Efforts to Communicate Benefits Are ‘Underwhelming,’ Report Finds

Improving communications to employees about their workplace benefits is a top strategic priority for benefits professionals, but many of them are falling short in their efforts.

That’s one of the main findings from Aon’s new 2024 Global Benefits Trends Study, which was conducted from March to April and received 288 responses from participants in 31 countries.

The survey of global benefits professionals found that although most (73%) said that improving communications to employees and boosting their perception of their benefits is a top priority for them, only 38% said that ensuring benefits are highly valued by employees is a key objective for global benefits teams, and just 33% of businesses include guidelines on benefits communication in their global framework.

“Current efforts are underwhelming, uncoordinated, and ineffective,” Aon said in its report.

Traditional media—including employee intranet, emails, benefits booklets, face-to-face meetings, and paper communications—are still the most common methods for communicating benefits to employees, Aon found. Benefits professionals do not use digital solutions such as benefits apps, virtual meetings, and video messaging as frequently for this purpose.

The survey findings come just ahead of open enrollment for many organizations, when employees are looking for more and better communication from HR leaders on available offerings.

This finding that companies’ benefits communications are falling short is no outlier. Other research has found that employees are looking for improved communication from their organizations about benefits.

We rounded up additional articles on benefits communications from SHRM Online.

Employees Seek More Benefits Communications, Personalization

The majority of employees are looking for more help and guidance from their employers about their benefits offerings, according to data from global insurance provider MetLife. It’s a sentiment that’s especially felt by Generation Z workers, who are on track to become the largest generation in the workforce.

MetLife’s 2023 Employee Benefit Trends Study found that 54% of all employees said they wish they had personalized benefits recommendations, while half would feel more cared for if their employer improved its benefits communications.

“While employers continue to make significant strides in improving their benefits strategies year after year, there is still much work to be done to help close the gap between benefits education and utilization among employees,” said Jamie Madden, senior vice president of workforce engagement and benefits connectivity at MetLife.

(SHRM Online)

Deskless Workers May Need Different Communications About Benefits

There are some key barriers that make it especially challenging for HR to communicate benefits-related information to deskless workers, according to recent research from SHRM and Fidelity.

Limited computer access during the workday (62%), irregular schedules/hours (56%), and lack of face-to-face communication (55%) all make communication difficult. In fact, irregular schedules are more of a barrier for HR professionals trying to reach deskless workers in the service industry compared to those in physical industries (65% versus 47%).

Deskless workers who are part-time or nonexempt hourly workers and those ages 18-34 are the most difficult deskless workers for HR professionals to reach when communicating about benefits, although the reasons why are unclear.

Despite the unique challenges deskless workers present, 69% of HR professionals said they don’t adjust their strategies when reaching out to these employees. Instead, they continue to rely on traditional approaches such as presentations at new-hire orientations and printed materials including brochures and newsletters.

(SHRM Online)

Employees Say They Don’t Feel Cared About

A survey from benefits provider Aflac found that almost half of the responding employees don’t believe that their company truly cares about them—in part due to subpar benefits communication and not enough help with issues such as burnout and stress, Aflac CHRO Jeri Hawthorne said.

“It’s incumbent upon employers—both because it’s the right thing to do and because it leads to better performance for their customers—to proactively and actively engage employees around these topics. It’s a matter of reminding employees … about available [benefits],” Hawthorne said. “The other thing from the HR perspective is to make all of these offerings, tools, and programs understandable.”

(SHRM Online)