01 Jun

Posted at 13:11h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications, Marketing

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="641117"]Benefit communicators can take a page from the marketers’ handbook. For decades, marketers have been studying consumer attitudes and behaviors that influence buying decisions. After all, marketing is about defining a problem or unmet need and then...

26 Apr

Posted at 06:57h in Benefits Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="154577"]What’s the best way to communicate with employees about benefits? We commonly get that question, and the answer is—there’s not just one way. Benefit communications don’t have a one-size-fits-all solution. And there are a lot of reasons for...

19 Apr

Posted at 06:15h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="105473"]The No Surprises Act, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, means healthcare providers and insurance companies can no longer charge you for out-of-network care for most emergency services and non-emergency services (e.g., radiology, anesthesiology, pathology, etc.)...

03 Mar

Posted at 09:11h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="978994"]Companies spend big bucks on employee benefits—millions of dollars in many cases. Naturally, they want employees to understand the value of those benefits as part of their overall compensation. Yet many companies only communicate about benefits during...

09 Feb

Posted at 07:19h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="256910"]It’s no surprise to any HR professional what a critical role benefits play in recruitment and retention. Yet many companies fail to leverage their benefits package in their communications. Too many recruitment materials don’t effectively explain the...

27 Jan

Posted at 06:54h in Benefits Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="132127"]Benefit communications have always been an important—if not overlooked—part of employee communications. But in this new world of an ongoing pandemic, remote workforces and the Great Resignation, employers and employees alike realize that understanding benefits (and the...

07 Jan

Posted at 07:38h in Benefits Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="103421"]The last couple of years have brought unique challenges to both employees and the workplace. As a result, what is important to employees continues to evolve when it pertains to their benefits. Here are six trends in...

08 Dec

Posted at 12:16h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="160144"]It’s tempting to avoid thinking about benefits communications for a while. We get it. Open enrollment takes it out of you; you need to catch your breath. However, don’t let too much time pass because the truth...

22 Nov

Posted at 14:26h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="531440"]Updated December 2023 The start of new year is prime time to make benefits communications a priority. Employees have a fresh mindset. They’ve made resolutions and declarations to better themselves. We encourage you to help your employees start the year off right—and tap...

12 Sep

Posted at 21:49h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="517360"]“If we leave the human factor out of our business calculations, we shall be wrong every time.”  – William H. Lever, founder of Lever Brothers Born in the 1850s, Lever was before his time—understanding the importance of holistic...

02 Aug

Posted at 09:00h in Benefits Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="139498"]Are you introducing a Health Savings Account (HSA) with your medical benefits this year? Or trying to improve engagement of HSAs because (as you know!) they’re undervalued by employees? Or maybe you have employees who are confused about HSAs...

22 Jul

Posted at 14:00h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="705121"]We are excited to announce that our 2021 Benefits Communications Survey is ready for you to provide input and insight! About the Survey We are working with a third-party independent research firm* to deploy this study to learn: Priorities regarding...

11 Jul

Posted at 15:21h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column column_width_percent="100" gutter_size="2" overlay_alpha="50" shift_x="0" shift_y="0" shift_y_down="0" z_index="0" medium_width="0" mobile_width="0" uncode_shortcode_id="117171"][vc_column_text]Narrow provider networks are becoming a common part of employer-sponsored medical plans. For many organizations, these networks are the best option for controlling medical costs. That’s because narrow...

02 Jul

Posted at 09:21h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="358019"]Employees need an online space to find everything they need to know about their benefits. While we always encourage employers to build a benefits website (especially one outside of the firewall so spouses and partners can access it!),...

18 May

Posted at 09:25h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’re starting to see companies return employees to office workplaces. As that happens, reactions will be varied. Some are ready to be back with their colleagues. Others are reluctant to return—perhaps they’ve come to enjoy working remotely or maybe they’re not...

11 May

Posted at 15:17h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" row_height_percent="0" override_padding="yes" h_padding="2" top_padding="0" bottom_padding="2" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" column_width_percent="100" shift_y="0" z_index="0"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="246492"]Updated April 2022 As you begin planning for your company’s next benefits open enrollment, the best place to start is with last year’s process. Did you meet your...

02 May

Posted at 19:46h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" row_height_percent="0" override_padding="yes" h_padding="2" top_padding="2" bottom_padding="1" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" column_width_percent="100" shift_y="0" z_index="0"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="163235"]Some reports say yes. Seven in 10 workers report they are at least “somewhat confident” about retirement savings, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald...

17 Mar

Posted at 14:24h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" row_height_percent="0" override_padding="yes" h_padding="2" top_padding="2" bottom_padding="2" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" column_width_percent="100" shift_y="0" z_index="0"][vc_column][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id="121836"]Updated April 2022 If COVID-19, the Great Recession, supply-demand issues and worker shortages have taught us anything over the past couple years, it’s this: employers must elevate efforts...

05 Mar

Posted at 07:29h in Benefits Communications, Employee Communications

[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text text_lead="yes"]With benefit communications as one of our specialties, our team at Westcomm is always absorbing all we can about benefit trends. We recently reviewed MetLife’s U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study, which examines workplace dynamics and how employers...