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R&R Insurance Blog

Michelle Froehlke

Recent Posts

Benefits Communication with Social Media

Posted by Michelle Froehlke

Social Media Icons.pngWhether it is promoting open enrollment, explaining plan changes or educating on how to use benefits, communicating benefits information to employees is a perennial challenge for employers. A fast-growing trend among leading companies is to include social media in their benefits communication strategy to extend their reach. Millennials will make us 1:3 employees by 2020 and 75% of workforce by 2025—social media is part of their daily routine/ how they function and needs to be a key marketing tool for businesses. Furthermore, statistically it’s estimated that 61% of workers use their smartphones at work and are using them for social media purposes.

Benefits information can be overwhelming and complex, making some employees more likely to skim over or ignore it. Using social media, such as posting videos to Facebook or tweeting reminders, makes benefits information more relatable and personable—and employees are more likely to pay attention and understand.
Benefits communication must encompass many topics. Employers need to promote open enrollment, educate employees about plan changes, explain how to use the plan, promote consumerism and more. Social media helps break down this overload of information into easy-to-digest posts and reminders—in a place employees’ are already spending time. Posting updates year-round can provide valuable reminders to employees about using their benefits wisely. Therefore, not using social media is more than likely a missed opportunity. Granted, it’s not for every employer or employee, but the amount of people it can reach is growing. Millennials are digital and fast-paced and a major contributor in today’s growing workforce.

Getting Started
To get started, think about how you want to use social media for this purpose. Facebook and Twitter are good places to start, as they are likely the most popular among your employee population.
Whichever platforms you choose, create separate accounts from your external company accounts. Consider using employee-facing accounts not only for benefits communication, but also for wellness and other internal communications. Remember that social media is the perfect outlet for the K-I-S-S philosophy of communication and education—“Keep It Short and Sweet.”

Social media provides potential solutions to some of employers’ toughest benefits communication challenges. Twitter and Instagram require you to be succinct. In promoting a benefit, a meeting, or a wellness challenge, they need to be creative, short and sweet—funny or odd can help too.

Again, effective communication needs to be more often and happen on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) the ones we have listed in this blog are a great outlet for that. It is better than once a year employee meetings on benefits—it’s an easy avenue to continually remind employees what’s out there.

It’s important to note that an employee that plans to use social media has responsibility:
It needs to be monitored and updated consistently and often if they want engagement and buy in—not a one and done like an EE mtg. Some people think there should be updates daily to keep it visible.

How can this happen:

  • Ask employees to like company page on FB, follow on Twitter and Instagram RIGHT DURING A STAFF MEETING. Take time to allow them to log in and do it.
  • Get employees involved to promote the social media outlet—this might even include a competition/incentive to get started.
Don’t forget to interact! Encourage employees to ask questions, and ask them to share their own experiences or tips for better plan use. And as with any social media initiative, be sure to reply if an employee contacts you or asks a question—engagement is a vital component of social sites.

Source: Zywave

Topics: Employee Benefits

Steps to Increase Employee Engagement in Wellness Programs

Posted by Michelle Froehlke

iStock-516176306.jpgAccording to a report from the Healthcare Performance Management Institute, on average, $2.59/hour or 8% of a worker’s total compensation is connected to employee benefits and wellness programs. Because employers dedicate a significant amount of money to these programs, it only seems natural to devote time to ensure the benefits are utilized effectively in order to get the best value for their investment.

While a true ROI or dollar figure isn’t clear cut, research has reinforced the ideas that with improved health decreases employee absenteeism, improves culture and attitude, and increases productivity. 

If employers want a sustained health management program, they should keep in mind and acknowledge the following items:

  1. Employees want choices. They need to feel that the employer is interested in their health and wellness for the right reasons - not just trying to steer them toward the lowest cost option. Trust is essential.
  2. Employees want to be included. Consider engaging an insurance and/or wellness committee. Peer buy-in is crucial.
  3. Like all healthy/effective relationships, clear communication is a must. Without effective communication no program will succeed long-term.
    • Customize the materials.
    • Target the programs.
    • Understand the employees readiness to change. If they don’t want to change a lifestyle habit, it may not be cost effective to pursue that topic with the employee. Focus efforts where you can make an impact.
    • Address the barriers and concerns employees may have. Don’t ignore or sweep them under the rug. Be straightforward and honest.
    • Make the financial incentive or disincentive easy to understand - no hidden agendas. 
  4. Predictive analytics and profiling should be used to guide decisions on programming.
  5. Involve spouses in the education and wellness programming to increase success.

Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are the typical chronic conditions for employees. Similarly, the desire for improved nutrition, increased physical activity, and decreased stress are the big “wants” from employees. The tough part is following the strategic steps to engage the employees and get their buy-in and support. Only then will employers truly make an impact on the cost. It may be a culture shift for some employers. 

Here at R&R Insurance, we can assist you in finding the right Knowledge Broker to help navigate this process. Click here to contact us. 

Topics: Wellness