There are certain employee communication plans you hope your organization never has to use. They stay tucked away in the shared drive for an unthinkable and unlikely day. But with the rapidly-evolving coronavirus pandemic blindsiding employers around the globe, the unfathomable is becoming the norm. Some are left to dig out their crisis communication plans while others are starting a draft from scratch.  

A Clean-Slate Organizational Opportunity 

In January, after the frenzy of year-end push subsides and the holidays have come and gone, organizations around the globe are presented with a unique opportunity: the clean slate that comes with a brand new year. It can be used to kick-start an array of new initiatives – from health and wellness incentives to policy and system changes, strategic planning and goal setting for the next few quarters. It’s an intuitive time to introduce mission-critical endeavors and an essential time to engage your employees for success in the year ahead. 

Productivity, Performance, Profitability & Retention: The Perks of Employee Engagement

According to a 2018 Gallup survey, organizations with higher levels of employee engagement and lower levels of active disengagement consistently outperform their competitors. From a profitability standpoint, employers who excel in engaging their employees realize four times the earnings-per-share growth of those who don’t. Companies in the top quartile of engagement achieve substantially better customer engagement and employee retention, increased productivity, fewer accidents and 21% higher profitability. Engaged workers also report better health outcomes. In 2019, a G2 Crowd survey reported companies planned to increase employee engagement spending by 45%, a sign that discerning employers recognize the undeniable importance of keeping an engaged workforce. 

The way your organization engages with your employees during these first few weeks of the year can set the tone for your most vital 2020 initiatives. Creating communications that motivate employees to get involved and mitigate their concerns can help your organization stay in that top quartile, enjoying the real perks of employee engagement. 

Welcome to the season of doing. In an organizational sense, this can mean anything from employee reviews to compensation evaluations, end-of-year loose ends and next year’s strategic vision. All of this builds up to a never-ending pileup of personal endeavors, events and expectations. Everything from shopping to hosting, volunteering, attending, giving, receiving and all-in-all juggling the many responsibilities (and subsequent side effects) of the holidays. 

Here are 7 Ways to help you maintain balance (both personal and professional) during the busiest time of year: 

It’s never too soon to start thinking about what to include in your 2020 and 2021 employee benefits packages. How can your HR team stay flexible yet current with a series of compliance changes? Which benefits will be seen as non-negotiables in competitive job offers? Global HR firm Mercer recently unveiled its annual list of the top compliance issues employers should consider when compiling their benefits packages for 2020. 

Here Are The Top 5 Offerings Set to Become Staples in the Benefits Packages of 2020... and Beyond:

If you’re feeling a little bit frazzled at the thought of Open Enrollment, it might be time for you to take a different organizational approach.

To help you streamline your thoughts and create a successful battle plan, here is a list of five easy tips to fully prepare for the Open Enrollment rush and stay productive when things get hectic: 

Mobile apps have laid an irreversible groundwork for the way we digitize business, consumption, entertainment and unique user experiences all across the world. They bring convenience to our collective fingertips and knowledge at a moment’s notice. Apps can transform the way we create, play, perform, produce and learn. 

Slowly but surely, apps are also weaving their way into the workplace; starting to be seen as valuable strategic tools for employer-to-employee communication and enhancers of the entire employee experience. 

Are you wondering how you can (and why you should) use these digital game changers to your advantage? Look no further, People Managers. There’s an app for that. And you can even create it yourself. 

Here Are The Top 5 Reasons to Up Your Employee Communications Game With an Internal HR App: 

When it comes to planning for their retirement, how “in the know” are your employees? According to the American Benefits Council, more than 100 million Americans are contributing a combined $5.7 trillion in assets to 401(k) and other defined contribution plans and 97% of these plans use personalized communication to participants. Are your employees getting the message? 

Soon-to-be retirees are a growing workplace population that’s known to sneak beneath the HR radar. As many companies tailor their retirement communications to recent grads and employees new to the world of payroll contributions, this subset is left wondering how to actually utilize their funds. It’s important not only to include them in retirement planning communications, but to craft the kind of messaging that helps them make confident, well-informed decisions about how to retire. 

With more generations coexisting in the workplace than ever before, a pointed strategy for retirement benefit communication is an essential way to ensure informative enrollment and exit at every level. From recent grads carrying student loan debt to seasoned professionals about to sign out for good, a comprehensive communication tool provides a certain kind of inclusivity often overlooked by today’s HR teams. 

For some, “digital transformation” is a buzzword that’s synonymous with “disruption.” It’s the onslaught of perplexing technological processes designed to disturb their workflow and alter their contribution to the organization.

For others, digital transformation is an opportunity. It harnesses the power of technology to achieve greater efficiencies in operations, enhanced experiences for employees and customers, and the ability to access to more innovative markets and constituents.

For your employees, digital transformation is likely some combination of these two sentiments. And the conflicting mindsets can make it difficult to carry out a strategic vision and craft the kind of messaging that resonates across the organization.

Setting End Goals - Do They Measure Up?

Great communication is all about being adaptable to change. Your communication plans should be constantly evolving based on the current needs of both the business and your employees. As your workforce becomes more multi-generational and you adapt to changes in technology, it’s increasingly important to reconsider how to best communicate with your employees.

Just as with any business plan, your communications should have objectives. Those communication objectives should align and support your business objectives. Goal-setting allows you to see where you are coming from (giving you a benchmark for comparison), assess your progress by checking off your target objectives, and finally, to evaluate your overall success by comparing your end results to your benchmark.

While Open Enrollment is the perfect opportunity to provide an overview of benefits, it’s also important to reinforce just how much value there is to all the benefits your company offers! Salary may be the big-ticket item, but there are other, often overlooked, components that add to an employee’s overall income.