The business value of communicating benefits
Employee benefits can only be seen as a perk by staff if they know about them and understand their value. Sharing details about the employee benefits you offer can:
- Increase the perceived value of your employee benefits at little or no extra cost
- Improve employee satisfaction levels (engagement, morale and loyalty)
- Provide an invaluable tool for staff retention
- Create a building block for your internal communications strategy
And contrary to popular belief, if your employees are aware of benefits – such as private health insurance or Income Protection – they are not likely to take more time off sick. Communicating about a wide range of employee benefits can help build employee engagement and a more loyal workforce that takes less time off.
How to communicate your employee benefits
A good benefits package, communicated well, can help to manage - and reduce - bottom line costs, and help to build a loyal and more productive workforce.
Which method you use will depend on your company. It’s really a case of trying a few and seeing what works for you. You could even survey your employees before and after the communication to see whether it’s had an effect on their understanding of the benefits on offer.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Company-wide emails
- Company-wide presentations
- Individual sessions with staff
- Via a company handbook
- Via a dedicated employee benefits microsite/company intranet
- On noticeboards
When to communicate your employee benefits
So you’ve decided how you want to communicate your benefits package, but when’s the best time to approach staff? Here are a few opportunities:
- With candidates during the recruitment process
- At inductions with new employees
- During staff appraisals, reviews or promotions
- At team or all staff briefings
- When staff enter a new life stage – e.g. become home-owners, get married or have children