Enhance the way you communicate employee benefits information with these seven best practices for your communication strategy.
Key takeaways:
- Define clear goals using the SMART tool.
- Personalize your strategy to your audiences
- Choose the right training methods
- Get the timing right
- Communicate in the right channels
- Measure communication effectiveness
- Continuously adjust and improve
The benefits landscape changes yearly, and employees may need help understanding their options when making selections or going through life changes. HR teams must have an effective benefits communication strategy to ensure that employees are well-informed. When done right, clear and comprehensive communication about employee benefits boosts engagement, enhances satisfaction, and ultimately improves retention.
Half of employees say they’d feel more cared for if employers improved their benefits communication, according to a MetLife Employee Benefit Trends study. This study also found that 54% of employees wished their employers gave them personalized benefits recommendations.
Many challenges get in the way of organizations providing better communication, including complexities of the benefits landscape and a lack of modern tech tools to do it.
This guide outlines seven steps to help your organization address communication challenges and provide employees with the support they need to succeed.
1. Define clear goals
No strategy is complete without a clearly defined set of goals. Think through exactly what you’re trying to accomplish with your employee benefits communication strategy. Start by coming up with SMART goals, which are:
- Specific: Goals should be centered around actual numbers you want to see and tangible improvements.
- Measurable: Make sure the goals you set can be tracked easily and calculated via your systems.
- Achievable: While it’s OK to dream big, ensure your goals are realistic for your budget and resources.
- Relevant: Outline why this particular goal is important right now.
- Time-bound: Determine a timeline so you meet organizational deadlines and can stay on track.
Without specificity and a way to measure results, goals likely won’t come to fruition. Align these goals with overall organizational objectives. For example, perhaps you want to start a campaign to increase benefits awareness or increase the number of employees who enroll, as you’ve noticed low figures in these areas, which impact the budget and morale.
2. Personalize your strategy to your audiences
You must know your audience to customize communication methods to meet their preferences. Start by identifying your different employee segments, such as those based on demographics, roles within the organization, and geographical locations. Indicate what each of these segments values most and how their needs differ from other segments.
Employees in leadership or executive roles might be more interested in perks like stock options or executive health plans, while entry-level staff may focus on basic healthcare, paid time off, or wellness programs. By highlighting role-specific benefits, you address their unique needs and priorities effectively.
Then, develop personas that guide communication strategies and help you tailor your messaging for increased engagement. Remember that your audience will respond to personalized messaging, as well as your ability to show empathy and relatability.
3. Choose the right training methods
Your different targets will have different preferred communication methods for receiving information and getting training. For example, some employees may prefer to get everything over email. For this segment, you may want to send out comprehensive guides and document-based resources directly to their inboxes.
Some people would prefer to get information about benefits through training programs or corporate webinars that are more interactive. Think about where people will be tuning in (virtual or in person) and what kind of messaging will most resonate with them.
4. Get the timing right
Timing is everything with benefits communication. Consider when people aren’t as interested to hear about benefits – such as the beginning of a new year, when they’ve just completed open enrollment – versus when they need more information – such as when open enrollment is approaching or they are getting onboarded at the company.
Pay close attention to when people are ready to hear what you have to say. You don’t want to waste time or resources on messages that aren’t relevant.
5. Communicate in the right channels
Leverage your various channels to reach your different employee segments. For example, pay attention to engagement in meetings, on social media, and within the company’s intranet. Where do people get their information? Where do they spend their time?
Use data analysis tools in these different platforms that tell you whether people are interacting with the content. Gather feedback from employees to find out where they’re most engaged when viewing benefits information.
6. Measure communication effectiveness
Any successful communication strategy needs the means to track success. This is why goals should be measurable. Map out how and where you’ll track progress, identifying areas that get bottlenecked or that need additional resources.
Deploy feedback surveys to ask employees about their experiences and satisfaction. Measure engagement rates within your different channels. And view enrollment data to assess benefits utilization.
7. Continuously adjust and improve
Your benefits communication strategy will need ongoing attention. This isn’t something you can create, deploy, and then forget about. Commit to continuous evaluation so you understand how successful your strategy is and what you need to change.
Refine your approach based on the feedback you gather from employees. Pay attention to engagement and performance metrics to keep improving your communication strategies and channels.
How TruScribe can enhance your communication strategy
Benefits can be challenging for employees to navigate. To fully understand their options, enroll easily, and maximize their benefits throughout the year, employees need user-friendly tools and clear guidance. A strong, people-focused communication strategy is essential to provide that support every step of the way.
TruScribe’s whiteboard videos enhance benefit communication strategies by creating highly engaging content that resonates with employees. Using a neuroscience-based approach, TruScribe helps you deliver information in a way that’s easy for employees to understand and act on, ensuring they get the most from their benefits.
With more than a decade of experience and over 1,000 B2B clients, TruScribe is dedicated to improving communication through visuals.
Ready to build an effective benefits communication strategy? Request a quote from TruScribe today to get started!