One third of U.S. adults report not fully understanding their health benefits—a fact that’s costing employees and employers alike. Additionally, 66% of employees wish they were more informed about their benefits throughout the year so they could get better value from them.
The sad reality is that many company benefits go unused by employees—and even more are under-utilized. Employees are missing out on opportunities to save money, improve health and find more convenience. Employers are seeing their investment in benefit programs go to waste.
A continued investment in benefit communications can provide returns that make a real difference in your organization
1. Healthier employees (and a cost savings!)
Offering benefits—backed by communications that focus on awareness and education—encourages employees to use their plans to get and stay healthy, which in turn helps lower your cost of the benefits.
2. Recruitment and retention.
Too many recruiting materials don’t effectively explain benefit offerings. Likewise, many organizations only talk about benefits once a year. Strategic benefit communications can serve as year-round reminders of the value provided by the benefit package.
3. Caring culture.
Employees often decide to stay with a company because they feel supported. Benefits are a tangible and effective way to show that support, especially when the benefits are comprehensive and center around holistic well-being.
4. Perceived value.
Benefits are a key part of an employees’ overall compensation, but employees are often unaware of the dollar value behind their benefits. That’s why it’s helpful to remind them how much the company contributes to provide healthcare and other important benefits.
5. Better utilization of benefits dollars.
Companies are paying for many benefits, so people should be using them effectively to maximize their overall well-being. Getting benefit materials into the hands of family members can help drive utilization since the decision of which benefits to select—particularly medical plan coverage—is often a joint one with spouses or partners.
The most important advantage of effective benefit communications: Healthier, happier employees who then, in turn, can be more focused and productive.
Start Building Your Benefit Communications Business Case
Check out our 2022 Benefit Communications Report: New Insights into What Works. This study shows how creating strategic benefit communications not only makes good business sense, but has the potential to positively impact recruitment, retention and employee engagement.
