Your Benefits Message Is Clear. Is It Useful?

Your benefits guide is easy to read. Your enrollment emails explain the options. Employees know where to find their plan information.

Well done; those are no small accomplishments. But it’s important to consider another question: do your communications help employees take advantage of the benefits you provide?

An employee may know that you contribute to a retirement plan without understanding how to receive the full match. They may know an employee assistance program exists without realizing it includes financial counseling. They may see your health insurance contribution without understanding how it fits into their total compensation.

Employees’ Financial Concerns Deserve Attention

WTW’s 2026 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey offers an interesting perspective. Three in four U.S. employees rate their employer’s benefits communication as effective. Yet only 36% report feeling financially secure, down from 46% in 2019. Among employees in their 40s, that figure falls to 30%.

These findings don’t imply that benefits communications are falling short. Financial security depends on income, expenses, plan affordability, and many other factors.

But they do raise a useful question for HR leaders: do your employee communications address the real-world concerns employees bring to work?

Someone managing immediate household expenses may have difficulty focusing on retirement. An employee worried about healthcare costs may need help finding available support. A message can be accurate and understandable while still leaving an employee unsure what to do next.

Connecting Benefits to Real Life

Start with the practical purpose behind each benefit.

A retirement contribution helps employees build future income. Disability coverage helps protect income during an eligible absence. Paid leave provides time to address personal and family needs.

That context deserves a place alongside plan names, contribution amounts, and eligibility details.

For example, a total rewards statement might show that an employer contributed $4,500 to an employee’s retirement account last year. A short explanation can help the employee understand what that contribution represents, how the matching formula works, and where to review their own contribution rate.

Give Employees a Clear Next Step

Every benefits message should make the next step easy to find.

Depending on the benefit, that might mean:

• Reviewing a retirement contribution rate
• Scheduling a session with an available financial counselor
• Finding an in-network healthcare provider
• Learning how to access an employee assistance program
• Contacting the right person with a coverage question

“Visit the benefits portal” may be technically correct, but a direct link, QR code, or specific contact can make taking action easier.

The same principle applies to printed communications. A personalized statement can introduce the value of a benefit and point employees toward the resources they need to explore it further.

Use Total Rewards Statements to Bring the Pieces Together

Employees often encounter their benefits separately: health insurance during enrollment, retirement through an account update, and paid leave when they need time away.

A total rewards statement brings those pieces together. It shows the employer’s investment in each employee and provides room to explain how the components support their health, financial wellbeing, and life outside work.

Making that statement useful requires thoughtful choices. Highlight the benefits that matter to the audience. Use plain language. Include relevant explanations and accessible next steps.

The goal is to help employees recognize the full value of working for you and also to understand how to take full advantage of the many benefits your organization provides.

Communication can’t resolve every financial challenge employees face. But in addition to educating employees on the investments your organization is making in its workforce, it can direct employees to available support resources and take a more informed next step.

That’s a useful standard for any benefits message.

RewardsFocus creates customized total rewards statements that connect employer investment with employee understanding. Let’s talk about your communication goals.