Make benefits a tool for success.
You want employees to understand their benefits and make them a valued part of their daily lives. To do that, you need to position your benefits as a tool to help employees reach their goals. Make information easy to access and simple to understand.
Meet employees where they are
If you communicate with employees online, brand your benefits messaging in the same way you do corporate information. Spend just as much time on the layout as you do the copy. Anticipate employee questions, use graphics, parcel out information, repeat your message in different ways and offer links for even more detail.
If you need employees to take action, make it easy. For example, if open enrollment is coming, tease benefit changes a few months prior, so they know to be on the lookout for more details. Then provide more detailed information a week before open enrollment begins.
Personalization
Employees are used to seeing ads targeted directly to them. Their social media feeds are filled with products they browsed for or purchased online. They expect the same when it comes to information from their employer.
You can help employees make smarter decisions when you tailor communications to specific needs and life events. Give them the right information, at the right time, in the right place. Be proactive and boost engagement with messaging from their point of view. Enable employees to focus on what matters to them and skip what doesn’t.
Interactive decision support tools can help. For example, employees answer questions (did you get married, have a baby, buy a house?) and are directed to the changes they may need to make as a result (add a spouse, add a dependent, increase life insurance). They receive reliable guidance specific to their situation and financial concerns.
Multiple access channels
We are dealing with a multigenerational workforce.
- Baby boomers may prefer to set an appointment with a member of HR to go over questions andconcerns in person.
- Generation X may appreciate the opportunity to meet with someone, but will also want access toinformation when and where they want it – either online or through mobile apps.
- Millennials and Generation Z will generally look online for answers. They frequently access information from their mobile devices and often prefer the use of apps to complete transactions.
Brand ambassadors
Messages from the CEO or senior vice president of HR have their time and place. And, while you will want executive level buy-in on any communications campaign, you may want to rely on peers and managers to help you on a day-to-day basis.
Employees are more comfortable going to colleagues to discuss personal issues. It can be helpful to create a team of brand ambassadors who understand your programs and how they work. They can point employees to appropriate resources, share positive experiences and build confidence in the benefits you offer.
Contact Us
Learn more about how you can make your benefit plan a tool for success. Connect with one of our team members today.
This content is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing professional, financial, medical or legal advice. You should contact your licensed professional to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Please refer to your policy contract for any specific information or questions on applicability of coverage.
Please note coverage can not be bound or a claim reported without written acknowledgment from a OneGroup Representative.
Written content in blog post: Copyright © 2020 Applied Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.