3 keys to clear benefits communication

Employees tend to ignore the benefits they don’t understand, and in our efforts to increase understanding, we’re tempted to blast them with information.

We’ve all heard “communication is king,” but with remote work a new reality for many of us, it’s hard to know how to execute. Some days, it seems like we’re simultaneously overcommunicating on Slack and missing cues on video calls. It’s tougher than ever before, but also more important for company leaders to pay careful attention to how and what they communicate with employees.

During my time running a high-growth startup, I’ve learned that there’s a big difference between what we say to employees and what they hear—case in point: Employee benefits. I know HR teams may feel like they’ve spent much of the last year triaging employee concerns, from mental health to financial stress to physical health. So I was astounded to learn that in our recent Employee Benefits Insights Survey, 12% of our survey pool still felt that their company didn’t care about their health and wellbeing.