As an employer, you offer employee benefits to promote wellness and productivity, and to remain competitive. It’s a big investment, and to stay current, it keeps getting bigger. Recent studies have shown that employee benefits represented almost 30% of payroll in the private sector1,2. As with any investment, the key is maximizing return – in this case, appreciation and utilization of benefits. Yet sadly, this is where many employers stumble, relying on stock print and electronic media to explain benefits on behalf of the carrier. The result is one or more brochures on medical benefits. And maybe others for dental, pharmacy and vision. LTD and STD, too. None of which promote your investment or company.
Custom communications can take a different approach. A singular message can explain your complete benefit offering while highlighting your company contribution. Written in your voice. Designed with your brand. Enabling you to take ownership of your benefit investment.
Employees stand to gain as well. With stock media, employees often don’t understand how their benefits work, making them more likely to make mistakes that can affect health and productivity. Helping employees better understand benefit options with a custom solution can help employees maximize the options that you provide. And you can help ensure that benefits are used efficiently and cost effectively. In other words, you get more from your benefit dollar.
The Challenge
Whatever the offering, employee benefits are most often complex. And you shouldn’t expect employees to understand and make decisions with a single event such as an open enrollment meeting. Further, as employers shift the financial impact of lifestyle decisions such as smoking or weight loss to employees, wellness incentives need to be promoted long after the enrollment period. But that also presents an opportunity – to make effective benefit use and appreciation grow throughout the year.
A recent Monster.com survey showed that 32% of respondents rated their healthcare plan as the most important benefit their company offered3. Benefits were deemed more important than vacation time or even salary increases. Moreover, the survey found that the lower the average income of the employee, the more they valued their health care plan. Given the complexity and value of benefits, wise employers see the importance of helping employees make informed, best possible decisions, because the outcome is to everyone’s advantage.
How BeneCom Associates Can Help
BeneCom is an experienced, highly focused developer of custom benefits communications. It’s all that we do. We explain benefits in easy and understandable language, provide easy-to-follow steps, and clearly state associated costs so that there are no surprises. In addition to our in-house staff, we have a nationwide network of print and electronic media specialists that enables us to support employers no matter what the benefit offering or company size. We can help achieve all benefits communication objectives – from introducing new benefit plan designs, developing open enrollment materials, benefit statements, wellness campaigns, and digital media strategies. We can put it all in clear and understandable language, in whatever media you require. And, most importantly, we do it on time and on budget.
Contact us today to find out how we can meet your communication needs. Call 860-674-2626 or email us at info@benecomassociates.com.
Sources
1 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
2 https://www.ebri.org/publications/benfaq/index.cfm?fa=ovfaq1
3 https://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/…/job-offer.aspx