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David Carter   |   September 19, 2013

Do Your Employees Value Their Benefits?

Using BenefitWerks’ HR software solutions is a great way to save on benefits administration. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the employees you enroll will fully appreciate their benefits or their access to our software. Employee benefits represent a big chunk of your payroll. To get your money’s worth, your employees need to value the benefits you provide.

The 2012 Open Enrollment Survey of the Aflac WorkForces Report showed a disconnection between employers and workers with regards to effective benefits communication, according to The Society for Human Resource Management. While 49% of employers felt they did a good job communicating benefits, 52% of employees said their company hadn’t communicated with them at all about open enrollment and 65% felt unprepared or underprepared for open enrollment. Here are some strategies that will help you connect with your employees, so they can get the value they need from the benefits you provide.

Get the Data

You need to know what employees know, what they think they know, and what they don’t know at all. A simple survey can get the data you need to understand your benefit communication woes.

Quick Tip: Providing incentives can win employee support and participation in your survey efforts. A simple giveaway usually does the trick.

Put it in Writing

You need to communicate the facts about the benefits available to your employees in writing. The trick isn’t to write like an HR exec or to perfect your legalese. While those documents are necessary, your initial communications should be simple and clear.

Quick Tip: Testing a sample of your writing on a reading-level site will help determine the reading level of your materials. Most newspapers are written at an 8th-grade reading level. You should strive for similar results.

Talk it Over

Whether a direct manager or an HR professional does the job, somebody should sit down and talk over your organization’s benefits options with employees. A small group discussion can make the difference between understanding and uncertainty.

Quick Tip: Giving employees the opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback after a presentation can improve communications and prevent mistakes.

Effective communication can make a difference in the perceived value of the benefits your organization provides. By listening to employees, communicating clearly, and answering their questions, you can ensure your employee benefits truly benefit your employees, which can increase morale, productivity, and loyalty.

Source:

Miller, Stephen. (August 13, 2012.) Employees Perplexed by Benefits Choices. The Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved from: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/articles/pages/perplexed-benefits-choices.aspx.