FWIW this tends to happen with smaller employers that are scrimping on administrative fees. I've found that the situation is generally improving though as people become more aware of what a great 401k plan should look like.
I've also learned to not worry about it so much. You'll generally only stay at an individual employer for a few years. After that you can roll over a 401k into a low fee IRA held by Vanguard (or whomever you prefer). In the end a few years of high fees with a relatively small $ balance shouldn't negatively impact your returns too much. Of course if you're one of those rare folks who spends a decade or more with a single employer you might want to think about things here differently.
> I've also learned to not worry about it so much. You'll generally only stay at an individual employer for a few years. After that you can roll over a 401k into a low fee IRA held by Vanguard (or whomever you prefer)
You can also do a backdoor Roth conversion when you rollover your employer contributions (which can't be Roth contributions.)
And then you ask HR what the fees are and they have no clue.