Offering stellar compensation packages is one thing, but when promoting employee benefits, you need to have the right tools and techniques in place. Doing so ensures your team knows what to expect so you can maximize the impact and get the most out of your carefully curated benefits packages.
When you know how to promote employee benefits, you can effectively increase employee benefits utilization rates, dramatically improving ROI. Moreover, you can build a reputation as a company that cares for its people, allowing you to attract and retain top talent in your field. In fact, according to some research, up to 83% of Human Resources specialists believe utilization of employee benefits is intrinsically linked to job satisfaction and employee retention.
Read on to learn our top tips on how to market employee benefits so you get the most out of them.
1. Emphasize benefits in new hire orientations
If you want people to use their employee benefits package, they need to know about the different perks.
Some research shows that, even though employees want and appreciate benefits, a whopping 85% of workers claim they’re confused about the options their packages provide. Whether it’s because they’re overwhelmed or simply uninformed, emphasizing benefits from the start — beginning with orientation — will help every worker in your organization understand the perks available to them.
2. Host open enrollment meetings
Open enrollment meetings let people get clarity about their benefits and incentive programs. An interactive forum where people can ask questions can help ensure everyone understands and uses the available benefits. Meetings can provide insights into various perks designed to improve employee well-being. Be sure to include engaging Q&A sessions so people get the most out of the gatherings.
3. Share employee testimonials & stories
Knowing how to promote employee benefits can be simplified by highlighting real-life experiences and testimonials that make them more relatable. Having people within an organization share their own stories about using and benefiting from company perks can instill trust and faith that will enhance utilization and boost employee morale.
Testimonials can make abstract benefits feel more tangible, sparking interest and motivating others to take advantage of their employee benefits package. It’s an approach that can increase employee engagement, which is proven in studies to enhance profitability for an organization. Some polls even suggest highly engaged teams can be up to 23% more profitable.
4. Communicate reminders through multiple channels
Studies show that more than half — 55% — of workers don’t know as much about their benefits packages as they feel they should. People can’t use what they don’t know or understand.
Send notifications and information about benefits and offerings through a variety of tools. Using multiple forms of communication via numerous channels to send reminders will help make sure employees don’t miss important information or deadlines related to signing up for, accessing, or using benefits.
Emails, texts, social posts, internal web pages, and signage around your physical office space are all effective if you’re looking for ideas on how to market employee benefits. These forms of communication provide a quick and easy reminder about what’s available and how people can maximize their benefits. Most plans have easy-to-navigate websites or apps that users can access, too.
5. Send out newsletters
Newsletters are an excellent way to promote employee benefits. You can use them to highlight in-depth details about various benefits or opportunities that are available or to promote upcoming events.
Regular newsletters keep employees informed and offer a creative space to share information about specific benefits. For example, you might focus on mental health services one month and physical health opportunities the next. You can also promote the latest employee benefits trends that your company has adapted to to showcase those specific perks.
Tips for marketing employee benefits through newsletters:
- Use compelling headlines
- Keep paragraphs short
- Implement clear calls-to-action
- Include bolded text and bullet points
- Write short and to-the-point content
You can email or print newsletters for distribution — or do both.
6. Distribute benefits resources
Creating and distributing resources that explain the details of various benefits is critical to increasing utilization and engagement.
Start at the beginning, with every employee, by handing out printed materials at orientation, training, or onboarding sessions. Then, design and populate easily accessible content on your internal website or somewhere else so employees can find answers to benefits-related questions whenever needed.
You can even publish an FAQ page for quick reference so people can find information while feeling empowered and well-equipped to decide which benefits best suit their needs.
7. Have managers get involved
Leadership plays a crucial role in promoting employee benefits in an organization. Compelling team leaders can be influencers who encourage employees to use the perks available to them. Getting your management on board with promoting utilization increases your chance of improving engagement.
For managers to be involved, though, they need to understand the benefits you offer. Conduct training sessions so leadership teams have the resources to answer questions about various components of the benefits you offer. Not only can this increase utilization rates, but it can also build trust between management and employees.
8. Utilize a dedicated & accessible portal
One of the main reasons people don’t take advantage of their company’s benefits is inaccessibility. Creating a user-friendly portal that makes finding and managing benefits easy can be a game changer. If you have an internal company intranet, marketing employee benefits becomes easy when you design a hub to simplify access and improve communication about benefits and employee wellness plans.
Invest in benefits that employees care about
People will only use benefits that they care about. If you’re offering things that don’t reflect people’s needs or desires, the likelihood of improving utilization is slim. Consider how you can go above and beyond expected benefits to offer a worker wellness program that staff members actually want to use.
Think about it. What is something your company can offer to boost employee happiness, well-being, and health? Use surveys, interviews, and company-wide meetings to solicit feedback on what people love about your current benefit offerings and what they want to see added. If you don’t feel like you’re getting enough honest responses, you might want to do a blind survey that promotes confidentiality so people will be more willing to open up and share their needs.
Promoting employee benefits doesn’t have to be a complicated, overwhelming experience. Spotlight the perks your company offers using the tips provided here. With the right messaging, access, and promotion, you can easily showcase the value of what you provide in a way that speaks to your team. Offering extraordinary benefits people know, love, and use is a surefire way to beat the competition.
Keep employees happy and satisfied when they use the benefits you provide them to the fullest extent possible. Reach out to Talkspace today to learn how you can improve employee benefits with online therapy for employees.
Sources:
- “Maximizing Employee Benefits Utilization: Challenges and Solutions.” bswift, June 28, 2023. https://www.bswift.com/insights/maximizing-employee-benefits-utilization-challenges-and-solutions.
- “Employees Want Help Understanding Benefits Offered by Employers.” Ameritas, June 5, 2023. https://www.ameritas.com/insights/why-employees-are-confused-about-benefits-and-what-employers-can-do-2/.
- Gallup. “The Benefits of Employee Engagement.” Gallup.com, January 7, 2023. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236927/employee-benefits-real-cost-attraction-retention.aspx.
- Future of benefits pulse survey - s0.hfdstatic.com. Accessed September 11, 2023. https://s0.hfdstatic.com/sites/the_hartford/files/future-of-benefits-pulse-august-2022.pdf.