Life Insurance Awareness Month: What Employers and HR Teams Should Know
Why September is a smart time to review life insurance benefits, educate employees and strengthen your overall benefits strategy.
Published: 07.23.2026
Life Insurance Awareness Month, observed each September, is a natural reminder for employers and HR teams to take a closer look at how life insurance fits into their employee benefits package.
While health insurance often receives the most attention during benefits planning, life insurance plays an important role in supporting employees’
financial security and well-being. It can help provide financial protection for employees’ loved ones and give workers greater confidence that their families have support if the unexpected happens.
For HR teams, Life Insurance Awareness Month is also a practical opportunity to review current coverage, improve employee education and work with a broker to evaluate whether
group, voluntary or supplemental life insurance options make sense for the workforce.
In This Guide
What Is Life Insurance Awareness Month?
Life Insurance Awareness Month is an annual September campaign created by
Life Happens to help individuals better understand the role life insurance can play in financial protection and family security.
For employers, it is a timely reason to communicate available life insurance benefits, encourage employees to review their coverage and make sure benefits materials are clear before open enrollment or renewal discussions begin.
Why Employers Should Have Life Insurance on Their Radar
Employees often think about benefits in terms of immediate needs, such as medical care, prescriptions or dental visits. Life insurance may feel less urgent, but it can become one of the most important benefits for employees with families, dependents, shared debt or long-term financial responsibilities.
Employers and HR teams should keep life insurance on their radar because it can:
- Help employees protect their families from financial strain if the unexpected happens.
- Support employee financial wellness by addressing income protection and long-term family needs.
- Give employees convenient access to employer-paid or voluntary coverage options.
- Strengthen the overall benefits package with a practical, valued benefit.
- Help improve employee satisfaction and retention by showing support beyond core medical coverage.
Many employees may not fully understand what life insurance coverage they already have through work or whether that coverage is enough for their personal situation. Clear communication can help employees make more informed decisions.
The Types of Life Insurance Employers Can Offer
There are several ways employers can include life insurance in their benefits strategy. The right approach depends on budget, workforce needs, participation goals and the level of flexibility employees need.
- Basic group life insurance: Employer-paid coverage that is typically offered as a core benefit. Coverage amounts may be a flat dollar amount or based on an employee’s salary.
- Voluntary life insurance: Also known as supplemental life insurance, this is employee-paid coverage that allows workers to purchase additional protection, often through payroll deduction. This can give employees more flexibility to choose coverage based on their needs and is a good option for employees who want more protection than their employer-paid benefit provides.
- Dependent life insurance: Optional coverage employees may be able to purchase for a spouse, domestic partner or children, depending on plan availability and carrier rules.
- Individual life insurance: A separate policy owned by the employee outside of the workplace. While this is not typically an employer-sponsored benefit, employers can still provide access to individual coverage options and educational resources, even if they are not contributing financially. This can reduce the stress of employees having to research policies on their own and help them understand how individual coverage may provide added protection and portability. It can also build trust by showing that the employer is supporting their broader financial well-being.
Why Broker Support Matters
Life insurance can be easy to overlook, especially when HR teams are balancing medical renewals, open enrollment timelines, compliance requirements and employee questions. A knowledgeable benefits broker can help simplify the process.
A broker can support employers by helping them:
- Review current group life and voluntary life options.
- Compare carrier solutions and plan designs.
- Evaluate whether coverage amounts align with workforce needs.
- Coordinate life insurance with other ancillary and voluntary benefits.
- Prepare employee education materials for open enrollment.
- Explain portability, conversion, beneficiary updates and enrollment considerations.
- Identify opportunities to improve participation and employee understanding.
Brokers can also help HR teams avoid treating life insurance as a “set it and forget it” benefit. Regular reviews can help ensure benefits remain a good fit and employees fully understand the value of the coverage available to them.
Questions HR Teams Can Ask During Life Insurance Awareness Month
- Do employees know what life insurance coverage is available to them?
- Is basic group life coverage clearly explained in employee materials?
- Are voluntary or supplemental life options available for employees who want more coverage?
- Do employees understand how to update beneficiaries?
- Are life insurance communications included before and during open enrollment?
- Could employees benefit from educational resources that explain different types of life insurance?
- Has the organization reviewed its life insurance offering recently with a broker?
Next Steps for Employers
Life Insurance Awareness Month is a simple but meaningful opportunity to revisit how life insurance fits into your benefits strategy. Employers do not need to overhaul their entire benefits package to make an impact. A timely employee communication, a clearer explanation of available coverage or a broker-led review can help employees better understand their options.
If your organization is preparing for open enrollment, reviewing voluntary benefits or looking for ways to strengthen employee financial wellness, now is a good time to talk with your broker about group life, voluntary life and other life insurance solutions.
Need help evaluating life insurance options for your workforce?
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Connect with a benefits expert to review available life insurance solutions, improve employee education and determine which options may best support your team’s needs.
