Communication with your employees is beyond important to drive engagement, improve productivity, and achieve better results. What sometimes gets thrown to the side though, is your employee's health and wellbeing. Communicating your company wellness programs is an important part of internal operations and it should be given the time and attention needed to be done effectively.
Offering a health program that works with your corporate strategies and employee goals is a great first step, but it’s essential to take it a step further by communicating it to your staff. Unfortunately, rather than receiving the attention they deserve, many of these programs go unnoticed and this boils down to ineffective internal communications.
A Flawed Plan Communicated Well is Better Than a Perfect Plan Poorly Communicated
Many companies build robust wellness programs that are full of well-created options and strategies. They look amazing on paper, flaunting all their features and benefits. So why exactly is it that enrollment and engagement remain the number one concern for wellness program directors?
The answer is simple: Having a huge, feature-filled program is completely useless if the employees aren't aware of the benefits it offers, or in some cases, its existence at all. These areas will not improve until you have a plan for communicating with your employees about your wellness programs.
Don't let your programs go unnoticed or allow important messages about healthcare and wellness go unheard. Communication shouldn't be an afterthought, but instead one of the first things you are thinking about. Furthermore, better communication is an easy thing to achieve. Implementing a few simple alterations in how you promote your wellness programs can make a huge impact.
Don't Be Afraid to Use "Plain Language"
Using "plain language”, simple terms as opposed to complex legal verbiage or business-speak, is often considered "dumbing down" the content. This couldn't be further from the truth! Altering your messages to use simple, easy to understand terms, as opposed to corporate jargon, will make it easier to understand for all departments and employees at any skill level.
Be Creative When Engaging Employees
Everyone is different and people are motivated by countless things. Take some time to figure out what motivates your employees. A common issue with wellness programs is they often appeal to the brain and not the heart. It targets the wrong area; while statistics are great - try to appeal more to the sentimental side in your communications when it comes to wellness.
Keep It Simple
The best advice is to keep your communications short, sweet, and to the point. There is no need to drag on communications by filling it with useless information or fluff.
For example, in a company wellness newsletter, cut your content to only a few hundred words, create engaging graphics, and use easily understandable messages with your materials. This will promote your employees to actually read the content right away, instead of waiting until they absolutely have to or having it fall by the wayside altogether. It is also important to take time to communicate verbally some of the benefits that you offer by speaking directly to your employees.
If you follow these simple rules and place as much a focus on communicating your wellness programs as you do on creating them, you should see engagement, happiness, and increased enrollment throughout your staff.
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