Businesses spend a great deal of resources ensuring benefits are the best they can be.
But the hard truth?
Neither you nor your employees will see the full value of your benefits plans without strong employee communications.
That’s why we’ve put together the top communication strategies you need to know to ensure:
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Your employees appreciate the full value of what you’re offering.
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Your employees are informed, engaged, and inspired about their benefits.
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Your communications demonstrate a high level of care and commitment to your employees.
How to Communicate Your Benefits Package:
First, some big-picture strategies:
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It won’t be just One and Done. When you have a million things to do, communicating can easily turn into a task. Don’t expect to just post the package to your intranet, email your team letting them know it’s there, and move on. Ensuring the message and information lands requires multiple points of contact.
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More is not more. Some people advise leaders that they can’t communicate enough. But there is such a thing as overcommunication. The goal is to reduce the noise and increase the impact.
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Relate to the Big Picture of your company. Every communication is an opportunity to be strategic. Make sure you connect the dots between your company values, your Purpose, your philosophy, and your benefits plan.
For example: Are you an organization that has an internal wellness committee? Draw a line to that and your benefits package. Don’t assume people will connect the dots for you.
Top Communication Strategies to Communicate Benefit Plans:
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Education is key. Provide educational resources and break down the biggest takeaways for your employees. In the U.S., a decision about a benefit plan can lock you in for as long as 2 years; if chosen incorrectly, that can be a big strain on people. So educate clearly: What are the best plans if an employee doesn’t require prescription drugs, for example? What changes have been made since the previous period? Work in information sessions to empower people to select the best choice for themselves.
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Start early. People need time to take in information and process it for themselves and with their loved ones. In the U.S., some communications campaigns can start as much as 6 weeks before Open Enrollment.
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Emphasize time sensitivity. Keep communications top of mind for employees; it’s okay to encourage a sense of urgency given that the wrong choice can be a great burden on families.
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Ensure you have mapped out the launch and sustainment of the program in consideration of other key events. What are the points in time that you can remind people? Work in a steady flow of communications.
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Have resources to support engagement. Don’t brush people off to a website, especially if it has lots of complex information. Schedule a Q&A and/or information session in-person and virtually.
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Equip your People Leaders with an understanding of the program and give them the reasons why it’s so great. Ensure they understand how to use the program themselves instead of explaining it to them on a theoretical level.
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Think of your benefits package as a consumer product. Don’t be afraid to treat it as such. Could you run “mini advertisements,” or create a compelling video? Use campaign creative, which can make it easily recognizable and stand out as something to pay attention to.
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Use simple language and don’t fill it with jargon.
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Don’t miss the opportunity to engage people before they are employees. Highlight it in your job postings. Post it on your website or job postings.
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Work it into your culture and internal branding material. For example, more employers are beginning to create Culture Books. They include information on your culture, your values, your benefits – what the employee experience is like. These are made readily available on your website for everyone to see. Walk the talk all the way through.
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Ensure a confirmation notice is worked into communications. People want the assurance that their choice has been heard.