The 12 Days of Communications
The holiday season is the perfect time to reflect on the importance of employee benefit communications and how they can contribute to a happy, healthy workforce. Our '12 Days of Communications' is packed with practical tips, creative ideas and actionable strategies for enhancing employee understanding and appreciation of their benefits. From tailored messaging and leadership involvement to year-round planning, this guide will help you maximize benefits engagement and drive meaningful connections with your team.
?? On the first day of communications, we bring to you: clear, concise language.?
When it comes to employee benefits, less is often more. Your employees probably skim most of your communications, so it’s best to:?
? The easier your message is to digest, the more memorable it becomes.?
?? Try this: Ask someone outside of HR to review your benefits communications. Can they understand it in 60 seconds or less??
?? On the second day of communications, we bring to you: two ways to access information.?
In addition to your beautifully crafted communications, consider leveraging a user-friendly, searchable HR portal or website. This digital hub can be a game-changer for your employees, ensuring they can swiftly locate the information they need without hassle (or contacting the HR team) and outside of normal business hours.??
?? Try this: Consider the top HR questions you receive. How many steps does it take the average employee to access that information when they might need it? The answer may surprise you!?
?? ?? On the third day of communications, we bring to you: three FAQs addressed.?
Employees have questions—lots of them! Craft your communications based on what employees want or need to know. Your communications should also address the most common questions upfront, like:?
1?? “What is my cost?”?
2?? “What is in it for me?”?
3?? “What is my next step?’?
If you focus on relevance, engagement will follow.??
?? Try this: Place yourself in the shoes of your employees and anticipate their questions. What are the pressing concerns? Then, create an FAQ page with short, direct answers and link to it in all your communications. (QR codes are another way to drive employees to FAQs.)?
??? On the fourth day of communications, we bring to you: four friendly reminders.? ?
Deadlines sneak up fast! Keep your subject lines catchy and focus on one clear call-to-action per email. You can help employees stay on track with strategically spaced reminders:?
?? 2 weeks out?
?? 1 week out?
?? 3 days out?
?? The day before?
?? Try this: Make it clear when employees need to do something. A strong call-to-action gets things moving! Whether it's remembering a deadline, completing a form or attending a meeting, actionable reminders guide employees on what they need to do and when.?
? On the fifth day of communications, we bring to you: five golden rules. ?
Master your benefits communication with these golden guidelines:?
1?? Know your audience.?
2?? Speak their language.?
3?? Use multiple channels.?
4?? Focus on the why.?
5?? Repeat, repeat, repeat.?
?? Try this: Consistent, value-driven messaging makes benefits more relevant to employees. Consider building a calendar for your communications. Consistency helps build anticipation and routine, cultivating an environment where employees feel more connected and valued.?
?? On the sixth day of communications, we bring to you: six simple visuals.
Creating fun, casual content that delves into employee motivations can boost interaction. Simplify even the most complex benefits details by utilizing visuals aids such as:?
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Establishing visuals that are on-brand will give your communications a cohesive look that employees will learn to trust.?
?? Try this: When presenting benefit plan options, try a side-by-side comparison. Highlight key differences—like cost, coverage or suitability for life stages—to make decisions easier for employees.?
?? On the seventh day of communications, we bring to you: seven savvy channels.
Craft a winning communications strategy by leveraging ALL the channels that are available to you. Different employees resonate with different types of content, so experimenting with various formats—from newsletters and emails to videos and infographics—can help your messages stick. Consider:?
?? Newsletters?
?? Emails?
?? Videos?
?? Digital Signs?
?? Benefits Website or Intranet?
?? Employee Engagement Platform?
?? Social Media?
?? Try this: Variety is the spice of life! Try a diverse approach for your call-to-actions that ensures messages are not just heard but remembered because employees are being engaged through their preferred mediums.?
?? On the eighth day of communications, we bring to you: eight video explainers.? ?
Videos are a fun, engaging way to explain tricky topics. Consider videos such as:?
?? Try this: Keep videos under 3 minutes and add captions for easy viewing anywhere, anytime.??
?? On the ninth day of communications, we bring to you: nine tailored messages.? ?
Different employees have different needs. By tailoring messages to specific segments of your population, you can significantly boost engagement rates. And if you want to take it to the next level, personalized communication can really provide employees with a deeper connection to What’s In It For Me?, making messages more memorable—and actionable.??
A few tried-and-true ways to segment messages:?
?? Try this: Pick one topic you regular communicate on and see if you can tailor your messaging for specific groups. For example, if you promote preventive care, could you segment this population by age or gender? Those enrolled in the medical plan vs. those not enrolled? The possibilities are endless!?
?? On the tenth day of communications, we bring to you: ten tips for leaders.?
Managers play a big role in benefits engagement. It’s essential to provide them with “plug-n-play" communications, including talking points, FAQs, PPT visuals, email templates (and more!), so they can confidently share messages about benefits.??
?? Try this: Have a big benefits change on the horizon? Schedule a quick benefits briefing for your leadership team and arm them with the tools they need to clearly communicate the news.?
?? On the eleventh day of communications, we bring to you: eleven engaged employees. ?
Employee feedback is gold. Establish an environment where feedback is constructive and welcomed, encouraging an open dialogue through Q&A sessions or focus groups to learn what worked and what didn’t.?
?? Try this: After enrollment, send a quick pulse survey to fine-tune your process for next year.?
?? On the twelfth day of communications, we bring to you: twelve months of planning. ?
Benefits communication shouldn’t end after enrollment. Effective communication is all about consistently engaging and informing your employees about their benefits.?
Year-round promotions and updates create a culture of awareness and appreciation, encouraging employees to always make the most of their benefits. And, when employees feel informed, they are more likely to appreciate and utilize their benefits, leading to increased job satisfaction and overall well-being.?
? ?? Try this: Highlight a new benefit each month to keep employees engaged year-round.?
Ready to transform your employee communications?
Download our communications toolkit for creating engaging, multi-platform benefits messaging, or contact us at [email protected] for a free consultation!?
Bringing fresh, data-driven ideas to the world of employee communications.
2 个月Love this focus on clear, concise language—especially because we know employees are already juggling so much! Simple, digestible messaging is key to making benefits feel accessible and valuable. What a great list of tips!
Executive Vice President at Westcomm
2 个月My favorite! ? On the fifth day of communications, we bring to you: five golden rules. Master your benefits communication with these golden guidelines: 1?? Know your audience. 2?? Speak their language. 3?? Use multiple channels. 4?? Focus on the why. 5?? Repeat, repeat, repeat.
?? Try this: Ask someone outside of HR to review your benefits communications. Can they understand it in 60 seconds or less?