2026 Outlook for Brokers and Benefits Leaders

Dec 18, 2025 | News, Press Releases

The Signals Emerging as We Head into the New Year

As we close out 2025, a clear pattern is emerging across employer conversations: the problem is not the programs offered, but the access to the programs.

Employees are not struggling because support is missing. They are struggling because the path to support is unclear, inconsistent, or too difficult to use. Leaders see this as they prepare for the new year, and it is raising the bar for the kind of insight they expect from their advisors.

“The problem isn’t what employers offer. The problem is that employees can’t reach it when they need it. This has been the theme in every conversation with benefits leaders, consultants, and carrier partners throughout 2025. The ecosystem is robust. The pathway is not.” — Charlotte Dales, CEO, Inclusively

The shift from program offerings to program access will define early-year conversations. The latest research from WTW, Mercer, Business Group on Health, Paychex, and DHR Global reinforces what many brokers and consultants are already hearing. Employers do not want more programs in 2026. They want clarity about why the programs they already offer are not reaching people in moments that matter.

Below are the signals shaping 2026 as we move into the first conversations of the year.

Employee disengagement is rising

DHR Global’s Workforce Trends Report 2026 shows increasing burnout and declining engagement. This is not just a cultural challenge. It reflects the daily friction employees feel when they try to access support and cannot find what they need. Organizations are entering 2026 with workforces that feel stretched, overwhelmed, and unsure where to turn for help despite extensive investment in tools and benefits.

Employees know what exists, yet satisfaction is falling

WTW’s Press Release dated December 1, 2025 highlights a clear mismatch. Most employees say they are well informed about their benefits. Far fewer feel satisfied with them. This gap will be one of the biggest realities facing employers in January. Awareness is no longer the barrier. The issue is usability. Employees see the programs but cannot reach them with ease or confidence. Access, not education, will define the next stage of benefits strategy.

Benefits strategy is shifting toward simplicity and integration

WTW’s 2025 Benefits Trends Survey, which analyzes more than 5,500 employers, shows a recalibration underway. Companies are moving away from layering on more solutions and focusing instead on simplifying and integrating what they already have. Employers want a benefits ecosystem that feels coherent, predictable, and easy to navigate.

This shifts the advisory role. It is no longer about recommending more benefits. It is about ensuring everything works together.

Experience investments will face higher scrutiny in 2026

Mercer’s 2025 Employee Experience and Engagement Survey shows that organizations with strong EX foundations are significantly more likely to exceed ROI expectations. But Mercer also points out that these investments only work when employees can reach and use the resources designed to support them. Many companies invested heavily in wellbeing, mental health, and manager support in 2025.

The question that will show up in January is direct. If we already invested in experience, why does the experience still feel disconnected?

Employee pressure is high and access gaps create avoidable cost

Mercer’s Health on Demand 2025: survey report finds that nearly half of employees are facing financial strain, family pressure, or job uncertainty. In this environment, employees need support that is easy to find, clear to follow, and consistent across teams. When navigation breaks down, small issues escalate, costs rise, burnout increases, and manager decisionmaking becomes inconsistent. Early-year conversations will focus heavily on where these breakdowns occur.

Employers are ready for meaningful change

Business Group on Health’s 2026 Trends to Watch in 2026 report notes that employers expect a difficult cost landscape and are looking for approaches that meaningfully improve outcomes for both employees and the business. Incremental updates will not be enough. They want deeper insight into how their systems actually work and where friction sits.

This creates a real opening for brokers and consultants. The advisory role is expanding. Clients are looking for clearer intelligence, sharper analysis, and stronger frameworks for improving access and experience.

What this means heading into January

The first conversations of 2026 will not revolve around adding new vendors. They will focus on understanding the root causes of employee friction. Employers will want clarity on why employees struggle to navigate support, where bottlenecks exist across documentation and workflows, which programs are underused and why, and which improvements will yield immediate impact.

The 2026 imperative

Across every major trend report, the message is consistent. The challenge is not the value of the benefits. It is the usability of them. The pathway to support matters as much as the program itself. Employees want to feel confident that when they need help, they can reach it quickly and without confusion.

Brokers and consultants who help clients fix the path will differentiate themselves immediately in 2026. Those who rely on familiar metrics and familiar conversations will fall behind.

As the new year begins, the opportunity is clear.

Bring intelligence. Bring clarity. Bring a sharper understanding of where the experience breaks.

Employers are ready for that level of guidance and they will reward the advisors who deliver it.