You have revamped your organization’s employee total compensation package, enhanced lifestyle perks and benefits, and made sure your company’s open enrollment and new hire orientations run smoothly, but you’re still getting a lot of questions. This is a pain point for a lot of organizations during an unprecedented evolution in the world of HR and employee benefits as we transition to a post-COVID-19 pandemic working model.
The bottom line – what gives?
Don’t worry. You aren’t alone in this struggle. According to a recent MetLife employee benefits trends study, most health, wellness, and benefits leaders say benefits utilization isn’t as high as they want. Interestingly, 72% of employees say they are interested in wellness and wellbeing programs that reward healthy habits and behaviors. Even further, 69% say having a wider array of benefits would increase loyalty to their employer.
After reading those numbers, you may be asking yourself… we already offer these types of benefits and programs, why isn’t my organization’s workforce taking advantage of them? The answer may be more shocking than you think.
A recent Welltok survey reports that over 80% of employees don’t know where to find benefits available to them.
Whoa – that is huge.
Not to worry – our expertise has helped organizations tackle this very issue for over 15 years and we have compiled a list of tried-and-true solutions that will solve these problems and make life easier for your HR and Benefits teams.
Increase Communication to Encourage Year-Round Engagement
As you well know, employees prepare themselves for an onslaught of communications in the weeks leading up to annual open enrollment, but it is critical to have a year-round communication strategy if your employees are going to get the most out of their benefits.
Start with a custom open enrollment video communication to provide an overview of what to expect. What benefits are offered, who the providers are, when and how they will enroll. This information is key in beginning the benefits engagement process during one of the most crucial times of year.
Don’t stop there! Once open enrollment has ended, drive momentum with timely, educational benefits videos that keep employees engaged and interacting with their benefits throughout the year. Things like preventive care, wellbeing incentives, and even financial wellness programs are key difference makers that most employees don’t know how to utilize.
A year-round benefits communications campaign is huge when it comes to increasing benefits utilization and employee engagement.
Bolster Your Internal Communications Campaigns with a Multi-Medium Approach
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has forced all of us to alter how we communicate and engage with our audiences. Gone are the days of postcards, bulletin board reminders, and in-person HR meetings to spread benefits information. It’s time for your organization to get creative when it comes to internal communications.
It’s no secret that everyone retains and processes information differently. It may be easy to fall into the trap of an email-heavy communications campaign but leveraging a multi-channel attack is paramount to reaching your audience. In today’s world, digital communication is necessary to break through the outside noise. Customized HR and benefits videos, microsites, text message campaigns and even mail-home flyers with QR codes help reach your employees wherever they are, regardless of how they best consume information.
Be Crisp and Concise with Your Messaging
No matter how you communicate, today’s workforce often doesn’t have much time between meetings, calls, personal and family matters to study-up on the latest in employee benefits trends. Hey, even taking a lunch break can be a challenge some days. Throw in that a Microsoft study suggests our attention spans are less than that of a goldfish, it’s clear just how important it is to deploy key messages with as much brevity as possible. There is no better way to do this than by implementing a series of short and engaging videos that can be sent out to your population at key times of the year.
For example:
- Is it time for your annual preventive care visit? Give your employees a friendly reminder. Here is a short video on finding in-network providers in your area. Did we mention preventive care is fully covered under your medical plan?
- Are you currently a smoker and want to quit? Watch this short video highlighting our smoking cessation program and how it can even save you money on your medical premiums!
- Struggling with the transition to a hybrid working environment and balancing your work and family life? Show your employees you care by sending a quick video explaining your organization’s free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and how it can help you improve your workforce’s work/life balance and mental health.
Short, concise video messaging is incredibly valuable and encourages employees to remain engaged with their benefits throughout the year.
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MuleTown Media helps businesses streamline their HR, Benefits, and Internal Communications through the power of video, making life easier for Human Resources and Benefits Teams. Contact us today to discuss how we can partner together to ease your burden and make a meaningful impact at your organization.
