Across the Generations - Communicating Benefits

For the first time in history, there are five generations actively working. In addition, we have had technological advancements at higher speeds than ever before. In the month of July, we will be completing a five-part series called “Across the Generations” where we will review specifics about each generation and how to best support their wellness. We will focus first on strategies to effectively communicate to employees, followed by information each week highlighting benefits promoting physical, mental, financial, and emotional/social well-being to consider across each generation.

The pie chart below exhibits the five generations actively working and the approximate percentage of the US workforce they represent.

In recent years companies have moved to a fully electronic format for benefit communications and education efforts for many different valid reasons. To name a few pros, going paperless supports sustainability goals, decreases costs for distribution of materials allowing budget to be utilized elsewhere, helps with version control when there are changes to benefits or a company offers different benefit options to different groups of employees, and allows for tracking to assist in understanding where employees are more engaged. However, for some groups of employees, their well-being program is leaving them behind, especially if the full company population does not have access to computers or an intranet at work.

Companies can’t expect employees to fit their benefits communication strategy or force them to serve themselves and expect the best results. A company sponsored benefits program should be working to keep employees and their families well so they can focus on bringing their best selves to work, regardless of the generation in which they fall.

Below is a table compiled to summarize each generation and common characteristics and typical communication styles for each.

As you can see, each group has a wide variety of attributes which will drive how to best communicate with them. In addition, you must consider there are always outliers. For example, I’ve met many Traditionalists who were more tech savvy than most Millennials. I’ve also had Traditionalists tell me they enjoy the tech side of benefits because it allows them time with their kids and grandkids as they provide assistance. On the flip side of that, according to a recent study by ZenBusiness, more than half of Generation Z participants surveyed consider themselves either “definitely” (22%) or “somewhat” (31%) neurodiverse. A person considered to be neurodivergent struggles with one or more of a number of conditions that may affect the way they process information. Similarly, a study conducted by Harmony Healthcare IT found that 1 in 2 struggle with anxiety.

The Traditionalist and Baby Boomer generations are likely driving a large portion of your medical spend so ensuring they feel comfortable navigating your benefits and participating in your well-being programs will help to keep costs down. Similarly, spouses tend to be the most expensive participants in your plans so ensuring they have access to resources and tools to remain well are very important.

So how do you please everyone and still support internal initiatives and company values? It’s easier than one would think. Let the employee identify for you how they prefer to receive the bulk of their benefits information. Allowing an option to opt-in to electronic delivery of benefits information is a great way to reduce the amount of paper copies required and will often fulfill compliance requirements. It will also help you identify the size of the population that simply prefers paper communication to set a better communications strategy. This provides an opportunity to show the employee that their preference is important to the company, versus forcing everyone to follow the company standard, which can result in the opposite effect with employees believing cost saving is more important to the company than the well-being of the employees. The majority of people do not want to receive paper copies of documents anymore, as long as they know where to go to get a downloadable, electronic copy. If your company is adamant on being paperless, don’t forget that there are certain compliance documents required to be provided in a paper format in certain circumstances.

If possible, offer the option to receive communications via text to alert individuals of updates to their benefits or if there is a need for action, such as enrollment election deadlines or documents required to verify dependents or life events (as applicable). If you use an internal social networking platform, include it in your communications campaign for additional reach.

Even if your company is fully paperless, consider sending a simple postcard announcement in the mail if there are upcoming wellness events, or major plan changes. This adds another avenue of communication, but will also keep spouses in the know. If possible, one postcard (or better yet a magnet for the fridge) highlighting events for the coming year sent just before open enrollment is a great way to use the mailing for multi-purposes. This also allows an opportunity to direct individuals to benefit resources such as enrollment/vendor platforms, intranet sites if documents are not stored on enrollment platforms, and contact information for any questions.

Lastly, but absolutely critical, make sure all of your communications, benefits platforms, and educational presentations are considered for accessibility. The changes you can make will not only assist those considered neurodivergent or disabled, but often will help to communicate more effectively to those who are not. Below are some suggestions to assist in making sure your communication is effective for everyone.

• Be clear and direct, using concise sentences.

• Consider using diagrams where appropriate versus long instructions.

• Use plain fonts and contrasting color schemes.

• Avoid pure white backgrounds.

• Avoid green, red, and pink as these colors are more difficult for those with vision deficiencies.

• If printing, use matte paper rather than gloss.

• Ensure communications are easily accessible in electronic format with text-to-speech reader capability.

• If you are presenting educational materials live:

  • Provide the information electronically prior to the presentation, if possible. If not, send a copy immediately after the session and communicate that at the start of the presentation.

  • Ensure closed captioning is available for all presentations.

  • Slow down and speak clearly.

  • Record the presentation and make it accessible to everyone in a format they can review with spouses, or advisors. If possible, outline the presentation with time markers clearly identifying included content for each section.

  • Consider chunking sessions into content groups and offering them as an educational series. For example, if presenting for your open/annual enrollment, consider a session focused only on changes to the benefits for the new year, another on healthcare plans (medical, dental, vision), a session dedicated to ancillary/voluntary benefits, etc. This will allow for shorter sessions in a more targeted approach. This also allows for recordings to be made available in highlights that are more consumable.

  • Allow plenty of time for questions.

• Offer in-person or virtual office hours following any major communication, presentation, or event requiring employee action proactively for follow-up questions.

• Provide ongoing training for employees to attend in-person or on demand ensuring all employees have access to benefit information when they need it and feel empowered to ask questions of someone directly, whether it be their HR/people managers, a benefits department, or an outsourced knowledgeable resource.

Need some help with your communications strategy? Centurion At Work is available to assist your company with any benefits management needs. Contact us to learn how we can help maximize the impact of your benefit programs to promote holistic well-being.