Benefits communications is no laughing matter. Just take a look at the brochure you received in the mail or the newsletter that just hit your inbox. An inch beneath the bursts of Technicolor, toothpaste grins and eager-to-please copy is a grim determination to convey very serious information communicated with the very best of intentions—with your health and benefit very much in mind (naturally).

At best, it's like the bedside manner of a physician whose geniality portends unwelcome news and a dose of stern advice. At worst, it's the equivalent of an overbearing yet well-meaning parent insisting you eat your vegetables because it's good for you.

Now take a step back and consider who is on the receiving end of these communications. You would be correct to say that it's typically an employee who works somewhat fixed hours, receives a salary with benefits, does what's expected—in some cases above and beyond—and is a captive audience for all manner of company-issued information. You would also be correct to say it's a person who has interests and dreams beyond the scope and “capture” of the workplace.