Benefits Strategy

Recap of Employer-only Sharing Call: Creating Compelling Health and Well-being Communications

More than 70 employer members met on June 4, 2024, to share best practices for curating engaging health and well-being communications.

June 04, 2024

In today's dynamic workplace, the importance of effective employee communications cannot be overstated. From grabbing attention to educating employees on available benefits, crafting communications that resonate with employees is paramount. This employer-only call gave participants the opportunity to discuss how they tailor key messages, infuse creativity and design into communications and measure success. The call also highlighted employer initiatives to engage hard-to-reach employee populations and incorporate employee feedback for future campaigns and ensure cultural relevancy.

Top Communication Channels and Measuring Success

Employers highlighted a plethora of communication channels used to inform employees (see Figure 1). Several employers leverage communications calendars to coordinate and streamline communications to employees. Many employers indicated that they prefer messages to come directly from them, noting that direct communications from vendors are often less successful and contribute to email fatigue. Some employers have dedicated communications team members for different populations; for example, one employer noted that the company has a dedicated internal communications consultant for the hourly workforce.

To measure the success of communication campaigns, employers are tracking metrics like click-through rates and the number of clicks needed to reach a resource, along with collecting feedback from associate surveys, employee sentiment data, testimonials and well-being champion insights.

Figure 1: Most Used Communication Channels

Successful Communication Campaigns

Employers shared their most impactful communication campaigns and initiatives. Some of the standouts focused on multipronged outreach strategies, promotion of mental health resources and globally consistent branding. Listed below are examples of successful campaigns.

Newsletters: Many employers shared that they use newsletters to communicate with employees. They indicated that consistent branding, leadership engagement, a focus on multiple touchpoints and targeted messaging are crucial for creating successful and captivating newsletters. One employer noted that a problem with newsletters is that when topics are alphabetized, “W” for well-being topics often lands on the last page, which may hinder engagement with this content.
Mental health campaigns: Some employers shared that their most successful initiatives revolved around global mental health programs. The content was embedded throughout company activities and communicated through various channels, including highlights from the CEO during a global town hall. Many employers have also achieved notable success with employee testimonial campaigns to promote mental health resources, which significantly increased awareness and utilization of available services. For example, one employer’s campaign included spotlights of 10-15 factory employees via 2-minute unscripted videos highlighting employee experiences with mental health. The employer leaned on an on-site health coach to help identify the right employees to approach for the testimonial campaign.
Digital signage/virtual communications: Many employers leverage virtual communications to expand their reach. For example, one employer introduced a mobile app that provides real-time updates, enabling employees to conveniently access resources and company news. They ensured consistent branding across all platforms, which reinforced the company’s message and enhanced recognition. A few employers staggered their touchpoints, supplementing emails and internal newsletters with internal social posts and digital signage. Pop-up notifications have also proven effective, with one employer utilizing their laptop technology to push screen pop-ups to alert all employees globally about relevant events. This method achieved high engagement because the notifications must be acknowledged before employees can dismiss them from their screens.

Global and Locally Relevant Communications

Several employers underscored the importance of ensuring that global health and well-being communications remain locally relevant. Employers are deploying various approaches to achieve this goal, including investing in translation services, hosting webinars with live translation, collaborating with local well-being champions and employee resource groups (ERGs) and organizing global town halls. Leveraging small focus group feedback is another approach being used to determine associate communication preferences in Canada. However, a common challenge employers noted in these efforts is a lack of bandwidth to deploy consistent and relevant communications across different geographies.

In Conclusion

The insights shared during this employer-only call highlighted important considerations for curating engaging health and well-being communications. By utilizing diverse channels, measuring success through key metrics and ensuring global and local relevance, employers can create impactful communication strategies that resonate with employees. This call provided a valuable opportunity for participants to exchange best practices and innovative ideas, contributing to the ongoing effort to enhance employee engagement and well-being.

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