HCW Benefits Blog

Contributor:
Chris Tutino, Communications Specialist
Hill, Chesson & Woody 

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” my Dad always told me. After a quick Google search, I found out that the quote is most-commonly attributed to Ben Franklin. I always liked that guy, probably because his face is all over the hundred dollar bill. But, with such inventions as bifocal glasses, the lightning rod and the odometer to his credit, I guess he might know what he’s talking about.

If you want your employee communication piece to spark as much interest as some of Franklin’s ideas, you certainly need to plan when the best time is to send it. And, if you’re really ahead of the game, you may already have a year’s worth of employee benefits-related materials just waiting to be deployed.

The question is:  When should you communicate your messages?

I haven’t found a ton of research to suggest what specific time of day is best suited for employees to receive a message on HRAs or HDHPs. Nor do I know when the worst time of year is to roll out a wellness program. But, by putting together all the pieces of our first four steps — Objectives, Audiences, Messages, Vehicles — planning your communications delivery schedule is next in line and will take you from the “big picture” to the details.

Start with a rollout plan that will organize your communication objectives, their affected audiences, a message summary and the best vehicles to reach your target. Once this document is prepared, take a look at your organization’s calendar of events to see what other messages yours may be competing against. When you find the slots that work best, put them in a rollout calendar and execute the plan.

All that’s left to do is measure and evaluate the success of your communications program throughout the year! And, that’s what we’ll cover next week in our conclusion of this series on developing an employee benefits communication strategy.