Thought Leadership in Action

The employee benefits your company provides aren’t worth much if your employees can’t figure out how to use them or find the process you’ve established too onerous to bother with.

Employees who don’t understand their benefits will express less satisfaction with them, and policies that make employees jump through a bunch of hoops to use those benefits will often discourage them from trying. Problematic policies may include requiring a doctor’s note to take a sick day, not communicating clearly about benefit enrollment deadlines, or requiring real-time monitoring or reporting requirements for employees to take advantage of flexible work arrangements.

Here’s what you need to do to make it easier for employees to access their benefits.

Shift Your Mindset

Keep in mind that the benefits you offer are meant to attract and retain the top talent you need to build your business. Federal law doesn’t mandate paid time off for vacations, for example, but time off can help employees recharge and be more productive. Health savings accounts aren’t required, but they can make it easier for employees to save up for health expenses. If your company offers these benefits, it’s usually to your advantage to make it easy for employees to use them.

"It takes time to help employees understand how to use their benefits, but it’s worth it," says Kelsie Davis of BambooHR. “Teaching employees to leverage their benefits is a great retention tool because it teaches them what great value the company is providing them. It also helps decrease stress for employees as they are able to devote more attention to work and less attention to trying to figure out benefit details.”

Leverage Technology to Help

Advances in technology can make it easier for HR leaders to administer benefits to employees. "For example, some payroll companies offer Web-based software that automate the process of requesting time off, viewing available balances, approving leave pay balances and then paying out the leave pay on employees' checks," says Josh Lindenmuth, CIO of Payce Inc., a payroll service company. “We've found that this is a huge time saver for our clients, and reduces the stress of traditional leave pay request processes that utilize multiple sources.”

"Software platforms can help employees take advantages of other benefits, too," says Carina Chivulescu, director of human capital at The Expert Institute. For example, your health benefits administrator may have a platform that allows employees to check on their benefits and make things easier to administrate on the HR end.

"Technology can make it easier to sign up for and receive benefits as well," says Cynthia Walter, president at Bagnall Co. “Employers shouldn’t make employees enroll for benefits on paper forms any more. Implement an online enrollment system that shows benefits and cost per pay period.”

Educate Your Employees

Consistent, clear communication is a key part of getting employees to use their benefits. “Throw away the old 20-page benefit guide; employees won't read it,” Walter says. “Instead, offer an employee benefit website that houses benefit summaries, certificates of coverage, summary plan descriptions, links to search for contracted providers, and other helpful resources.”

"Use multiple channels to communicate about benefits," Walter says. Slide shows or webinar-style presentations on computers or devices, benefits fairs with giveaways, promotional fliers, and so on can get the word out about the benefits your company offers. “Keep it short and to the point,” Walter says. Employees want to know costs, actions they need to take, and deadlines, whether it’s for making changes to their benefits options or signing up for a health savings account.