Even though most Americans receive employee benefits through their workplace, a fairly substantial number of workers aren't cognizant of what all of them are, particularly among individuals who aren't far removed from graduating a college or university.
The poll, performed by employee engagement and communications company GuideSpark, found that as many as 43 percent of millennials and 30 percent of non-millennials – Generation X and baby boomers – did not read most of their paperwork that detailed what benefits they had. Additionally, approximately 1 in 10 millennial men and women hadn't read anything at all that pertained to the details of their employer-sponsored coverage.
Perhaps as a result of this, business owners are going to various lengths in which to inform their workers about their benefits besides simply reading them. For example, the GuideSpark survey found that nearly 40 percent used in-person presentations and 16 percent utilized video. At 87 percent, though, the majority of companies confined their means of communication to print materials.
Texting and social media are fairly new ways in which employers communicate benefits. As of yet, though, it hasn't gained much of a following, as 3 percent of companies used text messaging and 5 percent through websites like Facebook and Twitter, the report revealed.
Approximately 550 full-time employees participated in the GuideSpark poll, all of whom worked for a company with at least 500 people on staff.
Improving benefits communication can enhance employee engagement, an issue many business struggle with. In a separate analysis performed by corporate human resources solutions company Desktop Alert, nearly three-quarters of workers said they didn't feel engaged or at one with their employer.
