Your Benefits Package Might Not Be the Problem. Your Employees Just Don’t See the Value Yet

If your employees lack awareness, it doesn’t matter how great your benefits package is. However, with a strategic internal communications initiative, you can bring everyone up to speed. Learn how to craft compelling messages and position your valuable benefits so your employees take advantage of everything they’ve offered.

Hidden in Plain Sight

When employees are onboarded, there’s a lot to take in. From health coverage, to work location, to finally starting their new role, it’s easy to mix things up. Plus, they’re busy learning the culture, the work, and finding their stride.

Before long, your comprehensive benefits overview has been hidden by stacks of project notes. Reclaim all of your employees’ attention by elevating the presence of your benefits each day.

First, assess your current state when it comes to how and when employee benefits are discussed. Are they featured only during your onboarding presentation? If so, it’s no wonder your employees have trouble, articulating benefits beyond the basics.

If your company blitzes employees with benefits communication only during open enrollment, you’re competing against your own message unnecessarily. All benefits are important, but medical, dental, and vision will command the most attention.

Workplace benefits like employee discount programs provide an evergreen opportunity to maximize employee rewards. With year-round availability, employee discounts for businesses easily integrate into their regular shopping habits.

Post a link to your discount platform on your Intranet navigation. This premium position elevates its importance and makes program utilization easily achievable. With working advantage, your perks platform maintains visibility and relevance throughout the year.

Employee Retention Strategies Require Clear Messaging and Support

Workplace benefits are more than an industry-standard complement to compensation. Your company‘s benefits play an important role in employee retention and engagement. Good employee retention strategies are intentional, nurtured, and supported by leadership and management.

Review recent employee engagement survey data to identify current sentiment regarding your benefits. Take time to review qualitative data closely and identify themes. If you find gaps or have new questions, distribute an ad hoc survey.

This research phase is critical to identifying your starting point and will guide your tactics. With a solid baseline, your efforts have the greatest chance for success.

Teams are busy, often stretched thin during major transformation projects and busy seasons. Take this reality into account as you develop your communication plan.

Consider how often people need to hear a message before they understand it. It’s not that your employees don’t care, it’s that their focus during the workday may not be on benefits.

Incorporate the rule of three into your messaging strategy to make your message stick. This rule suggests that a list of three things is easiest to remember and recall.

Deploy change communication strategies into your plan to further improve your success rate. Segment your employee population amongst those completely unaware of your benefits and those with some or a good working knowledge. Customize communication that meets employees where they are and advances their engagement appropriately.

Maximize the Value Your Benefits Provide

Let’s be honest – your employees are in it for the money. Purpose means a lot to workers, but financial obligations persist beyond passion. That’s why it’s essential to acknowledge the financial benefits available through your discount program.

Get right to the point and show the formula that reveals how much further their take-home pay can go. Regular monthly bills like subscriptions and phone plans add up. Working Advantage discounts can cut the cost of these recurring bills, restoring much-needed breathing room to household budgets.

Outline the real financial benefit of discounting recurring purchases and high-dollar experiences. Through exclusive discounts inaccessible without your work perks program, this benefit has major value.

A $20 monthly savings on a recurring expense has a similar value of $24 to $28. This comparison assigns a range of 10% to 22% federal tax plus Social Security and Medicare. When your employee will be spending on this line item anyway, using your discount program is a guaranteed win.

Through repetitive utilization, the average employee stands to regain hundreds and even thousands of dollars into their budgets. A family vacation is an event everyone looks forward to, but like everything else, costs are up. Mid-range lodging expenses are reportedly $131 a day, jumping to $358 for luxury accommodations.

Using your company benefits, a 15% discount on a week-long stay can net enough for another day of fun. With discounted rates, your employees can enjoy more experiences to relax and connect with loved ones. Plus, employees who take time to reset often return to work refreshed and with renewed creative energy and enthusiasm.

Boost Employee Engagement and Well-being with Workplace Benefits

Happy and healthy employees are good for business – they produce quality work, report fewer sick days, and are loyal. An investment in proactive and intentional communication supporting benefits utilization should be a priority on every strategic plan. When you prioritize employee engagement, your employees reward you by delivering value.

Engaged employees are also some of the best advocates for your brand. They advocate for your company both in the market and in professional circles. The better reputation you have as an organization, the healthier your balance sheet, and org chart will be.

If your benefits aren’t getting the attention they deserve, the issue may not be what you offer, but how it shows up for employees day to day. Our platform can help keep those benefits visible and relevant with ongoing access to meaningful, everyday savings, without adding extra work for your team. If you're curious how it could fit into your current strategy, you can explore more or connect through our Working Advantage employer page.