Communicating Your Benefits Plan – Strategies to Drive Awareness, Understanding and awareness

Executive Summary

Most Canadian employees don’t know what’s in their benefits plan—let alone what it costs the employer.

As a result:

• High-value coverage goes unused

• Misunderstandings fuel frustration

• Employers miss opportunities to strengthen retention

Strong benefits communication transforms perception:

From “just another deduction on my pay stub” → to “one of the most valuable parts of my compensation.”

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• The three phases of benefits communication

• Choosing the right message for the right audience

• Multi-channel communication strategies

• Annual vs ongoing communication

• Decision-support tools for enrolment

• How to measure success

1. Why Benefits Communication Fails

Common causes:

• One-time, text-heavy documents employees never read

• No clear value proposition

• “Insurance speak” instead of plain language

• No connection to employees’ real lives

• Lack of visibility between enrolment periods

2. The Three Phases of Benefits Communication

1. Pre-Enrolment (Awareness)

   • Build curiosity and interest

   • Share high-level value stories

2. Enrolment (Decision Support)

   • Provide clear comparisons of options

   • Offer online tools and Q&A sessions

3. Post-Enrolment (Reinforcement)

   • Promote underused benefits

   • Share impact stories and cost transparency

3. Audience Segmentation: Tailoring Your Message

• New hires: Focus on basics and immediate value

• Young singles: Emphasize preventive care and lifestyle perks

• Families: Highlight drug, dental, and vision coverage

• Older employees: Focus on chronic condition support, LTD, retirement health

• Executives: Cost control, governance, and premium ROI

4. Multi-Channel Communication Tactics

5. Annual Enrolment: High-Impact Campaigns

• Launch 4–6 weeks before deadline

• Use benefits fairs (in-person or virtual)

• Provide plan comparison charts

• Share “what’s new” in plain language

• Offer live chat or hotline for quick answers

6. Ongoing Education: Keeping Benefits Top-of-Mind

Examples:

• Monthly “Did You Know?” email spotlighting a benefit

• Seasonal reminders (e.g., flu shot coverage in fall)

• Claim example stories (“How Jane saved $1,200 with her HSA”)

• Wellness program integration

7. Storytelling and Real-Life Examples

Instead of saying:

“Our LTD plan covers 66.7% of your income.”

Say:

“If you became ill and couldn’t work for six months, your LTD coverage would replace $4,000/month—tax-free—until you return.”

Stories create emotional relevance.

8. Using Total Rewards Statements

Show benefits as part of total compensation:

• Base salary

• Bonus/incentives

• Employer-paid benefits premiums

• Retirement contributions

• Perks and allowances

Visualizing the full value often surprises employees.

9. Leveraging Technology for Communication

• Benefits portals with single sign-on

• Interactive plan selection tools

• Mobile-friendly claims tutorials

• AI-powered chatbots for FAQs

10. Measuring and Improving Communication Effectiveness

Track:

• Enrolment completion rates

• Option selection patterns

• HSA/WSA usage

• Employee survey feedback

• Benefits portal traffic

Adjust strategies annually based on data.

11. Avoiding Common Pitfalls

• Overloading employees with too much detail at once

• Relying solely on email

• Using jargon without explanation

• Ignoring cultural/language diversity in workforce

Final Thoughts

Your benefits plan may be generous—but if employees don’t understand or appreciate it, you’re not getting full value for your spend.

The best Canadian employers:

• Treat benefits like a core part of the employee value proposition

• Communicate year-round, not just at enrolment

• Tell stories, not just policy details

• Use data to refine their approach

When employees understand their benefits, they use them wisely—and that drives both satisfaction and cost efficiency.