Picture this: you’re at your desk, staring at next year’s healthcare premium numbers. The air feels a bit heavier. Because it’s more than just a spreadsheet—it’s like staring down a year’s worth of big decisions that affect real people.
Here’s why: We’re experiencing the steepest rise in healthcare costs in a decade.
According to the latest KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, employer-sponsored family health coverage now averages $25,572 a year—that’s a 7% jump. And let’s be honest, that’s a hefty bump for both you and your employees.
But the real kicker? It’s not just the numbers keeping you up at night, it’s the human side of it all. How do you break the news about rising premiums without dampening employee morale? And explaining new benefits like GLP-1 coverage without sending everyone into a spiral of confusion? Piece of cake, right?
If your benefits communication strategy doesn’t hit home, you’re looking at more than just puzzled faces—try higher turnover, benefits confusion, and an HR team wading through a sea of questions.
The bright side? There’s a way through. Let’s jump into strategies to help keep trust high while navigating these benefits shifts. Buckle up; it’s going to be a ride, but we’ll make it a smooth one.
Best practices for communicating benefits changes
Start with the right foundation
Start things off with a live meeting—whether it’s virtual or in-person. This gives employees a chance to ask questions in real-time. Afterward, send out a clear, easy-to-reference summary that employees can reference later.
Make it personal
Before rolling out company-wide announcements, test your messaging with a small group of employees from different departments and levels. Their feedback can be a lifesaver, helping you spot any “wait, what?” moments before they reach the masses. And remember: not everyone is in the same boat! Someone enrolled in a traditional PPO will have different questions than someone in an HDHP, so try to tailor your messaging where you can.
Leverage technology effectively
In today’s workplace, you need more than just one email or Slack message to effectively communicate benefits changes to employees. This is where ALEX comes in:
- Personalize benefits guidance based on each individual’s situation
- Translate complex benefits talk into language that employees actually understand
- Provide 24/7 access for employees and their spouses or partners
- Lighten the load on HR teams
- Track employee engagement and benefits understanding so you know if the message is getting through
How to deliver bad news to employees: what to do when benefits change.
Success stories: how ALEX helps with communicating benefits changes
NCH: Key benefits announcements in bite-sized servings
As NCH Corporation prepared to roll out benefits changes for the new year, they faced a critical communication challenge. With half their workforce consisting of hard-to-reach outside sales associates and many benefits decisions being made by spouses and partners at home, their current benefits communications strategy wasn’t enough. On-site sessions, print materials, and email updates—tools that HR teams had relied on for years—simply couldn’t deliver these important updates to their audience.
To tackle these communication challenges, NCH turned to ALEX, leveraging the Benefits Sneak Peek videos as their secret weapon. These bite-sized videos proved perfect for their on-the-go workforce and their partners at home, delivering critical benefits updates in an easily digestible format. More than just announcing changes, the videos served a dual purpose: they kept everyone informed while establishing ALEX as the trusted benefits guide that employees and their partners could turn to whenever they needed help.
The results?
Montgomery College: Round-the-clock benefits support
Major changes to employee benefits were on the horizon at Montgomery College. The college’s HR team was preparing to sunset their PPO plan for future hires, revamp their point-of-service plan, and launch their first-ever HDHP with an HSA.
But explaining these complex changes to their faculty presented a unique challenge. With professors and staff juggling varying class schedules, the traditional approach of hosting in-person benefits sessions became a never-ending game of calendar Tetris. They needed a fresh way to help their educators understand and embrace these new options.
Then Montgomery College found ALEX, which became the round-the-clock benefits guide for employees. Instead of struggling to coordinate schedules, employees could now explore their options whenever it suited them—between classes, during lunch, or even late at night. ALEX broke down complex topics like HSA tax advantages into plain English and provided personalized cost estimates based on each employee’s expected medical needs. This meant faculty members could understand their options and make smart decisions about their benefits, all on their own time.
The results?
Turn benefits changes into trust-building opportunities
With everything going on right now clear benefits communication isn’t just a nice to have—it’s essential. ALEX can help you transform how you communicate benefits changes, all while maintaining employee trust and reducing the burden on your HR team.
