This time of year, it’s hard not to have at least one classic holiday song stuck in your head.
The one currently tormenting me is Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, and specifically that line where the jolly old fellow is making a list and checking it twice.
The thing is, from a benefits perspective, this is pretty heady stuff.
Think about it, Santa spends a good amount of time analyzing data from the prior year to determine if you’ve been naughty or nice. Then, based on these conclusions, he creates a plan, validates it and then implements it. This is how he is able to get little Johnny the art set he wants, and little Susie her new bike. What Santa brings is 100 percent personalized.
At a very high level, this is the same process we use for effective benefits communication.
The challenge lies in effectively balancing all three. Today’s HR and benefits pros are doing a lot more with fewer resources, so sometimes implementation is all that gets tackled, and it gets done in a big way during Annual Enrollment.
But, that’s not best practice and, while it gets results, likely they’re not the results you need. Imagine if Santa was only able to deliver gifts but didn’t have the bandwidth to do the pre-work? Everyone would get something, but it might not be what they really wanted or needed.
The planning and validating are what inform the delivery, whether it’s holiday gifts or benefits communication. If you want to avoid getting coal in your benefits communication stocking, here’s how to do it.
It’s truly the perfect time of year to begin drafting your communications wish list. Unlike Santa, you don’t have to brave cold weather, keep a stable of reindeer, or complete all your work in one night. You have a full 12 months to develop and deliver effective, personalized benefit communications to your employees, no sliding down chimneys required.
Looking for opportunities to communicate throughout the year? How about 12? That's one per month. Check out our e-book.