Most employees do not have a proper understanding of their benefits because the topic isn’t nearly discussed enough. Almost 90 percent of employers believe that by offering employee benefits, they hope to attract and retain talent. But the large majority of those employers (almost 70 percent) admit that they are finding it hard to help their employees understand the true value of their benefits packages.
Few HR professionals are able to consistently deliver their benefits pan objectives because they are unable to handle the gaps in their benefits strategy. These include not being able to analyze employee benefits data and being properly able to communicate the importance of employee benefits.
In today’s world of big data, only those who know the importance of data analytics are able to achieve higher employee engagement and motivation levels while those who don’t use analytics to design and devise their strategies are still struggling.
The communication gap
Despite being thoroughly trained in the art of efficient communication, HR teams are struggling to properly convey the importance of employee benefits to their workers. Their messages simply fail to strike a chord with their audience because of the perceived value of employees toward their benefits plan falls short of certain expectations.
A disaster just waiting to unfold
Not understanding employee benefits is equivalent to not offering employee benefits in the first place. When they don’t have a proper understanding, employees find it increasingly hard to appreciate the benefits they are being offered. As a result they become dissatisfied and eventually leave when a better opportunity comes along.
How to properly convey the message
The best way to communicate the benefits is to use personal milestones in an employee’s life such as getting married or buying a new home. Very few employers have the foresight to use the value of these moments to establish the relevancy of their benefits package to employees.
The challenges
It has become increasingly challenging for employers because medical plans are getting more complex. The knee jerk reaction to fill in the gaps is to provide voluntary benefits such as disability coverage and dental insurance, but in the ensuing chaos, there are far too many decisions and choices to be made by employees.
It is very common for employees to be presented with large stacks of papers with so much writing in them that it serves little purpose other than to create a cluttered environment and cause much confusion among them. This lackluster communication campaign can quickly backfire unless more creative ways are invented.
Some suggestions the JS Benefits Group would like to offer include digital content to help get the message across. This includes social media, audio messages and more importantly, video content. Give your employees an online option to learn about their benefits so they can peruse it at their convenience.
The best way to design an effective communications campaign to help your employees learn about their benefits package, is to get help from an expert. Click here schedule a free session with a trained expert from the JS Benefits Group team.
