The Link Between Benefit Communication And Workplace Satisfaction

by Holley Maher

Odds are you have a unique group of people working at your company. Today’s average workforce represents a wide range of ages, household incomes, family statuses, retirement goals, health conditions and even learning styles.

How is an employer expected to provide a meaningful and relevant benefit plan with such a smorgasbord of needs? This is particularly critical considering that MetLife’s 11th annual study of employee benefit trends reported in 2013 that “three out of five employees … said benefits were an important reason why they remained with their employer.”

Turns out the plan design is just a piece of the puzzle. What really matters is how benefits are communicated.  In 2013, Unum (an insurance company that is over 160 years old) reported that “79 percent of workers who reviewed benefits in the past year and rated their education as excellent or very good also rated their employer as excellent or very good.”

After surveying 1,422 employees (at companies with two or more employees), MetLife reported that “employees who gave their companies a benefits communication grade of A or B cited the following as some of the most-valued benefits tactics”:

* post-enrollment confirmation of elections (58%)
* personalized materials (53%)
* employer benefits website (53%)
* one-on-one meetings (49%)
* online decision support tools – e.g., calculators) (48%)
* group meetings (42%)

 Would your employees rate your benefits, and your workplace, as excellent or very good? A few months before your next open enrollment, take some time to evaluate your communication strategy and partner with a consultant who offers a variety of communication tools.

Holley Maher (hmaher@SmartBenefitsPlus.com) is a partner at Maher, Rosenheim, Comfort & Tabash LLC, specializing in group and individual insurance.