5 ways to effectively communicate health and wellbeing benefits

In the workplace, providing health and wellbeing benefits isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s increasingly a need-to-have. According to Vitality’s Britain’s Healthiest Workplace Report, 63% of employees feel that their employer should be doing more to support their health and wellbeing[1].

While more employers are offering health and wellbeing initiatives, some appear to be facing a ‘participation gap’ where staff aren’t engaging in the support that is available to them. Vitality data revealed that, on average, employees are aware of 70% of the interventions available to them, but they use just 25%[1], highlighting the need for better communication and awareness.

This is supported by data which found that one-fifth of HR leaders admitted to a lack of onboarding for employee benefits initiatives[2]. A further fifth of HR professionals thought that workers weren’t aware of certain benefits available to them[2].

But this isn’t just an internal communications and awareness challenge either; health and wellbeing benefits are suffering from a lack of external exposure too. According to our Britain’s Healthiest Workplace Report, just 10% of UK employers publish health and wellbeing information in external reports[1].

Here are five tips for effectively communicating health and wellbeing benefits to your staff to help raise awareness, maximise uptake and deliver a better return on investment to the business.

1. Tell real stories

Highlight success stories from employees who’ve benefited from your wellness programme. Whether it’s someone who improved their mental health through counselling or became more active thanks to gym discounts, sharing individual anecdotes helps demonstrate the real-world impact of benefits in a more tangible and relatable way.

2. Use multiple channels

Don’t rely on a single email or intranet post, as colleagues might miss them. You need to regularly remind your team of what’s available to them and why they should take the time to explore the benefits that are on offer.

Use all of your comms channels, including newsletters, intranets, team meetings, and social media (which also lets the outside world know about all the great things you’re doing). From short video explainers to FAQ guides and editorial pieces, make sure you create a range of content to cater to different audiences.

3. Appoint wellbeing champions

Empower passionate employees to become wellbeing ambassadors. They can help spread the word, answer questions, signpost resources, and encourage participation across your workforce. After all, it’s much more welcoming for your new starters and long-standing team members to have a friendly, human point of contact to talk about their wellbeing. Plus, it takes the pressure off you and your HR department.

Vitality Champions: a proven model of driving higher engagement

If your business covers 10 or more employees with Vitality Business Health Insurance and Corporate Healthcare, you’ll get access to the Vitality Champions programme. Vitality Champions are passionate volunteers from your workforce who inspire and encourage their colleagues to engage in all the benefits and rewards on offer.

Open to all of your staff, they’ll be your go-to Vitality expert. Vitality will give them access to exclusive resources, workshops with top athletes and regular webinars, as well as networking breakfasts with other Champs. They help build a culture of health from the inside out.

4. Make it part of your culture

Integrate wellbeing into your company’s values and everyday language. Celebrate wellbeing wins, regularly share updates and ensure leadership teams are actively engaging with the benefits too. Publish your wellbeing strategy and outcomes in a report, which you can share both internally and externally. This’ll help to boost your reputation and show you’re serious about supporting your workforce.

5. Have a central location for information

Make all your wellbeing offerings easily accessible through a dedicated employee wellness hub. It’ll serve as the central destination for all your comms, including user guides and booking forms. This also makes it easier for employees to find and access benefits whenever they need them. 

Higher engagement, better health outcomes

The right combination of effective communications, and a workplace health and wellbeing proposition that offers compelling benefits and drives employee engagement, can be truly transformative for employers.

Britain's Healthiest Workplace research showed that employees with Vitality Health Insurance are 11% less likely to suffer from depression, eight per cent more likely to reach exercise guidelines and 13% less likely to report low job satisfaction[1]*. They are also 17% more likely to agree that their employer plays an active role in supporting their health and wellbeing [1]*.

Best of all, the improved health metrics of employees with Vitality health insurance equate to 2.5 additional days of productive time per employee per year[1]*.

[1] 10 years of Britain’s Healthiest Workplace: The changing face of the UK at work, Vitality

* Comparison of employee responses at employers with Vitality health insurance, and employers offering PMI through other insurers.

[2] Half of UK HR leaders think their workplace benefits aren’t working, Nous