Roughly half of employees say they don't understand their benefits. And 80% admit to never opening benefits communication. So how can you ensure your staff is getting the support they need?

We've compiled a few strategies for overcoming these hurdles, and in particular, communicating your financial wellness benefits to employees with the help of a full-service platform like Exhale.

Introduce your benefits on day one

When it comes to day one, covering benefits and employee resources are just as crucial as job responsibilities. In addition to in-person onboarding and training, make sure you've covered your ground by including your financial benefits in your handbook and training materials.

✨ Tip: There's no need to reinvent the wheel! Your benefits partner can provide resources, like videos and onboarding guides, that you can easily share with your employees. If you don't know where to find these resources, reach out to your benefits partner for more information.

But don't rely on onboarding alone to introduce these perks—after all, most new employees are probably much more focused on learning their new job at that point! Making your benefits accessible and regularly communicating about them is just as important.

Make benefits clear and accessible

Even if you have a stellar benefits package, it won't do much good if employees don't know how to use them.

When it comes to platforms like Exhale, which don't require an enrollment window to sign up, making it easy to find and understand information is key to getting employees the support they need.

• Encourage questions. Whether you have a dedicated HR team, an online resource hub, or regional people managers, make sure employees know where they can go for any benefits-related questions. (Your financial benefits partner is available to answer these questions, too!)
• Look beyond the employee handbook. Employees are not very likely to sift through a lengthy employee handbook after their first week. Platforms like Exhale make it easy to highlight your company's own financial perks and bonuses right from their smart phone. Encourage employees to get the app for your latest benefits and awards.
• Use shared spaces to provide information about your benefits, whether it's a physical space like a break room, or a digital one like a staff Slack channel or Facebook group.

Communicate throughout the year

While open enrollment communication can seem like a larger task, sending bite-sized communications to your employees throughout the year is a lighter lift with high impact. Here are some ways you can help spread the word:

• Be aware of times when employees might feel more financial strain (major life events, tax season, monthly bills due, etc.) and take the opportunity to direct them to your financial benefits partner for support. Communication can be done through email, in person, or using templates provided to you by your partner.
• Consider seasonal opportunities like holidays and back-to-school to remind employees that they can start building a savings fund. Small, automatic contributions from each paycheck can go a long way towards those end-of-year-gifts!
• Gather feedback. If you don't already, consider offering an anonymized employee survey that staff members can use to provide feedback on topics like their work experience and understanding of available benefits. You may learn that some communication channels are much more effective than others!

The Exhale team is available to help answer questions and provide both printed and digital resources for your employees. We're also happy to schedule Q&A sessions for employees who may be new or want to learn more. Just get in touch and we'll be happy to chat about which options are best for you.