Updated January 10, 2022
Consistency in employee benefit communications is key.
The surest way to keep employees informed and engaged with their benefits is through consistent year-round communication. Although HR professionals place a greater focus on communications during benefits enrollment (as they should!), it’s vital that you talk about benefits all year long.
After all, consider how many emails, texts or calls employees receive during the workday. And now with hybrid workforces, workdays may be extended or have varied hours.
Bottom line: You’re fighting for the attention of employees and the competition is stiff! You need to be talking about benefits year-round for it to really sink in.
Keep these 5 tips in mind when communicating your benefits year-round:
- Craft your communications on what is most relevant. What do people want (or need) to hear? What questions does HR consistently get asked?
- Create a schedule on a monthly, bimonthly or quarterly basis. Then show the value of a benefit by focusing on what it does for employees.
- Keep messages brief and easy to understand—short and sweet is best, so it’s memorable.
- Make it clear if employees need to do something—make your communications actionable with how-tos, dates, etc.
- Make content regularly available, so it can be viewed when it’s needed. A searchable HR portal is often a helpful tool.
Have a little fun with your benefit communications!
Keeping all that in mind, it’s also helpful to vary the communication vehicle. Use a mix of articles, videos, intranet banners, postcards, texts and emails to trickle out information on various topics. Keep your tone light (when appropriate). Highlight a success story or find a willing volunteer to put a human touch on a benefit plan in an inspirational way.
Want to chat more? Reach out at helloindy@westcomm.com or follow us on LinkedIn for more insights.
