NINE KEYS TO TOTAL REWARDS COMMUNICATION
1. Use Everyday Language
• HR and Compensation specialists often use technical language. It’ s a necessary part of the job to use vocabulary such as compa-ratio, range position, or merit increase. Yet most healthcare employees( and their families) have never heard these words. Moreover, managers who communicate a Total Rewards message are most likely not experts in this area either.
• Simplify the language without losing credibility. Seek the help of communications experts or PR / marketing experts in your organization. Then collaborate with them to develop the message in a way that not only respects the technical nature of the message but also frames the message for the audience’ s appropriate level of understanding.
• Remember the purpose of this communication is to enhance retention and engagement, not to turn nurses and physicians into technical experts on rewards and benefits.
2. Keep It Simple
• Using everyday language is necessary( above), yet there should be only one main purpose or theme for the communication. All the data, messaging, and collateral should drive this main purpose or theme.
• Having one central theme for the message makes it easier to communicate and easier to remember for both employees and managers. One central theme also makes it easier to create collateral, craft messages, and gauge the effectiveness of the message.
3. Drive Transparency: Share More Information Than Employees Need
• Err on the side of more information. Employees will feel more informed and perceive they are seeing the full story. Perceptions of seeing the“ unfiltered” story is important because it builds additional credibility behind the message and drives feelings of empowerment for the employee. An empowered and informed employee is usually a more engaged employee.
• Be prepared to show deeper technical information if requested by the employee. Being ready to show this deeper level information builds both credibility and transparency for the message.
4. Use Comparisons to Differentiate
• The healthcare labor market becomes tighter by the day as turnover plagues nearly every healthcare organization. Due to social networks and technology, it’ s easier than ever for competitors to reach your employees with enticing messages. While we can’ t influence what employees choose to read, see, or believe, we can influence the lens through which they see it.
• Comparing key data from your organization to benchmarks is critical to building that lens through which employees view their current total rewards. When we show this comparison proactively, we are able to control the story and build a more productive and logical lens that employees can bring to how they view their total rewards and how they view other organization’ s claims— even if our own organization is below the benchmark in certain areas.
Due to social networks and technology, it’ s easier than ever for competitors to reach your employees with enticing messages. While we can’ t influence what employees choose to read, see, or believe, we can influence the lens through which they see it.
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