Tag Archive for 'benefits communications'

Short Videos Make Complex Benefits Easy To Understand

Sounds like common sense, doesn’t it?

Brain synching at work

Take a complex topic or message, break it down into smaller segments that are less overwhelming and easier to absorb. It’s a basic presentation strategy that enables your viewers to internalize both key messages and important details quickly. Deliver your message by video and you’ll have an easily digestible benefits education vehicle that your employees will love.

In our new whitepaper, Top 5 List: Why You Should Use Video To Communicate Complex Benefits, we introduce how video can be utilized to explain a complex employee benefit in smaller, very tangible segments. We discuss other benefits of video, like brain synching and compelling visual support. You will also learn how GuideSpark customers have used employee benefits videos to explain more involved benefits such as the switch to HRA/HSA plans and how Maternity Benefits work.

Published by bbenedict on May 31, 2012

Top 5 List: Why You Should Use Video to Communicate Complex Benefits

Have you ever watched a video to learn how to close a baby stroller, lose your love handles, shop for a blender or invest in the stock market?

Nearly everyone with a computer has turned to online video at some point as a key source for information, especially when it comes to complex subjects. Unlike long detailed documents, online video provides a quick and easy way for viewers to understand complex topics and ideas in a format that is easy to watch and absorb.

Smart companies are taking advantage of this trend by leveraging online video to effectively communicate with consumers, but what about with employees?

Published by bbenedict on May 22, 2012

Consistent Benefits Communication Saves Money

Delivering consistent messaging is not just good communication, it saves time and money. This is surely an obvious statement, but how well do you implement it in your organization?

Are your informational events well attended?
Is everyone who wants to attend able to do so?
Do your support call numbers rise after a series of seminars?
Are many of the questions about confirming facts or clearing up discrepancies between presenters?
Do you feel that live seminars are an efficient use of resources?

With employee benefits videos, you can ensure that the same clear message is delivered to all of your employees–regardless of what location they work out of, what shift they’re on or whether or not they (or their family decision maker) can attend your seminar.

Published by bbenedict on March 16, 2012

Wellness Programs Call for Better Communications

Wellness Programs Call for Better Benefits Communications

Wellness programs are all the rage this year. But what’s the point of a program that employees don’t understand and, therefore, don’t use? Midwest Business Group on Health has done some research evaluating employee engagement in health benefits and wellness programs.

What they found: Employees still do not understand their benefits. Part of the reason why employees are having trouble meeting their wellness goals is a lack of good communication and resources. MBGH found, “Most employees and dependents don’t fully understand what health care benefits are available to them nor do they fully comprehend the summary plan description (SPD) or what requirements they need follow to achieve incentives (i.e. premium differentials) that may be part of the benefit plan design. As a result, communications efforts frequently go unnoticed, are ignored or misunderstood by the employee.”

Published by Sophie Asmar on February 3, 2012

7 Steps for Deciding What to Include in Your Employee Benefits Video

Here’s another tidbit from our new video course: Transform Benefits Education with On-demand Video.

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that we’ve touched on which benefits videos to start with to get the most interest and involvement from your viewers. Will it be your Consumer Directed Health Plan or your 401(k)? You will also have learned what to include in an Open Enrollment video, which is a powerful place to start engaging employees.

Once you’ve decided on which topic to cover, here’s a plan for pulling together everything you COULD talk about and, from that, how to work out what to actually include in your video and what to provide through supporting documents.

Published by bbenedict on October 28, 2011

Top 5 List: Most Viewed Employee Benefits Videos

If you are incorporating benefits videos into your communications strategy, how do you decide which videos to invest in first?

GuideSpark has created a new video course to assist HR departments making the exciting leap into video communication. In this course, our director of Content Development and Video expert extraordinaire, Joseph Larocque, explains that topics which are more complex or require careful explanation are natural places to start. Good candidates are core benefits, Open Enrollment changes and tough messages such as a premium increase.

“Video can really help people understand how these plans work, how they compare, and why they are compelling,” says Larocque. “If you are introducing one of these in the upcoming year, starting your video communications here will drive adoption.”

Published by bbenedict on October 21, 2011

Top 5 List: What to Include in Your Open Enrollment Video to Reduce Support Calls

Benefits communication videos aren’t rocket science, but it can sure help to have some experience with what works and what doesn’t.

In his new video course–Transform Benefits Education with Video–Joseph Larocque, GuideSpark’s Director of Content Development and video expert extraordinaire, recommends including these five pieces of basic information:

Open Enrollment process and deadlines
Open Enrollment events
Changes to your plan
How to enroll in benefits
Where to get help

It may sound simple but HR departments are frequently tempted to include large amounts of detail in an Open Enrollment video. The key message here is NOT to give viewers everything they could possibly want to know. Just touch on the main points and tell the viewer where to go for more information.

Published by bbenedict on October 14, 2011

Poor Benefits Communication Damages Both Employee and Employer Health and Financial Wellness

As busy as it can be, open enrollment is a good time to reflect on the effectiveness of your company’s benefits communication. While everyone seems to agree that benefits communication on the whole needs improvement, many organizations are in denial about how critical that improvement is to their own organization.

Findings from the 2011 Aflac WorkForces Report highlighted the discrepancy between how companies and their workers view benefits communications:

85% of employers believe their HR departments are effective at benefits communication
27% of employees say their HR communications are not very/not at all effective
39% say the efforts are somewhat effective

And yet everyone agrees there is much needed improvement:

Published by bbenedict on October 10, 2011

The Answer: Improve benefits communications and invest in employee wellness

What’s the question? Have you read the recent headlines?

Surely there are more options for proactive organizations than just waiting for the US Congress to work together to uncover ways to reduce both the country’s budget deficit and soaring health care costs. At the recent 24th Annual Benefits Forum and Expo in Dallas, two industry experts highlighted some key ways to reverse these trends.

Published by bbenedict on October 7, 2011

GuideSpark offers innovative video white paper to enhance the benefits education experience for employees

New instructional video gives HR organizations a timely resource to develop customizable benefits communication videos for open enrollment

GuideSpark, delivering the latest web solutions for HR communications and training, introduces a video white paper to aid HR organizations in the development and launch of their own, customized benefits communication videos.

GuideSpark’s instructional video white paper provides HR organizations with a simple step-by-step process to create and launch customized employee benefits videos. By incorporating video into benefits education, HR organizations can engage employees and increase benefits adoption during open enrollment while saving time and resources. According to GuideSpark’s customer surveys, using rich video content typically garners an overall 98 percent satisfaction rate among employees who praise the “easy to follow,” “convenient” and cost-effective benefits communication videos.

Published by bbenedict on September 15, 2011

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