Beyond ensuring their employees return to work safely and determining hybrid work arrangements, U.S. employers are facing an additional challenge – how to recruit and retain workers. It is very much a job seekers market. This past July the Department of Labor reported there are 8.7 million potential workers seeking jobs. And during the same timeframe, job placement site Indeed estimated there are approximately 9.8 million job openings.
One way employers can differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace and make a difference with recruiting and retention is through a well-utilized, effective benefits plan. But it’s not enough to have the plan in place; employers need to be sure they are frequently communicating about it throughout the year. Research shows that nearly 90 percent of employees consider health and wellness packages when choosing an employer. And an Aflac study found that 79 percent of employees agree that a well-communicated benefits package would make them less likely to leave their jobs.
Based on our experience and insight partnering with benefits and human resources professionals like yourselves, here are tips for making your benefits communications stand out.
Make the communications personal
So that employees see the value in their benefits plan, employers need to shift how they communicate benefits packages to focus on showing how the offerings fit within the context of employees’ lives. Making the communications personal to the employee can go a long way toward demonstrating the plan’s overall value in a way that is unique to them and their families. Seek vendor partners who can help you include resource recommendations in your benefit communications that direct employee activity, reinforce trending topics and keep employees’ attention. You can also work with these partners to shuffle benefits content and messaging to promote specific benefits at specific points throughout the year or target specific results, such as cost savings.
Eliminate jargon
One way to ensure your benefits communications resonate on a personal level is to speak plainly and eliminate jargon as much as possible. Sometimes you can’t avoid industry-specific terms or acronyms, but your aim should be to use these terms as sparingly as possible. What you do not want is your employees being unfairly put in a position where they need to make important healthcare decisions based on information they may not readily comprehend. Eliminating jargon can help increase clarity in your communications and ensure employees absorb and consume benefits plan communications without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed.
Use all available channels
Your employees live in a world of convenience so it’s up to you as an employer to make benefits plan communications easy to access where and when it’s convenient for them. This requires using all available channels at your disposal. For example, communicating benefits plan information via engaging videos free of jargon is a proven way to boost employee benefits knowledge and appreciation to help them maximize the value of their benefits. Videos will boost knowledge and understanding, AND it is this knowledge gained that will help your employees turn benefits information into ongoing, year-round benefits engagement. At LearnYour Benefits, we offer an online employee benefits communications platform. Our customizable, easy-to-track videos help employees absorb and consume jargon-less benefits plan information so they can make smarter, better-informed decisions about their health plan options, healthcare and overall benefits.
Measure results and adjust as needed
The only way to discern if your communications are having their desired impact is to measure results. Evaluate benefits plan performance metrics such as:
- Higher engagement and retention
- Higher awareness of new plans, wellness
- Fewer employee questions
- Cost controls
Also, consider issuing an end-of-the-year survey to employees, gaining their specific feedback on benefits communications. This insight, along with the metrics, will help you refine your communications approach for the next year. Remember that benefits communications are an ongoing, iterative process. By the time one communications cycle is winding down, it is already time to start planning for the next.
Contact us to learn more
LearnYour Benefits is an online employee benefits communications platform. Our suite of video-focused features enables frequent, higher levels of engagement to encourage year-round employee learning and action. We’re your knowledge support tool.
We do the heavy lifting, from open enrollment, to onboarding to all points in between, so you can communicate accurate benefits plan messaging any time of the year – when and where it’s convenient for your employees.
Contact us to learn more.
