We’ve been talking about benefits communications. You probably feel — correctly — that your employees really don’t appreciate what you provide them.
Worse, they probably don’t even really know what they’ve got, and they sure as shootin’ don’t know how much it costs.
Couple that with the fact that studies have shown that better communications, particularly about benefits, lead to more job satisfaction, a lower probability of someone leaving, and eventually to a more engaged, productive employee, and you ought to care.
In particular that word “productive” — coupled with this crappy economy — is why you ought to give a rip about what your employees think about your package. It can MAKE you a buck, help you survive.
Plus, what the heck, you oughta be appreciated for all the bucks you drop on employees’ behalves. (Is “behalves” really the plural of behalf?)
So How Do You BEST Communicate About Benefits?
It’s one thing for sophisticated, larger employers to retain a full-time staff of Human Resources experts to communicate in detail with employees. But it’s an entirely different matter for the typical business with 10 – 150 employees.
Many don’t have any professional HR help at all, and even those that do are staffed so lean that the HR Department is stretched-to-breaking.
But it’s worth it. Here’s a comparison of what employees with excellent/very good benefits communication said about their employers vs those with fair/poor benefits communication.
My employer values my work
Fair/Poor Commun – 41% agreed
Exc/Very Good Commun – 70% agreed
I am satisfied with my current job
Fair/Poor Commun – 54% agreed
Exc/Very Good Commun – 69% agreed
My employer cares about my well-being.
Fair/Poor Commun – 32% agreed
Exc/Very Good Commun – 63% agreed
I would stay with my current employer even if offered same pay/benefits elsewhere
Fair/Poor Commun – 45% agreed
Exc/Very Good Commun – 62% agreed
Pretty powerful stuff, eh? Worth finding a way to make communications happen.
More later.
