We help top companies educate their people about important (and complicated) topics like health care and retirement. This blog is all about employee communication, benefits, health care and wellness, and our work. Please leave comments or contact us with any feedback or questions!
Social Media
Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends report has great insights for HR on using new technology, social media and mobile devices—not just for HR communication, but organizational transformation
We love that Deloitte’s recent Human Capital Trends Report dedicated a chapter to social media and mobile devices—and how they’re influencing HR services. Check out our blog to see how to implement a strategy for these emerging technologies. More
Exciting news! New benefits website product with Trustnode and opportunity to be part of the initial launch
We’re thrilled to partner with Trustnode to create a user-friendly, easy-to-implement and affordable benefits website, complete with all the fixings, including social media. I know—it’s about time! We are looking for just a couple more companies to be part of the pilot launch. See all the details on our blog. More
Four shifts in employee benefits that all communicators must understand
There are four major shifts happening in benefits right now that all communicators need to know about. Learn what they are and how you play a role in each. More
Summary of Benefits Coverage guidelines released: Another tool for benefits communication
A couple of weeks ago, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its final regulations for the Summary of Benefits Coverage (SBC). Read the key highlights and what the implementation date means for you. More
Health matters to CFOs, survey says. Benefits communication should too.
We know CFOs have increasingly been paying attention to the relationship between benefits and productivity. The IBI’s CFO survey, released this month, confirms this. More than two-thirds of 313 CFOs interviewed believe health is a cultural or financial priority in their organizations. Read the key findings and then see how our CFO Infographics can help. More
12 blog posts to help you keep your 2012 HR and benefits communications resolutions
Each New Year, we all create a laundry list of new goals to tackle. Everyone desires positive change, but without a game plan, many abandon resolutions short of realizing their goals.
Well—here’s help with your game plan. These are 12 of our favorite blog posts of 2011 to help you reach your 2012 HR and benefits communications resolutions. More
Three tips to communicate after enrollment
Open enrollment was a challenge. You used every tool you have to get the word out about your benefits programs and meet your goals.
Here’s a thought: Keep doing that.
Before you call us crazy, consider this: The next best communication time period after open enrollment is the start of the plan year. For most companies, that’s January 1.
See our three tips for communicating after enrollment. More
The latest Internet statistics: Health is a top search subject
The latest Internet statistics are out and one thing is clear: People want to find health information online.
The statistics, from Pew Internet study released last month, show that the web is likely the top choice—outside of a physician’s office—for finding medical information, sharing medical stories, reading about others’ experiences and tracking a personalized health program. More
Open enrollment and Twitter: Real people, real voices.
One of our favorite things about social media is hearing real people share real feelings in real time. And what better time to hear what people are thinking than right in the middle of open enrollment. Here are just some of the comments we found on Twitter in the last week. More
Introducing @managertip—tweets for people managers and communicators
@managertip is updated frequently with articles, statistics and research on everything from helping new hires get through their first three months to learning how to give and receive feedback. More
Top tweets of September
Between attending Health 2.0 in San Francisco and launching our Facebook page, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about social media and health technology in general. Our top tweets are all about the latest data and breakthroughs in health technology. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook to download all our free resources! More
Three steps to success
We had a super exciting week. Sunday and Monday I was in Dallas at EBN’s 24th Annual Benefits Forum & Expo, the largest benefits conference in the country. I was honored Monday morning to do the keynote presentation and share our three best practices for benefits communication. Read them on our blog! More
Please take two minutes to vote for text4baby
Text4baby, the first free service of its kind in the United States, helps pregnant women and new moms get vital information and resources about pregnancy and child development—through simple text messages.
We have an opportunity to share the text4baby story at South by Southwest (SXSW), the annual music, film and interactive conference in Austin next spring. Because public voting is a big part of being selected for the conference, we need your help to make it happen!
Please take two minutes to cast your vote for the text4baby panel and help spread the word about this fantastic program. More
September Conferences: EBN Expo in Dallas and Health 2.0 in San Francisco
We’re looking forward to and getting ready for two exciting conferences in September! I’ll be a keynote speaker at EBN’s 24th Annual Benefits Forum & Expo in Dallas, the largest event in the nation dedicated to employee benefits. At the same time, several team members will be at Health 2.0’s Annual Fall Conference here in San Francisco. It’s the organization’s biggest show to date with more than 1,100 attendees and more than 100 live technology demos. More
We're five! Celebrate with us!
Benz Communications celebrates our 5th birthday this month! And, we want to share the excitement with you.
To celebrate, we’re doing what we love—helping spread the word (and the ways) of effective benefits communication. So, we’re offering 50% off our most popular toolkit—the Social Media Starter Kit—for the next 5 days! More
Benefits videos cover mobile apps, social media and year-round communication
When I was in DC this spring, I had a chance to chat with SHRM and EBN’s Benefits TV about some of our favorite topics: social media, mobile apps and year-round communication. More
Top Tweets of June: On wellness, social media and health care reform
If you’re not obsessive about Twitter like I am, it’s hard to stay up on all the articles and news exchanged among tweeters. That’s why we compile this monthly list of the top tweets about health and benefits. More
Top tweets of May: Start thinking about open enrollment--and how social media fits
My top tweets of May cover a lot of ground—from some great open enrollment communication tips to generational differences in the office. More
Three ways to make mobile work for employee benefits
There’s so much excitement about mobile phones and mobile apps. And, rightfully so. Mobile devices are closing the gaps in under-served demographics faster than desktop computers ever could. They are helping lower income Americans get online and get access to information that can help them make better health and financial decisions. But, where should employers focus their efforts? The technology and industry overall are advancing so quickly that it can create a “wait and see” mentality. There are three specific ways that employers can harness the power of mobile for their benefits—right now. More
Articles and stats about mobile apps and technology
My top tweets of April are focused mostly on how technology—mobile apps in particular—are advancing benefits communication to a whole new level. More
Announcing Limeade GreenLine--A simple approach to results-based wellness
Everyone wants to exercise more, eat better and feel healthy. But almost everyone needs a nudge to get them there.
Those nudges from employers are starting to get bigger and bigger—and many companies are now linking up to 20 percent of health insurance premiums to the results of biometric screenings—not just participation.
That’s why we’re excited to launch Limeade Greenline™, a turnkey product that brings the expertise of three industry leaders with a proven track record in delivering results. More
Social media stats that even surprised us
People of all ages are turning to blogs, Twitter, online video and Facebook. The distinctions between age and gender among users are blurring, as the web becomes the go-to place for everything from uploading family pictures to learning about health and wellness.
We’re huge fans of social media, but the latest statistics even surprised us. More
On the road: My speaking schedule through June
Today is my first live presentation of the year in Cleveland at the Health Action Council of Ohio’s Kick-Off Conference. We’re honored that the Health Action Council of Ohio has purchased our “Social Media Starter Kit” and “Content Subscription” for their members. My presentation today will cover the best practices in benefits communication and how social media can be part of creating success.
We’re always thrilled to share our ideas and I’m delighted to share with you my schedule of events for the first part of the year. Hope to see you there! More
The four attributes of great online benefits communication
Think of a time you visited a website you really liked. Chances are, it had all of these attributes:
Beauty
Entertainment
Engagement
Functionality
Collectively, these instill trust and confidence. And in benefits communication, that goes a very long way.
Let’s dissect each one to find out how exactly the latest web developers are exploring each theme and how they’re changing the user experience into something with very real results. More
Text4baby cuts through the clutter
Text4baby, launched in February this year, has given pregnant women a free tool to sort through all the noise and receive information that matters to them and their baby at the time that it matters most. It’s one of dozens of free services employers can promote to their employees. We hope you’ll use our sample article to get the word out to your employees and their families and help Text4baby reach their goal of 1 million mothers. More
November tweets -- what your employees said about open enrollment
November was all about open enrollment. We hope you were keeping an eye on what employees were saying. Here’s some of the dialog on Twitter. More
An early holiday treat—make social media a success
Just as enrollment is winding down, the focus on social media for benefits communication keeps heating up.
You know social media has to make it into your communication planning sometime soon. But do you know how to make social media a success—and aligned with your strategy?
Getting started can be intimidating. That’s why we’ve wrapped up the perfect gift for you! Our Social Media Starter Kit gives you everything you need to know.
From now until the end of the year, employers can get $50 off of your purchase when you use this coupon code: SMToolkitEMP50. More
My top tweets for October
These 10 tweets were my favorite for October. What were yours? Comment below or email us! What good leaders do
RT @towerswatson: How do managers get employees engaged? Three practical actions managers can take http://bit.ly/cZDCVz
RT @MDHirschfeld: “There is zero correlation between technical expertise and the ability to lead people.” #HRReinvention
Don’t Facebook Me: Why You Shouldn’t Google During the Recruiting Process tlnt.com/2010/10/04/don… via @TLNT_com (read the comments too) More
What Benefits Communication Can Learn from the World Series
You can’t help but be excited to be in San Francisco right now. The Giants just won the first game of the World Series and the city is ecstatic! Even the most reluctant sports fans (like me) are caught up in the excitement.
What causes a whole city to get energized by a sports team? Why does a sense of pride and accomplishment extend so far? (What causes an otherwise disinterested individual to encourage her art director to turn her company’s beloved logo into a Giants cheer?) It is community. And it is one of the most powerful and influential forces that exists. More
How to get the most from open enrollment
Here we go again. That time of year when you have to grab your employees’ attention long enough to explain why benefits matter and then help them make key choices about their health care – and their future. Here are some tips to help make open enrollment communication simple. More
Instant gratification for benefits communications?
Yes, it really does exist. And you’re invited to help yourself right now.
We believe everyone, everywhere deserves amazing benefits communications. Once we figure out what works, we can’t keep it a secret. If it makes your life—and benefits communications—easier, don’t you deserve to know? More
Announcing our benefits communication and social media toolkits
I’m absolutely delighted to announce our Benefits Communication and Social Media Toolkits—and our new content subscription. These Toolkits wrap up everything we know into easy do-it-yourself packages—perfect for the small and mid-size companies who want to ramp up communications efforts or for a company of any size who is adding social media to benefits communication. More
Success with social media for employee benefits
I spoke yesterday at the Ragan Health Care Communications Summit at Kaiser just across the Bay in Oakland. It was a great conference focusing on how to use social media for all types of internal and external health care communications.
Here are the highlights from the presentation and our social media poster. More
Is Twitter a viable tool for employee benefits communication?
Jen’s latest post on Benefits Buzz examines whether Twitter could be an effective tool for benefits communication. More
Social media examples and stats
Check out these stats and examples of successful social media campaigns. More
Social media conference themes
Recap of key themes from the eBay/Ragan Social Media Conference More
Smart ways to use social media tools
It’s way too easy to get overwhelmed by all the talk about social media and ‘Web 2.0.’ This article will help you identify simple and smart ways to integrate social media tools into your employee communications strategy. More
Social media and HR communication strategy
This article outlines four simple but strategic questions to ask before you embark on any “Web 2.0” investments. Don’t get caught up with the “cool” factor of these tools and invest in one that doesn’t make sense with your goals. This article will ensure your investments are aligned with your strategic goals. More
