Unlock Hidden Benefits Engagement by Integrating with Well-being

How can you gain traction to all benefits you offer?

This is a common question that has been on the minds of benefits professionals for quite some time, and it’s something we’ll address today from the perspective of well-being.

Before we get there, if you’re looking for ways to unlock engagement within your well-being program, we have an excellent video resource about adopting a marketing mindset when communicating with your employees, which you can find here.

This simple shift can take your well-being program to new heights, especially when you begin rolling it into all of the initiatives you run within your program.

Keep in mind, you need to get traction to your well-being program in order to unlock hidden engagement for other benefits you offer. Adopting a marketing mindset is a great start.

The Importance of Integration

Integrating organizational initiatives into your well-being program signals to your employees that well-being is a central theme to your culture—not a standalone, separate event or initiative.

It also provides opportunities to achieve broader engagement with all your initiatives.

At Propel, all of our clients choose to integrate internal initiatives, and how they utilize this capability is unique to each organization.

However, what is common among all of them is the boost in engagement they get for their benefits across the board, simply by harnessing the power of their well-being portal.

So what are the main benefits of integrating other initiatives within your well-being program?

Enhanced Program Engagement

One of the primary benefits of integration is the potential for significantly improved program engagement.

When employees have access to a well-designed program portal that consolidates various resources, they are more likely to recognize it as their go-to source for information and support.

You may already have this information listed in one area within your intranet or separate benefits site, so how is this different?

When employees are actively engaged with one initiative, it spills over into others. A page on your intranet doesn’t (typically) actively engage them.

We want to harness the fact that an employee is already taking action with something. When an employee has mentally decided to take action with one thing, they are much more impressionable and likely to take action with other things.

This is why the “add-on” products within the queue at the store do well. They are capturing attention from customers who are already committed to buy something. As a result, they get more attention and ultimately lead to greater sales.

Building Community

When you make your benefits more accessible, especially if they are placed in a location that is saturated in your organizational culture, they begin to view all of the items highlighted via the well-being portal as part of how their employer cares for them and as a part of what it’s like to work there.

This approach not only drives participation but also fosters a sense of community.

We’re very passionate about infusing culture with well-being (check out our eBook “The Strategic Framework for Integrating Culture Into Employee Well-being” if you haven’t already) and we find that making the well-being program seem more familiar will improve the perception of all benefits.

Our goal is to eliminate the coldness of benefits and make them seem like they are a part of the culture. Sharing the way employees interact with the benefits is one way to achieve that.

Employee success stories can be incorporated into what is displayed on the well-being portal or what is shown in the marketing materials. Displaying a simple feedback form somewhere on your well-being portal or perhaps sending it out via email can capture this success.

Simply asking employees, "how has this benefit positively impacted your life?” will yield some absolutely incredible feedback you will be wishing you gathered sooner!

Making Things More Cohesive

Cross promotion is a tool we use with our clients to create more connected experiences that “make more sense” and lead to direct action for employees.

Think about how much more cohesive your benefits package would be if you EAP provider’s services were displayed in conjunction with a well-being challenge focused on mindfulness.

It would place employees in the right frame of mind to consider the benefits of using an EAP, and would perhaps allow them to reflect on whether that might be a positive resource for them.

At Propel, we do this with all kinds of initiatives, including safety training, community events, employee recognition, and more.

Pairing benefits with initiatives reiterates your organizational commitment to specific values and gives employees a clearer view of how you are taking care of them.

Implications for the well-being administrator:

• Integrating your organizational initiatives into your well-being portal enhances employee engagement by consolidating resources, making it more likely for employees to utilize benefits.

• Connected well-being resources can build a sense of community and reinforce your commitment to employee care, transforming the perception of benefits into an integral part of the company culture. 

• Cross-promotion of benefits with relevant initiatives creates cohesive experiences, encouraging employees to take action and reinforcing the organization’s dedication to their well-being.

If you like this content, share it with other well-being administrators.

We’re committed to discussing challenges common to well-being leaders and presenting practical solutions that increase the wisdom of all well-being professionals.