Your benefits plan may not need more benefits. It may need better communication

When employees say they do not see enough value in their benefits plan, the instinct is often to add something. Another health service. A new wellness program. More paramedical coverage. A new digital tool. And sometimes that is the right answer but sometimes the plan already contains more value than employees realize. The problem is not necessarily the benefits, it is the communication.

A strong benefits plan can underperform when employees do not understand what is available, how to access it, or when a particular resource might help them. For plan sponsors, that makes communication a key part of plan effectiveness.

Benefits communication cannot stop at onboarding

Most employers communicate about benefits at predictable moments. A new employee joins. Renewal arrives. A plan change is announced. Those are important touchpoints but they are not enough.

An employee who heard about virtual mental health support during onboarding three years ago may not remember it when they need it today. Someone who skimmed an employee assistance program description when they joined may have no idea that it includes a resource relevant to a challenge they are now facing.

Benefits need repetition. Create a year-round communication rhythm that connects benefits to moments when they are likely to feel relevant. One month might focus on mental health resources. Another might explain how to access virtual care. Another could help employees understand drug coverage or disability support. The objective is to keep the plan visible without making it noise.

Email is a channel, not a communication strategy

Email is convenient, but it is also easy to ignore. For an office-based workforce, it may still be an important channel. But even then, benefits communication is competing with dozens or hundreds of other messages.

For employees who work in manufacturing, transportation, field environments, or other non-desk roles, email may be even less effective. Some employees may rarely use a work email address. That means plan sponsors need to think about where employees actually get their information. Digital screens in break rooms may work. Posters may still work. Printed materials may work. Short virtual sessions or recordings employees can watch later may work.

Often, the answer will be a combination.

Think beyond the employee

Benefits are often used by an entire household, not just the employee. In some families, the employee may not be the person who handles healthcare appointments, submits claims, or keeps track of coverage.

That creates another communication question: are you only communicating with the employee when the information also matters to their spouse or family? There may be opportunities to create information employees can easily take home, forward, or share.

A simple benefits guide written for the household can sometimes be more useful than another technical plan document. The goal is to recognize how benefits are actually used and communicate accordingly.

Start with the decision you want employees to make

A common communication mistake is trying to explain everything at once. Benefits plans are complex but that does not mean every communication has to be. Instead, start with the action.

Do you want employees to know where to go when they need mental health support?

Do you want them to understand when virtual care is available?

Do you want employees to know that a particular drug requires prior authorization?

Do you want them to use an employee assistance program before a situation becomes a crisis?

Build the communication around that decision.

A useful message should help the employee answer three questions quickly:

What is this?

Why might it matter to me?

What do I do next?

The easier those answers are to find, the more useful the communication becomes.

Better utilization does not always mean more utilization

The goal of benefits communication is to help employees use their plan intelligently. That can mean directing someone to the most appropriate resource. It can help employees understand their options before choosing care. It can reduce confusion about coverage. And it can help people find support earlier rather than waiting until an issue becomes more serious.

Good communication helps employees make informed decisions, which is different from simply promoting benefits usage.

Communication can reveal whether there is actually a plan problem

Low utilization can be misleading. A plan sponsor might look at a poorly used service and conclude that employees do not value it. But there are other possibilities. Employees may not know the service exists. They may not understand what it provides. Access may be difficult. Or the way the benefit has been communicated may not connect with the people it was designed to support.

Before removing an underused benefit, ask whether employees had a fair opportunity to understand and use it. This is where communication can become a diagnostic tool. If awareness improves and utilization remains low, that tells you something useful about the benefit itself.

Make communication part of the benefits strategy

Plan sponsors spend significant time negotiating renewals, reviewing claims, adjusting plan design, and assessing new solutions. Communication deserves the same strategic attention.

That means deciding which messages matter most. It means understanding different employee populations. It means choosing channels deliberately. And it means repeating important information throughout the year.

It also means measuring what happens next.

Are employees opening the information?

Are questions becoming easier to answer?

Are people finding resources earlier?

Are employees reporting that they better understand their benefits?

Those signals can help employers improve their communication strategy over time.

Before adding another benefit, ask whether employees understand the ones you already have. If you're looking to get more value from the benefits program you already have, let us help. We can support you in assessing employee communication, identifying gaps, and building a strategy that makes benefits easier to understand and navigate. Reach out to start the conversation.

Further reading: What makes a benefits plan truly strategic?