Employee Benefits Live 2015: Sky and Clifford Chance recognise the importance of using targeted benefits communication to reach all employees.
Law firm Clifford Chance faced the challenge of informing its well-educated, highly-paid employees about their total benefits package. The employer found that it was important to understand how employees prefer to receive information and what they will pay attention to.
Anna Cotgreave, reward and benefits manager at Clifford Chance, explained that the legal staff were comfortable with facts and figures, but too many gimmicks would cause employees to lose interest.
Clifford Chance sent emails to staff to announce the launch of its online benefits portal, CCMe, along with reminder emails when the enrolment window was closing.
It also ran a poster campaign and published news stories about the portal on the intranet. The benefits team also asked managers to promote the portal during the annual salary review to make employees aware of their total reward package and how they can use the portal.
As a result of its communications, Clifford Chance saw 48% of eligible employees log in to the portal, and 21% made a selection during the enrolment window.
Sky also recognises the importance of ‘knowing your audience’ when communicating benefits.
Addressing delegates at Employee Benefits Live, John Whitaker, benefits consultant at Sky, explained that it is vital to tailor benefits communication in order to drive take up and get value for the money invested.
Sky uses readily-available analytics to determine how effective its communications are; for example, the benefits team can see if emails have been opened and if employees then access the online benefits portal as a result.
Whitaker believes that communication needs to be engaging and relevant. He explained that there is no need to send emails about childcare vouchers to staff that have no need of the benefit.
The broadcasting organisation uses imagery from the film Monsters University to promote its benefits scheme, My Sky Rewards, to staff. Its communication campaign included branded coffee cup sleeves, details on electronic screens around the building, posters in lifts, and even posters on mirrors in the toilets.
Sky has a dispersed workforce, ranging from engineers to call centre operatives to retail staff working on stands in shopping centres. Because not all employees have access to a computer, it also sends branded letters and benefits brochures to home addresses.
As a result of its communication efforts, Sky saw 85% of employees log in during 2015, and 48% made benefit choices.
