It’s April 6th, and it’s National Employee Benefits Day! Today is attributed to everyone in the benefits system that made everything possible from plan administrators and plan sponsors, to advocates, advisors, trustees, insurers, administrators and more!

Today we are going to discuss the current state of benefits communicating from employers to employees, statistics and the benefits of communicating benefit plans.

Employees Aren’t Using Their Benefits Enough

A Harvard Business Review survey found that: 

  • 58% of employees are not aware of their benefits entitlement
  • 63% of employees are unsure how to access them.

It seems to us from this survey that employees are simply unaware they even have coverage for specific benefits. Furthermore, a lack of understanding of benefit plans may contribute to this, leading to discomfort of employees towards certain new healthcare plans they have never used. Because of this problem, how can they utilize it?

The Benefits of Benefits Communication

It is important for businesses to communicate their employee benefits clearly because:

  • Higher job satisfaction
  • Less absenteeism or presenteeism
  • More productive and engaged employees
  • Improved employee attrition

According to the 2022 Benefits Canada Healthcare Survey, 83% of employees who are satisfied with their jobs saw their employee benefits plan as excellent or good. Compared with only 49% of employees who were not satisfied with their job. So higher job satisfaction contributes greatly to an employee’s satisfaction with their benefits plan.

Benefits also help employees lead healthier lives or help them achieve their goals. They also provide support for mental health and are there for acute or chronic injuries or illnesses. As a result, employees are more likely to remain at their current workplace, or choose a new one that offers a good benefits plan.

Employee Benefits Day – The Perfect Time to Enlighten

With all the benefits listed, businesses should take note of their employees’ wellbeing and make sure that they communicate their benefits properly with these suggestions:

Firstly, make employee benefits education more engaging. Try using cartoons or illustrative videos. And ask for audience participation during presentations. Be careful with this though as you want to ask questions about general topics and not personal information. 

Secondly, ensure everyone knows where to find the information in the future. An employee should know where they can go to find the information they will need to access the benefit. And employees should be reminded of this location frequently to ensure they don’t forget. 

Communicating benefits is an ongoing process. And since employees are all unique and learn in different ways, it’s a best practice to provide employee benefits information and training in different mediums. This gives all employees the opportunity to understand and learn in their preferred way.