Looking for ways to help your employees better understand their workplace benefits? Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Provide benefits information that can be accessed at home or work. Benefits decisions are made with family members, so don’t just deliver information at onsite meetings or through the company intranet. Make information accessible through Internet websites, webinars and printed materials that can be shared at home.
- Make the information easy to understand. Our mantra at Write On Target is “simplify, simplify, simplify.” It’s not always easy to do in the world of benefits, but it’s absolutely necessary! Shoot for a sixth grade reading level even if your audience is highly educated. Remember, they’re pressed for time, so your messages must be scannable, clear and concise.
- Provide an opportunity for one-on-one assistance on company time. Benefits are complicated, and employees need some one-on-one time with benefits experts if they are to fully grasp their benefits. You may not be able to provide personalized assistance onsite, but you should have a benefits service center or number that employees can access for assistance when they need it.
- Communicate more frequently. Benefits communications should be a year-long process, not a one-and-done annual enrollment thing. Keep employees interested by serving up small portions of information on a regular basis…it’s easier to digest.
- Provide information personalized to employees’ needs. Today’s workforce includes a lot of different age ranges with varying needs. An older worker nearing retirement has different needs than a younger worker with a new family. You probably offer a variety of benefits and services to meet a variety of circumstances, but are you segmenting your communications to increase awareness among specific groups?
These points are pretty universal, but I’d encourage you to ask your employees how you can help them better understand their benefits. Whether you use an online poll or a multiple-choice voting ballot at your location, it’s really helpful to get suggestions directly from your target audience. After the survey is completed, apply their suggestions to your communications plan for a successful plan year.
Happy writing!
