Human Resources, Benefits and Wellness Communication

Companies have a distinct competitive advantage when they can effectively use benefits and other reward components – pay, training and education, culture – to influence employee behavior and performance. During this session, a senior benefits communication executive discusses the latest trends and opportunities to improve results. Topics to be covered include:

• Developing a clear focus on and commitment to supporting employees' health and health care decisions
• Creating communication strategies that deliver results
• Shaping attitudes and perceptions that encourage transparency and accountability
• Gaining employee buy-in and improve understanding
• Engaging employees in different ways to help build a culture of health in the organization

Dow Scott, Ph.D, Professor of Human Resources. Quinlan School of Business
Loyola University Chicago

Studies have shown that perception of an employer benefit plan is vitally linked to employee satisfaction and retention. But without solid communication efforts and plans, employees may not understand or value even the best and most generous benefit plans. This is a must-attend session for learning more about how communication campaigns - leveraging multiple vehicles - can help improve organizational perception, and drive adoption and engagement in health and incentive programs. See best-practice examples and get tips to help you communicate to your employees about the importance, scope and strength of your benefits offerings.

 Learn how to:

• Coordinate and leverage multiple communications channels to reinforce the value of benefits plan options for employees.
• Communicate to drive adoption of voluntary benefit
• Take away best-practice communications templates to apply in your organization

Mary Schafer, VP, Human Capital Management Strategic Communications
ADP

What’s happening in health care? New federal laws in the US redefine the care that patients receive, the standards that providers must meet and the insurance coverage that consumers must select. Caught in the middle are consumers who suddenly find themselves confused by the changes, uncertain about their coverage and demanding for their care as they look for new ways to achieve and sustain their health.

Join Mark Schumann, ABC, and IABC Fellow for compelling session to review new research into the what consumers expect from health care today, including:

• What consumers expect from the health care system
• What consumers fear about the health care system
• What it takes for consumers to commit to healthy living, and
• What support they hope to receive for their healthy choices.

Mark Schumann, Former Vice President of Marketing, Brand Strategy and Communications
Western Connecticut Health Network

Shifting organizational priorities and changing employee attitudes is changing the way we structure and communicate employee benefits. Many changes have occurred in benefits communication in recent years. To succeed with your benefits communication strategies, you need to build a meaningful relationship with employees and understand their needs and well as yours During this session,  a senior benefits communication executive will discuss how you can develop a communication program that meets organizational needs and adapts to your corporate culture.

Paula Angelo, Staff Vice President, Internal Communications
Anthem, Inc. (formerly WellPoint)                                                         

Today’s employees are being asked to cope with increasingly rapid changes to their benefits offering. With the benefits landscape gaining in complexity each year, employers need assistance in helping their employees better understand and appreciate how all the components of their benefits programs fit together.  During this session.  you will gain valuable advise and insights into using social media channels to communicate and engage employees.

Mitchell Andrews, Partner
The Plexus Groupe                                                                                                     

This session will cover how Walgreens as an employer has integrated wellness and well-being into the overall healthcare strategy for Team Members. We will explore the challenges employers have with communicating and engaging a large employer population, and will look at data integration opportunities. We will also discuss the illusive measurement of ROI and why it may not be so important to chase.

The session will also evaluate the difference between wellness and well-being.  Attendees at this session will:

• Explore the how to better integrate well-being into the overall health strategy
• Examine integration points and opportunities to get more value a well-being strategy
• Discover communication and incentive opportunities beyond the traditional means.

Tom Sondergeld, Senior Director of Benefits & Well-Being
Walgreens

• The importance of discovering your brand’s “why” (or purpose) – and why that matters to employees
• Why mission, vision and values shouldn’t be viewed as forgetful platitudes
• Understanding your position in the context of the competition
• Ways to leverage internal communications channels to drive change
• Natural touch points where you can “operationalize” the brand

Tom Comes, Director of Marketing & Communications
Borgess Health

Stephanie Hungerford, APR, Director, Healthcare Marketing
Core Creative, Inc.

Managing through uncertain times is a corporate fact of life. But recent events have widened the zone of uncertainty, as companies try to adapt to a shifting priorities, continuing economic ambivalence, and changing consumer preferences. Many companies are developing transitional business strategies to weather this volatile environment, and raising capital, restructuring, or consolidating/ realigning their work force to remain competitive.

During this panel session,  senior benefits and communication executives reveal new ways to communicate to a changing workplace.

Moderator:
Ken Groh, President, Groh Associates

Panelists:
Howard Karesh, Director, Internal Communications and Creative Media, Exelon Corporation

Jill Chapman,  Senior Director, Benefits, Office Depot, Inc.

Nate Solomon, Director, Benefits, Wolters Kluwer

Benefits communication is a unique mix of marketing, technical details and legal impact - all wrapped up in a call-to-action that can involve every member of the audience. In this session, a panel of benefits experts will discuss how to:

• Adapt benefit communication to a changing organization
• Create a culture of health care consumerism
• Interact with  your  workforce in the era of  Web 2.0
• Align benefits communication with your overall  business strategy
• Improve responsiveness and trust with employees

Megan Kriss, Senior Manager, Benefits Communications
Kraft Foods

Deb Smolensky, Director, Health and Wellness
National Financial Partners

How you interact with employees has never been more important. Unfortunately, the costs and lost productivity of bringing employees together on a regular basis can be staggering.  Intranets  is your solution to timely information and updates right to your employee's desktop or smart phone, no matter the location, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. 

• Engage your changing workforce in the era of  Web 2.0
• Use the web to improve the health and well  being of employees
• Increase employee engagement of the  purpose-driven brand
• Turn your employees into brand embassadors

Susan Zimny, Senior Manager, Web Marketing Communication

Mike DeLong, Manager, Web Marketing Communications

Katie Hocking, Lead Consultant, Web Marketing Communications

Health Care Service Corp, A Blue Cross Blue Shield Company

We are working in a world where “one size fits all” communications are not as effective and are quickly becoming obsolete.   Personalized communications and tailored programming have become necessities in creating an engaged workforce.  Yet, how do we do this effectively when the landscape is changing at lightning speed and HR job responsibilities are expanding at exponential rates? 

In this session we’ll explore the various communication challenges within a dynamic workforce and rapidly changing environment, as well as simple strategies and innovative ideas you can use to create more effective, engaging communications to transform and motivate your workplace.  Topics to be covered include:

• Challenges facing employers today with regards to HR communications
• The one area where “one size fits all” does work and does matter
• Strategies to help you move to a more personalized communication approach
• Resources and tools you can leverage to help simplify your efforts 

Deb Smolensky, Director, Health and Wellness 
National Financial Partners                                                                                       

More than 300 benefits professionals participated in the 2014 Inside Benefits Communication survey, presented jointly by Benz Communications and the National Business Coalition on Health. Survey respondents—spanning a wide cross-section of the nation’s geographic regions and corporate industries—offered exclusive insight into their communication strategies, approaches and results. All of the data was striking, but most telling were statistics that show most employers still are missing major, can’t-miss communications opportunities to improve the employee value proposition for their benefits.

This session will highlight key findings from the IBC report to show benefits stakeholders how to:

• Overcome budget constraints and use existing communications budgets to achieve the maximum effect and results in employee understanding, perceived value, use and satisfaction with benefits.

• Use ACA to your advantage to promote your company and your programs in a positive and progressive light.

• Build a “bigger tent” to engage all employees and household benefits decision makers fully and enthusiastically—in creative and small, yet meaningful ways that most companies overlook.

Liz Webler Rowell, Senior Consultant
Benz Communications

Employee benefits communication is a unique mix of marketing, technical details and legal impact. During this session, you will gain valuable knowledge and insight through group discussion with our panelists and your peers.

Moderator:

Lee Hornick, Program Director, Advanced Learning Institute

Panelists:

Dan Rimkus, Director, Compensation and Benefits, Grant Thornton

Jennifer Patel, Director, Wellness Engagement, Hallmark Business Connections

Kimberly Mooring, Vice President, People & Leadership, Popular Community Bank