improve their overall open enrollment experience. Younger singles (42 percent) are least likely to say their benefits currently meet their life-stage needs, while new families (57 percent) are most likely.

“Signaling a shift from 'one-size-fits-all' benefits programs, this survey demonstrates that employees are looking for life stage-appropriate guidance and advice—particularly when it comes to coverage levels and benefits selection,” notes Bill Mullaney, president of MetLife's Institutional Business. “As employees shoulder more and more responsibility for selecting and funding their own benefits and as the workplace becomes increasingly diverse, only half of employees feel that their benefits meet their needs completely. As a result, employers have an opportunity to provide customized information that will allow their employees to select the most important and appropriate benefits during the open enrollment process.”

Of the workers who would like their employers to suggest benefits based on their life stage, 84 percent said they would be willing to share personal information (i.e., age, marital status, number of children, income) with their company's benefits manager in order to allow the company's insurer or benefits provider to offer customized guidance on appropriate life-stage benefits.

Source: MetLife's 2007 Open Enrollment Trends Survey, released October 2, 2007.