"In an unsteady market, it is important for companies to take advantage of their resources to ensure that business remains viable and successful. A typically overlooked resource that can increase worker satisfaction and assistance construct a positive brand image in the marketplace is worker advantages. The secret to leveraging worker advantages is a strong advantages communication technique.

In their seventh yearly Study of Employee Advantages Trends, MetLife discovered that workers are putting a higher emphasis on their advantages plan than in current years. In fact, ""41 percent of surveyed staff members consider workplace benefits to be the structure of their personal safeguard."" Yet, IOMA, a supplier of company management information and items, states that employers just invest a small fraction of their benefits budget plan to make sure that ""the whys and hows of their [benefit] plan's design, its unique functions, and its benefits to the worker"" are communicated to workers. With this in mind, it is important for organizations to efficiently interact benefits to staff members.

Interaction is vital to supporting the employer brand-to both internal staff members and prospective employees. According to Jennifer Benz, founder and chief strategist of Benz Communications, companies need to utilize the following guidelines to develop a strong advantages communication strategy:

• Get staff members' attention: Strongly market advantages to staff members.

• Treat employees like consumers: Section employee populations and establish techniques for reaching workers based upon their advantages needs and desires.

• Know workers' households: Make advantages info readily offered to a worker's partner and other household members since they are critical in the decision-making process.

• Supply access: Make sure that workers and their families can quickly access the info.

• Keep it entire: Evaluation benefits to ensure that they are lined up with employee requirements and the objectives of business.

• Incorporate: Coordinate all advantages communication for consistent messaging, specifically when the organization utilizes several suppliers for advantages.

• Correspond: Communicate advantages throughout the year, even throughout hard times.

• Keep it basic: Make resources easy for staff members to read and understand.

• Let employees talk back: Offer an opportunity for workers to use feedback on benefits offerings.

• Guarantee it is working: Review the organization's interaction method to recognize what is working and what is needed to interact successfully with employees.

Among the key pieces to the advantages communication puzzle is how information is provided. From online, interactive HRMS systems to city center conferences (both real and virtual) with workers, employers that acknowledge the worth of solid benefits communication to the company are using a variety of tools to keep staff members notified. Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites can also be an efficient method to interact with workers, just because a lot of them are currently utilizing this technology. Details can be posted online on blogs and delivered via RSS feeds, and quick updates and links can be sent by means of Twitter fans, but companies must be fully aware of the viral and public nature of what they are interacting.

Some companies are harnessing the power of the Web to communicate with employees and are experiencing fantastic outcomes. Online Connecting Point, a computer system sales and networking service located in Irvine, Ca., took its benefits communication plan paperless by executing a robust staff member advantages Web site. Profiting from the schedule and ease-of-use of the Internet, the OnLine Website makes it possible for workers to access necessary advantages details whenever and any place. The site offers an introduction of the worker's complete benefits plan, up-to-date service provider details, online registration options, an often asked concerns area, and other related information. The choice to provide an online component for benefits interaction helped improve advantages interaction, lowering expenses for the company and increasing value to workers.

Business are finding success with other multimedia tools also, consisting of video, eLearning and social networking. One business that adopted these staff member communication resources is BMW of The United States And Canada, as they were charged with making staff members knowledgeable about rising health care expenses. Picking a video, they used a member of upper management to interact and discuss the business's issues about health care benefits and their effect on the monetary success of the organization. The video provided a positive, straightforward message of how the business was responding to healthcare issues, details about brand-new advantage plans, and alternatives to help workers become smarter healthcare customers to employees and their families. Ultimately, this technique empowered staff members, providing a voice and permitting them to assist upper management establish an affordable service.

The bottom line of any company is to be successful and satisfy customer needs. These goals must not be viewed separately from HR, Labor Relations, and employee complete satisfaction objectives. By providing in-depth, easily accessible advantages info throughout the year, companies can enhance worker loyalty and job satisfaction, which helps companies hire and keep leading talent-ultimately, impacting the organization's bottom line.

Whether it's using Twitter, a Web site, video, or face-to-face conferences, make sure that you are communicating with employees about their benefits plan. Your business is already investing in benefits for employees; now, you can utilize them tactically to benefit the business. After all, healthy, satisfied, and knowledgeable workers must belong of every company's business plan for not only surviving however thriving in the current market."