Employee benefits and open enrollment may be something you only think about a few times a year, and for your employees, it might be even less often.\u00a0However, with a thoughtful, year-round communications plan, your business can increase employee engagement and smart benefits utilization.<\/p>\n

Many employees don\u2019t know what benefits are available or how to utilize them.\u00a0 And with many employees working remotely or on a hybrid schedule, communication is even harder. Only communicating with employees regarding their benefits package during open enrollment will most definitely result in them not taking full advantage of all it has to offer. \u00a0So, what are some creative ways to engage employees with their employee benefits throughout the calendar year?<\/p>\n

START WITH THE END IN MIND<\/strong><\/p>\n

As you begin crafting your engagement plan, think of the overall goal you want to accomplish. Perhaps you simply want your employees to be better educated on their plan offerings. Maybe you\u2019d like to reduce the number of questions that employees ask during open enrollment meetings. Maybe you want your employees to utilize a certain plan benefit that has been historically underused resulting in higher costs to the employee or the company. Whatever the case, first set your goal for the communication plan.<\/p>\n

CREATE A CALENDAR<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now that you have an end-goal in mind, start thinking of how frequently you want to communicate.\u00a0 Schedule your communication moments to post consistently. Maybe you start a \u201cBenefits Minute\u201d that hits the first Monday of the month. You could also start a \u201cBenefits Blog\u201d that posts every other Friday. Whatever the case, make the communication happen on a schedule so that employees know when to expect it and know what it\u2019s called.<\/p>\n

9 out of 10 employees will choose the same benefits year after year.\u00a0 Creating a consistent educational calendar gives people time to find out and digest changes.\u00a0 Be sure to send information and reminders to avoid unwelcome surprises.<\/p>\n

KEEP IT SIMPLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get to the main point quickly. If your communications are long-winded, employees will likely tune out before they receive the pertinent information. Instead, follow this simple formula when crafting your communication:<\/p>\n

\n
1. Pitch \u2013 \u201cHere\u2019s something you may not know about your benefits.\u201d<\/li>\n
2. Why \u2013 \u201cThis is why it\u2019s important\/relevant to you.\u201d<\/li>\n
3. Call to Action \u2013 \u201cHere\u2019s what you should do to learn more, \u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

   MIX UP YOUR COMMUNICATION STYLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

   Communication isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all. People learn in different ways\u2014some may be visual learners while others may be oral learners. Make sure you mix up the way you communicate to cover both types. Also, change up the method of communication. Try emails, videos, printed flyers, and quick virtual presentations. The idea is to get your message out through every channel available to ensure you\u2019re reaching the entirety of your audience.<\/p>\n

   Ultimately, a good benefits package attracts and retains talent and increases the productivity of people.\u00a0 Following through with strong employee benefit communication is equally as important as the implementation.\u00a0 By following through with consistent and relevant benefits education, you will see that your employees will reap the benefits of a healthy understanding of their benefit plan!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

   Employee benefits and open enrollment may be something you only think about a few times a year, and for your employees, it might be even less often.\u00a0However, with a thoughtful, year-round communications plan, your business can increase employee engagement and smart benefits utilization. Many employees don\u2019t know what benefits are available or how to utilize […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":389,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,22],"tags":[24,117],"class_list":["post-387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-custom-content","category-employee-benefits","tag-benefits-education","tag-communication"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n