January Edition

For population experts tracking the ascendance of the millennial generation in the American labor force, 2019 is predicted to be an inflection point. The Pew Research Center reports that more than 56 million millennials (ages 23-38) will outnumber both Generation Xers and baby boomers in companies this year.¹

As companies continue to add more millennials to the payroll and more baby boomers retire, corporate benefits managers and leaders are grappling with how to improve employee engagement, especially around benefits communication.

Communication tactics that once engaged one demographic of employees, such as baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964) – can miss the mark if used to connect with employees in another demographic, like millennials who were born 1981 to 1996.¹

Shifting demographics, different tactics

A shift in employee demographics naturally calls for a change in communication tactics. For years, benefits managers relied on tried and true tactics, such as town-hall-style meetings to communicate benefits information. However, insight into millennial communication styles reveals strong preferences for email, texting, interactive websites and mobile applications.²

When benefits leaders understand how to engage millennials, they can then optimize content for those platform preferences. For instance, nearly every millennial uses a smartphone, so it makes sense to integrate benefits education and communications with these pervasive devices.³ Some research claims millennials even have a hard time being away from their phones for more than a few hours.⁴

With millennial employee populations growing at companies across the United States, benefits leaders are fine-tuning their strategies and tactics to improve benefits communications. Here are six tips worth considering:

6 tips to improve benefits communications to millennial employees

1. Create straight-forward and authentic benefits communications. Millennials consider some videos and printed materials as too polished, which could evoke suspicious reactions. Keep the production simple.
2. Because mobile views of online information are rising, benefits content presented on websites should be responsive so it renders seamlessly on mobile devices, including tablets.³
3. Communicate benefits information using multiple tactics, including group meetings, email, texting and websites. And the same messaging should be reinforced across all channels multiple times to cut through organizational clutter.
4. It's better to communicate benefits information in "bite-size portions," therefore, messages should be on-point, personalized and easy to comprehend.
5. When it comes to benefits, millennials are more cost-conscious than other generations. Therefore, medical benefit costs and differences should be clearly delineated. Fifty percent of millennials consider their budget when selecting benefits.³
6. Since millennials rely on family and friends for benefits-related advice, benefits communications should be easily shareable and accessible for employee family members.

If benefits leaders want to enhance benefits communication to millennial employees, it’s critical to understand how to engage millennials. These tips will get them started.

¹   "Millennials are the Largest Generation in the U.S. Labor Force," Richard Fry, The Pew Research Center, April 11, 2018.

²   "How to Communicate Your Employee Benefits Plan to Millennials," Laura Ann Bartlett, Phoenix Business Journal, September 7, 2018.

³   "Adapting Your Benefits Strategy for the Millennial Workforce," Austin Baker, HR Professionals Magazine.

⁴   "3 Strategies for Effectively Engaging Millennials," Christine Comaford, Forbes, July 28, 2018.

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