Debbie Lovewell: Publicising benefits is key

Despite investing significant amounts of money developing a benefits package to suit their workforce’s needs, often including a wide range of perks, some organisations then fail to communicate these to their employees properly.

When you think of the work that goes into developing a benefits strategy, communication may seem like a relatively small part of it, but the ramifications of staff being unaware of what is available to them can be far-reaching, ultimately impacting on wider organisational objectives.

For example, the 2013 NHS Employee survey, published by The Voucher Shop at the beginning of September, found that just 3% of more than 2,000 NHS staff surveyed felt benefits communication to be excellent, while just under half (44%) said it needed to be improved.

More specifically, just 17% did not know whether length of service was recognised in their NHS trust. Yet such initiatives can go a long way towards boosting staff engagement and motivation, both of which can be crucial to ensuring the high levels of customer service desired by such organisations.

Internal communication of benefits is not the only factor for employers to consider. Showcasing their package externally can also have many advantages, for example in aiding the recruitment of key talent.

At the risk of sounding like a shameless self-publicist (not that that will stop me), it’s that time of year again when we give employers the chance to publicly shout about, and gain recognition for, the benefits they offer. The Employee Benefits Awards 2014 are now open for entries until 13 December 2013.

So get that light from under that bushel and allow your benefits strategies to shine at the Awards.

Debbie Lovewell
Deputy Editor
Employee Benefits

Twitter: @DebbieLovewell