Why Independent Agents Should Embrace a Year-Round Employee Benefits Strategy

• August 31, 2026

By Tiffany Grayless

For years, open enrollment has been treated as the annual checkpoint for employee benefits. Employers evaluate plan options, employees make their elections and the conversation goes quiet until the following year.

That approach is becoming increasingly outdated. Employer healthcare costs rose an estimated 9% in 2025, according to Aon, with projections indicating continued escalation into 2026, according to the Business Group on Health “2026 Employer Health Care Strategy Survey.” And with 90% of employees saying modern benefits would make them more likely to stay with their employer, according to a 2025 Prudential survey, the stakes for getting benefits strategy right have never been higher.

Together, these trends are pushing employers to think about benefits as an ongoing business strategy, rather than a once-a-year event. For independent agents and brokers, that shift creates an opportunity to move beyond annual renewals and serve as trusted advisors throughout the year.

While employers are continually evaluating how rising healthcare costs, workforce changes and employee expectations affect their benefits strategy, at the same time, employees are navigating more choices than ever, such as high-deductible health plans, health savings accounts (HSAs), voluntary benefits, mental health resources and telehealth services. Year-round employee education can help employees better understand and use their benefits long after enrollment ends.

Independent agents are well positioned to lead these conversations by helping employers regularly evaluate:

• Claims and utilization trends.
• Participation in voluntary and supplemental benefits.
• Employee feedback and recurring questions.
• Workforce changes that may affect benefit needs.
• Compliance developments that could impact plan administration.

These discussions provide employers with meaningful insights long before renewal season begins because a year-round benefits strategy keeps benefits at the center of ongoing conversations, ensuring employees stay informed and engaged long after open enrollment ends.

Further, many employers, particularly small and midsized businesses, don’t have dedicated benefits teams to manage that process. This creates an opportunity for independent agents to become trusted advisors by working alongside partners, such as professional employer organizations (PEOs), benefits administrators and HR consultants, to support plan administration, compliance, employee education and evolving workforce needs throughout the year.

Ongoing education is one of the most valuable services agents can provide. Employees don’t use benefits they don’t understand, which means resources, such as employee assistance programs (EAPs), voluntary benefits and preventive care, are often underutilized simply because employees aren’t aware of what’s available or how to access it.

By helping employers educate employees throughout the year, agents can improve benefits utilization while becoming a trusted resource for both leadership and the workforce. That ongoing engagement helps strengthen client relationships, even during challenging renewal cycles and turbulent insurance markets.

As businesses grow and workforce needs change, agents who stay engaged year-round can help clients make informed decisions before renewal season arrives, resulting in stronger benefits strategies and more productive renewal conversations.

Tiffany Grayless is vice president at Engage Insurance, an affiliate of Engage PEO.