Goodcommunication is crucial for a healthy workplace environment, andyou can create it from within your benefits plan. (Image: ChrisNicholls)

Open, honest communication is a key sign of a healthy workplace,and this particularly applies to your benefits plan. Benefits areoften a confusing and even unpleasant topic foremployees who are tired of paying too much for low-quality care,but you and your advisor can change the narrative around benefitsby encouraging transparency and thoroughness when discussing themwith your employees.

As you work to change your benefits plan for the better, youshould also be communicating these changes to your employees in asetting that encourages questions and honest opinions. The more youcommunicate with your employees about their benefits, the morelikely they'll be to do everything in their power to use the toolsand strategies built into the plan.

An atmosphere of communication

In discussions about benefits or anything else within theworkplace, your employees should feel comfortable communicatingwith you. Verbal praise and tangible rewards (which you can offerthrough your benefits plan through bonuses or paid deductibles) arecrucial to sending a positive message to your workers and remindingthem of their value within your business.

This concept of easy discussion particularly applies toconversations about benefits. When it comes to their plan, youremployees should always feel like they are:

• Up to date – Any changes or updates to your plan should becommunicated to your employees as soon as possible.
• Well-educated – A continuous, comprehensive employee educationplan is crucial for your workers to understand how their benefitsplan works and how they can make the most of it.
• Able to ask questions – Your workers should feel comfortableasking about any aspect of their plan, and there should always besomeone who can give them the answers they need.

Good communication is crucial for a healthy workplaceenvironment, and you can create it from within your benefitsplan.

Back to reality

Your employees aren't operating under the delusion that thehealth care industry is inexpensive and easy to navigate. They'velikely experienced the worst of the benefits industry forthemselves, and when you and your advisor introduce how you'regoing to make the experience better for them, they may beskeptical.

You and your advisor need to communicate to your employees that,while change is possible, it will require your workers' efforts inorder to take effect. Be honest with your employees, and explain tothem why your plan is implementing these new tools and strategies.All of your workers should understand how their actions help themreceive better quality care at a lower cost while also saving thecompany money. Being transparent with the tough realities of thebenefits challenges you face won't make your uphill climb to bettercare seem insurmountable to your employees – it will simply leavethem better prepared to make the most out of their plan for thesake of everyone involved.

Create a conversation

Education creates conversation, and this is especially true whenreferring to your benefits plan. Your workers should be a part ofthe benefits conversation from day one, but they'll be moreempowered to do so one they better understand how their plan worksand what they need to do to get the best results from it.

Over time, your employees may understand their plan so well thatthey begin to look for solutions on their own. They'll always haveyou and your advisor to turn to when they have questions, but themore they can do their own research based on what they know abouttheir benefits plan, the easier it will be for them to make choicesabout their own care. This empowerment, however, comes from aworkplace culture that educates employees year-round about theirplan. While a great employer will ensure that everyone in thecompany feels comfortable talking about their plan, educatedworkers are far more likely to ask constructive questions and makethe benefits conversation one that they feel they can be a partof.

Transparent benefits

Open communication is necessary for your benefits plan to haveits maximum intended impact on your employees and your business asa whole. By creating an overall atmosphere that encouragescommunication, being honest about the solutions and challengesinvolved with your benefits plan, and educating your employeesabout their plan, you can build your workers' trust while helpingthem get the best value from their plan.

Jim Blachek flipped his traditional brokeragemodel in 2017 to focus solely on consulting and building valuebased health plans. In 2019 he co-founded a consulting onlyfirm DynamicBenefit Solutions and founded Local Script a transparentpharmacy and marketing organization focused on reducing employerand employee costs while supporting the local community.

Read more: 

• How to meet changing employee benefitsinterests
• How a consumer-first approach will changebenefits
• 10 tips to improve employee benefits communicationand enrollment