Three ways to become a benefits advocate for your employees

Disengaged employees are hurting themselves and their employers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion cites research studies demonstrating how people with limited health literacy skills are more likely to have chronic conditions, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cost U.S. employers $36.4 billion annually because of employees missing days of work. Compounding matters, employees may find themselves in precarious financial situations, ill-prepared to manage healthcare costs. According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), 80 percent of employers note that financial stress is lowering their employees’ performance level.

As you can see, lack of understanding of a complex healthcare system and poor healthcare decisions not only cost employers, but they also put employees at risk.

Build a benefits plan from the employee’s perspective
Fortunately you, as human resources and benefits professionals, are in a position to help. It comes down to building a plan from the employee’s perspective – putting them at the heart of the benefits plan, to remove participation barriers, provide timely, credible information, make the right actions easy, spur healthy behaviors, and encourage ongoing participation in a seamless wellbeing journey. And a key step is becoming a benefits advocate for your employees. Here are three ways to go about it.

1. Help with the heavy lifting – Navigating the healthcare and benefits world can be difficult even under ideal circumstances; employees need all the help they can get. As Trustmark Health Benefits Vice President of Client Experience & Strategy Execution Joanne McGowan says, “Advocacy is a way to say to the employee, especially those having a difficult health situation, ‘we are here to help with that heavy lifting.’” Consider ways you can leverage a vendor partner or partners to help employees approach the healthcare system in a personalized way so they see the health and financial benefits to themselves and their loved ones which, in turn, will benefits the company in the long run with an improved bottom line.
2. Address employee health needs, regardless of where they fall on the spectrum – Services like a Healthcare Management team, individual case managers, or virtual options like 24/7 nurse lines and telemedicine services like Teladoc^® help ensure the employee healthcare journey is one of ongoing engagement and not marked by ineffective fits and starts. 
3. Lead by example – Leaders within a company can serve as role models for how to engage with a benefits program, whether it’s ensuring they participate in in-person meetings or webinars to review plan options, working out at a fitness center or using virtual fitness or coaching options. Taking employees on the road from engagement to action is an end-to-end healthcare journey and leaders can model what effective engagement looks like.

“Consumers today are used to getting help at multiple points in the journey, regardless of whether it’s an in-person or entirely digital experience,” says Trustmark Senior Vice President, Chief Digital & Strategy Officer Christopher Paquette. “In our industry we always need to help companies think beyond the benefits strategy and plan to how they can help their employees become smarter healthcare consumers and achieve greater wellbeing.”

Read our white paper, Through Engagement to Action: A Wellbeing Roadmap
Discover a step-by-step strategy that puts employees at the heart of your benefits plan to help recruit and keep talent, improve overall employee health and reduce stress.

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