How to Upcycle Your Benefits Communication Strategies for Engagement ROI 

Does your benefits strategy need a refresh? Give your existing materials a new look to keep employees clicking (and learning) about the benefits and resources you offer. 

There’s an invigorating feeling in the air each January, as a solid half of us embark on New Year’s resolutions big and small. It’s a chance for a clean slate, to dive headfirst into your goals, and for all of us to become better versions of ourselves. 

As benefits professionals, the New Year is one of many opportunities to talk to employees while they’re already thinking about their health choices. It seems all of us, no matter our age, gender, or career status have much of the same aspirations: 

• Prioritizing physical health i.e. losing weight or getting in shape 
• Improving mental health and overall wellbeing 
• Kicking those bad habits like smoking, drinking, and junk food 
• Establishing financial security  

How serendipitous! These goals easily align with benefits and wellness programs, as well as consumer-accounts, supplementary insurance, and other financial planning options. 

Many of you recently closed annual enrollment, where you likely delivered benefits materials to your employees in a variety of ways, educating them on all their options. 

Have you ever thought about repurposing this benefits content?  

Organizing benefits information in a new way can help create a delightfully engaging experience. By providing digestible materials and removing the clutter, employees can access exactly the details they need while these goals are top of mind. 

If you have the resources to get creative, your existing benefits communications can shine even brighter when presented with a thematic look and feel. For example, the popular New Year’s resolutions above. 

You already know how important it is that employees use their benefits early and often, seek care, make lifestyle changes, and live happy, healthy lives. From decreasing benefits spend to increasing productivity, when employees take ownership of their health journey, everyone (including their employer) reaps the rewards. 

When your benefits communication strategy starts when AE ends, employees get year-round encouragement to activate their benefits selections. 

Remember, goals never go out of style.  

Each and every one of your employees has big, exciting life goals. Starting a family, buying a home, launching a non-profit, climbing Mt. Everest. Nearly every personal goal people have can be enhanced with the wide range of benefits and resources employers have to offer. 

Although there’s never a bad time to talk about getting healthy, there are several opportunities throughout the year to tap into motivation. Tax season and heading back-to-school season are just two themes that come to mind.   

By organizing your benefits information in a way that aligns with these popular ambitions, you can make the information more relevant and meaningful to your employees.  

Each organization has their own assortment of resources, point solutions, and voluntary programs, so only you can arrange them in a smart way. That said, here are some initial ideas to get you started! 

Prioritize physical health 

• Remind your employees to get their annual physical and take preventive screenings. 
• Choose from endless point solutions that assist people in managing pain, diabetes, hypertension, weight, and more. 
• Refresh your fitness and nutrition incentive programs and foster community around common goals. 

Improve mental health  

• Ease the stigma of going to therapy and promote mindfulness moments at work. 
• Prevent crisis by educating on the symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. 
• Use personalization to encourage vulnerable populations to book services like new mothers, veterans, LGBTQ+, and marginalized groups. 

Kick those bad habits  

• Curate a selection of free programs that help with tobacco cessation, alcohol or drug dependency, and more. 
• Encourage telemedicine, which makes it convenient and affordable to manage chronic conditions or simply get questions answered. 

• Promote healthy lifestyle choices and fulfilling hobbies, for example learning to cook and eating fresh, whole foods.  

Establish financial security  

• Provide a guide to HSAs and FSAs, so employees can make the most of their paychecks without worrying about health expenses. 

• Explain the difference between urgent care and E.R. as the decision can unnecessarily double expenses. 
• Offer financial training on simple and advanced topics from budgeting to investing. 

All efforts to give employees critical benefits information are good. But HR teams that invest in digital tools (like video content, virtual fairs, and interactive experiences) will see engagement skyrocket. Not to mention, combining creative delivery with a thematic aesthetic is just a killer communications strategy.  

By repurposing your annual enrollment materials into engaging digital experiences, and aligning them with popular resolutions and life goals, you can inspire your people to get healthier without them even realizing they’re reading benefits materials! 

Did you know Businessolver has a dedicated team of creative communication experts? Engagement tools can transform your benefits strategy!