Encourage your clients to offer multiple methods for employees to learn about their benefits, including personal interaction.(Photo: Shutterstock)
Voluntary benefits are an increasingly important part of a competitive benefits program. But let's be honest, compared to major medical and other group benefits, voluntary sometimes requires a little more work to make it, well, work.
For one thing, there's a two-step sales process. First, you need to educate your clients about the need for and value of these coverages so they agree to offer them in their benefits enrollment. Then you need to do the same again with the ultimate buyers: their employees. To successfully leap that second hurdle, it's crucial for you to see benefits through the eyes of those employees — especially when it comes to learning about, enrolling in and paying for their benefits.
Nick Rockwell and Erin Marino, Eastbridge Consulting Group, Inc. Best bets for benefits communication
Our research shows about two-thirds of employees prefer to learn about voluntary benefits on their own, either through emails, newsletters and other information sent by their employer, or by visiting a website or intranet. However, the other third of employees want to speak with someone, either in person, on the phone, in an online chat or during a one-to-one online video session.
Recommended For You
But depending on the size of your client, it's important to dig a little deeper, because just like a good benefits program, effective benefits communication isn't one-size-fits-all. In fact, employees at the smallest companies — those with 10–49 workers — are evenly split in their preferences for learning alone versus with human interaction. And in the next-largest firms with 50–99 employees, there's still a larger-than-average contingent (43% compared to 35% of employees overall) who prefer personal contact.
Key takeaway: Encourage your clients to offer multiple methods for employees to learn about their benefits, including personal interaction.
Enrollment made easy
Most employees (66%) say they completed their most recent benefits on their own, using a computer, tablet, smartphone or paper. But when asked how they'd prefer to enroll in the future, that number drops slightly to 62%. At the same time, 31% last signed up with the support of a benefits counselor or phone enroller, but more (37%) would prefer personal help going forward.
Similar to benefits education preferences, employees at smaller firms are more evenly divided in how they'd like to enroll in the future. Only employees in the largest firms report a distinct preference for enrolling on their own.
Key takeaway: Many employees want more than a self-service enrollment. Offering different options, especially those that allow human interaction, is likely to drive higher participation and satisfaction.
Paying the tab painlessly
Most employees continue to prefer the convenience of payroll deduction to pay their voluntary benefit premiums: 61% of workers overall and an overwhelming majority of boomers and Gen X employees say payroll deduction is their go-to choice.
True, we're starting to see some changing preference trends by generation. Millennials and Gen Zers are much more likely than other employees to prefer paying by credit card. And, not surprisingly, Gen Z is the generation most likely to want digital payment options such as Venmo and PayPal, even though the overall percentage preferring this method is small.
At the same time, some employers may seek to avoid the billing and reconciliation involved with payroll deduction by moving to more digital payment methods. But research shows participation and persistency in the voluntary benefits program drops when the burden shifts entirely to employees. That's a lose-lose-lose for your clients, their employees and your business.
Key takeaway: Make sure your clients understand the continued strong preference for payroll deduction among employees in all life stages, and consider connecting with providers who can make this method easier and more convenient.
If what your clients provide — and possibly assume their employees want — doesn't line up with what research shows employees want, don't despair. Instead, use this intel as an excellent opportunity to educate your clients and show them once again the value you bring to the success of their benefits program — and their company.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
