Press release 21 January 2020.

Only 22% of employers communicate their employee benefits offering before day one of employment, such as in an offer letter; and only 18% communicate the offering before recruitment, for instance in a job advertisement, shows research from GRiD.*

When a remuneration package is a visible differentiator and often a reason for choosing to work for a company, GRiD says that many companies are missing a trick by not promoting them more prominently to potential hires and new starters. This is particularly relevant during the popular job-search month of January and extremely pertinent given that, from April 2020, employers must give employees access to a written statement of various particulars of their employment on day 1 of employment or before.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD, said: ‘Employee benefits demonstrate a company cares for its staff, wants to protect them and has taken the trouble to find ways to support them – plenty of reasons for wanting to work for a company. There’s little point in having them if staff don’t know they exist, and they’re certainly not working as hard as they could be for a company if they’re not being promoted as a reason to join.’

Promoting employee benefits at the earliest opportunity is good business practice, and can help ongoing communications to have more impact. Yet many employers are still not doing as much as they could be when it comes to communicating benefits, even once staff have joined.

How employers communicate their employee benefits to staff:

• 31% in a staff welcome pack
• 28% via email
• 25% in a staff handbook
• 22% before day one of employment/in offer letter
• 19% on staff noticeboard
• 18% before recruitment, eg in job advertisements
• 17% via company intranet
• 11% at staff benefit fairs
• 11% total reward statements
• 11% post to employees’ home addresses
• 10% via benefit platform/via apps

Investing in employee benefits can be intensive in terms of resource, cost and time, but that can all be wasted if staff don’t know about them. Designing an appropriate style and utilising a mixture of approaches to best fit each employers’ specific needs should be considered, both before and after recruitment.

Different methods of communication will resonate with different employees, so using a mix has maximum impact. Some employees will read a staff welcome pack cover to cover, some will be expert in navigating the benefits pages on their company intranet and for some, benefits are only brought to life when they can talk them through with a professional during a presentation. So utilising as many methods as possible has the best chance of engaging as many staff as possible.

Value for employers

Benefits can only be utilised if employees know they exist and understand what they can offer. And that’s when employers get most value too. Generally with employee benefits, the better the understanding, the better the potential outcome. That starts with communication, and it needs to start early, ideally before recruitment.

As Moxham explains: ‘For instance, with group risk products (employer-sponsored life assurance, income protection, critical illness) during 2018, our industry helped 5,595** employees back to work after a period of sick leave; and there were a total of 75,446** interactions with the additional help and support provided for staff via group risk policies – all funded by the provider. This is a perfect demonstration of the value both the employee and employer get from benefits when they’re understood, and that starts with communication.’

• Ends –

*Research undertaken by Opinium on behalf of GRiD amongst 500 HR Decision makers between 4-18 March 2019. SME definition includes businesses with 1 – 249 members of staff.

**GRiD 2019 industry claims data.

For further information please contact:

Sharon Mason 
SMUK Marketing and PR
smason@smuk.org.uk 
Mob: 07747 611773
Land: 01252 843350

Katharine Moxham
Spokesperson for GRiD
Katharine.moxham@grouprisk.org.uk
Mob: 07887 512508 

Notes for editors

About GRiD

Group Risk Development (GRiD) is the industry body for the group risk protection sector, promoting the value to UK businesses of providing financial protection for their staff, enhancing their wellbeing and improving employee engagement. Our membership includes insurers, reinsurers and intermediaries who have a collective wealth of experience built over years of operating in the group risk protection market. Under the chairmanship of Steve Bridger (MD Group Protection, Corporate, Aviva UK Insurance) GRiD aims to promote group risk through a collective voice to Government, policymakers, stakeholders and employers.

GRiD works with government departments and regulators involved in legislation and regulation affecting group risk benefits, and with other organisations involved in the benefits and financial protection arenas. GRiD also seeks to enhance the industry's standing by encouraging best practice and by participating in industry-wide initiatives such as the professional qualification in group risk managed jointly with the Chartered Insurance Institute.

GRiD’s media activity aims to generate a wider awareness and understanding of group risk products and their benefits for employers and employees.

GRiD's dedicated spokesperson, Katharine Moxham, provides expert media comment on a full range of group risk issues.

www.grouprisk.org.uk

Follow Katharine Moxham on Twitter @KMoxham