5 Steps to Bridge the Gap 1.
Equip leaders and managers to have benefits conversations
2.
Assure that health and wellness benefits are accessible and easy to understand
3.
Include spouses and significant others in the conversation about changes to their health care coverage. Yet, only 13 percent of employers say educating their employees about health care reform is important to their organization.3 This is a significant gap: employees believe they should be hearing about it from their companies while employers feel it is not their role. The facts are that for the average American worker who already has health coverage, the ACA does not change much. Lack of clarity has left the impression that the ACA affects everyone and everyone needs to procure coverage through the exchanges. This gap is a potential communications challenge for companies, as overfocus and lack of clarity around the actual health benefits a company provides may lead to employees losing sight of or devaluing the entire benefits package they receive. Conversely, it also creates an opportunity for proactive companies to start conversations with their employees that inform them about health care benefits and shift the focus to everything they receive as an employee: the entire Employee Value Proposition (EVP). To bridge the gap and change the dialogue to what a company offers and 3
4.
Don’t take ownership of the ACA discussion – use sources that are available
5.
Expand the conversation to talk about the entire employee value proposition
want to talk about, there are five proven steps to take: First, prepare and equip the leaders and managers in your company to answer questions or direct employees to sources of information about the company’s health benefits. This can be accomplished with talking points and other materials. Second, confirm and clarify details about your health plan and any changes in your health benefit offerings in easyto-understand language. Third, include spouses and significant others in this information and provide opportunities for families to plan their health coverage together. The easiest way to do this is to send information to your employees’ home and to
allow the spouses and significant others access to your healthcare portal(s). Fourth, don’t assume responsibility for explaining the ACA. Instead, provide links to accurate sources of information (Kaiser Family Foundation, healthcare.gov). Fifth, and most importantly, seize this opportunity to expand the conversation from health care coverage to the company’s entire employee value proposition. In addition to the health benefits, this includes the entire compensation offering, training opportunities, paid time off (PTO), and the ability to experience interesting work and support critical U.S. government programs, to name just a few. If employers grasp the opportunity that confusion around the Affordable Care Act creates to start a serious and positive conversation about your company’s employee value proposition, you can not only bridge the gap between your employees’ expectations and your company’s responsibilities but actually turn the current situation into a competitive advantage. Kathie Boettrich is a senior vice president at Hill + Knowlton Strategies and head of the Washington, DC change and internal communications practice.
2013 Aflac WorkForces Report, a study conducted by Research Now on behalf of Aflac, January 7 – 24, 2013.
Professional Services Council
Service Contractor / December 2013 / 15