We’ve been talking a lot about the Great Resignation over the last several months. And with good reason: more than half of the American workforce is looking for a new job, including nearly two-thirds of workers in a managerial role.
So if you’re looking to replace the droves of workers you’ve lost recently, it’s time to set your sights on the next big hiring trend: the Great Onboarding. As these employees eagerly take on their new roles, HR and benefits teams need to ensure they have a positive experience from day one.
Why? Because with a strong onboarding program, new employees are more likely to not only stay with your company but also recruit their friends and former colleagues to join them.
A strong onboarding improves:
Mess this up, though, and new employees may be former employees before you know it.
Typical employee onboarding processes leave a lot to be desired
Benefits play an important role in employee onboarding, but most onboarding processes leave a lot of room for improvement. Consider the following:
- 38% of employees don’t receive benefits information before their first day
- 46% don’t receive one-on-one benefits guidance during onboarding
- 53% weren’t confident in their understanding of their benefits package once onboarding was over
Part of the problem is how companies communicate about benefits. Two-thirds still rely on printed benefits guide, which is difficult to navigate. More than two in five emphasize the live benefits presentation, which requires employees to retain a lot of information in a short period of time.
Not only are these formats outdated and ill-suited for virtual employee onboarding, but they’re also not what employees want. More than 40% say they’d most prefer to learn about their benefits through a one-on-one conversation with a benefits consultant or HR rep, but most don’t get that personalized guidance during onboarding.
Where ALEX comes in
ALEX Benefits Counselor sets you apart as a leading employer by offering personalized, tech-enabled benefits guidance during onboarding—and throughout the year. Here’s how:
Education before day one
Hiring teams can provide new hires with access to ALEX Benefits Counselor before their start date. This gives them the chance to review important benefits information prior to their first day on the job – and to involve their partner and any other key decision-makers in the family. That way, the conversation during onboarding can focus on specific questions instead of skimming over benefits in general.
One-on-one assistance
For HR teams that don’t have time for in-depth benefits conversations with every employee during onboarding (cough, cough…that’s all of us), ALEX can help. By asking new hires a series of questions and leveraging the behavioral science principles, ALEX gets to know employees and recommends the health and financial benefits that best match their needs.
Showing the math
Choosing the right insurance can be complex, especially if a company offers different health plan types. It can also be costly – to the employee and the employer. Instead of providing the traditional hard-to-read comparison grid, ALEX shows employees what they can expect to spend on each type of plan based on their medical needs and their budget.
Ongoing engagement
With ALEX ID, employees can create a secure account that saves all of their benefits information for the future. The next time they log in, they can pick up where they left off—and ALEX will use their saved information to learn more about them and offer ongoing personalized recommendations. (Bonus: that means increased engagement all year round!)
Mobile access
ALEX Connect is a mobile app that’s designed to give employees access to their benefits on their smartphone. Detailed health plan information, wellness trackers, and financial management are now available from the device that employees use most. (Spoiler alert: it’s not the employee portal that’s a bookmark in their bowser for later, or a URL they never remember.
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Peace of mind
ALEX Connect is designed to integrate with your telemedicine applications and with GoodRx. This lets employees search with the peace of mind that virtual care providers and prescriptions are covered by their insurance and won’t result in any surprise bills. It also gives them fewer log-ins to remember – all while reinforcing the notion that ALEX is their go-to resource for all things benefits.
The Great Resignation has caused companies to reevaluate their relationship with employees and get rid of outdated, non-inclusive, or divisive business practices. Along the same lines, companies should use the Great Onboarding to look at the experience employees have in their first days on the job, especially when it comes to learning about their benefits. Learn more about ALEX Benefits Counselor as a tool for providing a modern onboarding experience that leads to better benefits decision-making and ongoing engagement with benefits.
