Five years of research shows that employees value effective
benefits education and the employers who provide it
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Based on five years of research, a new tactical guide from Unum (NYSE:
UNM) – “Beyond
the Usual Benefits” – can help employers and brokers start planning
their approach to benefits communications in 2014.
As health care reform continues to influence the benefits decisions of
thousands of companies and millions of Americans, this easy-to-use guide
offers valuable insight into what employees want and respond to, and the
steps brokers and employers can take to communicate benefits options
clearly and effectively.
Key findings from the annual survey of working adults are included in
the booklet and will direct efforts on how to:
-
Implement an employee education program that will influence workforce
satisfaction.
-
Craft an effective “3 + 3” communications strategy that gives
employees sufficient time and information to make good decisions at
enrollment time.
-
Increase opportunities to help your company stand out.
“Five years of research shows a strong link between benefits education
and employee engagement,” said Barbara Nash, Unum’s vice president of
corporate research. “Employees clearly value a quality benefits
education and the employers who provide it.”
Results show providing employees with a minimum of three formats for
benefits communications and at least three weeks to review them before
enrollment is key to a successful benefits education.
The data also shows that employees who believe their benefits were
effectively communicated are more likely to feel valued at work, more
likely to recommend their employer to others and more likely to feel in
step with the company’s values.
“Developing a strong benefits education program is good for the employer
as well as the employee,” Nash said. “Third-party research shows that
companies with happy and engaged employees perform significantly better
than those without.”1
To learn more about these trends and other finding from a half decade of
research, click here
for a copy of Unum’s employee education research booklet “Beyond the
Usual Benefits.”
About Unum
Unum
is a leading provider of financial protection benefits through the
workplace. The disability insurance leader in the U.S. for 37 years,
Unum’s portfolio of financial protection products also includes life,
accident and critical illness, which help protect millions of working
people and their families in the event of an illness or injury. In 2013,
Unum paid $5.5 billion in benefits to nearly 492,000 individuals and
their families.
For more information visit us at www.unum.com
or connect with us on Facebook,
Twitter
and LinkedIn.
1 Gallup, State of the American Workplace: Employee
Engagement Insights for U.S. Business Leaders (2013).
Unum
Brian Baker, 423-294-7839
bbaker4@unum.com
Source: Unum