RESEARCHING EMPLOYEES’ PERCEPTIONS OF BENEFIT COMMUNICATION: A

COMMUNICATION INQUIRY ON CHANNEL PREFERENCES, UNDERSTANDING,

DECISION MAKING, AND BENEFITS SATISFACTION

- benefits are vital to organizations in recruiting, retaining, motivating quality employees

complexity of the field of benefit is due to insufficient involvement of communication

specialists to utilize media channels to design effective benefits communication programs

one of the issues of employee communication : benefit communication

organizations need to communicate complex benefit options to employees: medical;

retirement; investment plans

employees need to understand many benefit information

organization need to reach employees with the right type and right amount of info through
right channels

‘recruiting of quality employees’ and ‘communication of employee’s benefit’ are vital

- Communication scholars need to examine employee communication, in the aspects of

benefit communication process: messages, symbols, relationships.

research in organizational communication, corporate communication, and public relations

contribute to employee communication

- goals for effective employee communication

1. to improve morale and foster goodwill between employees and management

2. to inform employees about internal changes such as reorganization or staff

promotions

3. to explain compensation and benefit plans such as a new health-care plan or an employee
assistance program

- to succeed in the business environment, organizations must attract, retain, reward competent
employees with employee benefit packages
 organizations need these benefits to build relationships with employees

benefits communication is disseminating information & developing relationships with

employees

benefits communication is a component of employee communication and a function of

communication within an organization

- ‘employee communication’ is the communication transactions between individuals and

groups at various levels and in differ specialized areas

to design and redesign organizations

to implement designs

to coordinate day-to-day activities

Benefit satisfaction and communication

- ‘communication’ is related to the ‘level of satisfaction with benefits’

- ten factors in a regression to determine their correlation with benefit satisfaction

variable of benefit satisfaction: benefit administration, that is communication and employee

input

employees are more satisfied with the level of benefits provided when their employers
communicate benefits coverage more clearly and consider their needs & desires

- organizations communicate to offer flexible benefit choices

communication predicts benefits satisfaction, along with organizational justice and

demographics

communication correlates to security: employees who perceived their organization to have an

effective benefits communication program reported a sense of security
 - communication links to benefit satisfaction

traditional benefit plan is changed to flexible benefit plan

one who uses communication more, satisfy more with the flexible benefits plan

two way communication is also essential

employees’ perception of own ability to express is valuable, regarding to benefits satisfaction

Decision making and understanding of benefits

- organizations need to disseminate complex info on various benefit options to enable

employees to make informed choices

however, info dissemination does not guarantee employees understanding nor does it ensures
informed decisions

employees who fail to comprehend benefit packages cannot make informed decisions

employees with accurate views of their coverage were more satisfied with their benefit
packages

employees who receive precise info on their coverage were more satisfied

- employees’ comprehension of benefits is very vital

employees’ understanding of benefit packages influence their decision making process

Communication channels for communicating benefits

- effectiveness of various media is emphasized

- communication channels are addressed regarding benefits

a benefit slide presentation permitted two-way communication, offering grater

comprehension on employees

meetings and slide presentations enhance the effectiveness of benefit communication

compared to print media alone

two way, face-to-face communication channels lead to greater retention of benefits

information than traditional one-way communication channels (booklet, brochures, bulletin
boards)

- media choice theory: communication of equivocal messages need richer media to enhance
effectiveness

complex info communication about medical benefits: equivocal communication

rich media are most proper for equivocal messages

face-to-face communication allows immediate feedback, verbal and nonverbal cues, personal
focus; is the best channel for benefits communication

benefits communication work best with face-to-face communication

however, most organizations rely primarily on printed material

HR managers prefer online communication to handle medical benefits, financial benefits

- new technologies become channels of choice

internet add a new dimension for benefits communication programs

web-based technology enables a company to

i. communicate various info, including benefits related info

ii. provide interactive online transactions related to benefits( enrollment, benefit plan
modeling, beneficiary changes, compiling and distributing employee surveys)
 iii. enable employees to review, change, select benefit plan options

- interactivity is vital in new technology

interactivity is

i. the degree to which communication parties can act on each other, on the
communication medium, on the messages

ii. the degree to which such influences are synchronized

interactivity emphasize the technological capabilities of two way communication

Discussion

- strong relationships among employee satisfaction with

company benefit plans

understanding of materials describing those plans

confidence level in the decisions regarding those plans

- communication is the essence of benefits satisfaction

clear communication and employee input are vital for benefit satisfaction