Five essential tips for communicating the full value of a benefits package
For many organisations, an investment in benefits is significant, so it’s crucial to get the communication of them right. Here are five essential tips for communicating your benefits package effectively.
1. Do your homework
Identify the different groups you need to communicate with and consider their preferred communication methods. Our research found that information on intranet sites and email campaigns are the favoured communication methods by 45 per cent and 44 per cent of employers respectively. However, you should plan to use a variety of ways to disseminate your message and maximise the potential of your benefits package.
An intranet is a great starting point, but what other communication channels could you use to back this up? Do some research into what methods you have available and what is best suited to your audience. Perhaps town hall meetings, email campaigns, or video.
2. Create buzz and conversation
Launch events can be a really effective way to create excitement around a new benefits package. Often your benefits provider can help with this, offering a variety of materials to support the launch. You could even consider running a competition to encourage people to sign-up for or to start using their benefits.
Keep in mind that you will be competing with lots of other messages, so your benefits communications need to grab your employees’ attention. This means your messages need to be clear and straightforward. Don’t be afraid to let your creative juices flow to make it engaging, entertaining and memorable. Most importantly, make it personable and relevant by sharing real-life examples of people using the benefits. This can be particularly effective with health-related benefits, due to the personal nature of health.
3. Engage in conversation
Use your communications to engage in conversation with employees. A big challenge in communications is involving people. Allow them to feel part of it by asking for feedback on what they think of their benefits, and how they find using them. This can help you identify which benefits employees value most and which ones might be more dispensable, so you can make sure you are investing in the right areas.
4. Keep it going
For your employee benefits to get off the ground, it is essential that you keep the communication momentum going. Keep talking with everyone in your business about your offering and how it can support them in their everyday lives. Again, your benefits provider should be able to help you, supplying materials that can be used on an ongoing basis. These materials are commonly in line with national campaigns, allowing you to really gain traction and make sure your benefits package stays top of mind for employees.
As a business, ongoing communication helps you get the best value for money and experience all the business-related benefits associated with your scheme. Sharing ideas, tips and support will encourage employees to take care of their health and wellbeing and will help to hammer home the lifestyle benefits employees can enjoy by looking after themselves.
5. Don’t go it alone
Although this might seem daunting, remember, you don’t have to go it alone. As well as your benefits provider, think about areas of your own business that could support you with your communications project. Perhaps there are areas of internal expertise that you can tap into; for example, your marketing team might be a helpful resource for tips and advice.
To help you on your communications journey, we’ve worked with the Reward & Employee Benefits Association to produce a comprehensive guide for maximising take up of health and wellbeing benefits through communication.
This article was provided by Simplyhealth.
In partnership with Simplyhealth
Our health plans make it easy for people to maintain their health&wellbeing.
