Low benefits participation is costing you more than your budget shows

“Low usage alone doesn’t prove that a benefit is failing,” says Malhi. “There are so many benefits that, to me at least, maybe are not being used at the level that they should be because there’s a lack of awareness, a lack of access, or maybe even stigma.”

Low usage doesn’t mean a benefit is failing

She points to mental health benefits as an area where this distinction carries the most weight. Canadian employee wellbeing has continued to decline, yet uptake of employer-sponsored mental health supports remains persistently low across the country, as Dialogue’s 2025 State of workplace well-being found. Stigma is one driver, but poor fit and inaccessible delivery formats are just as common – and each requires a fundamentally different response.

“I see a lot of mental health benefits that aren’t utilized as much because maybe there’s a stigma around it, or just poor fit, or offering people something that they don’t even need,” she says. “And so all of those – the awareness, access, stigma, poor fit – need different solutions.”

That is where a skilled HR team and a strong benefits broker make the difference, Malhi said. “Just making sure that the investment is very intentional and focused to make sure that the benefits that are being offered are actually being utilized.”

People can’t use benefits they don’t understand

Isioma Coker, Human Resources Director at SaskTel in Regina, Saskatchewan, named the root cause plainly: open enrolment – the annual email asking employees to sign up for coverage – is designed to inform, not educate, and that distinction drives most of the participation gap.