Success Stories

Building Materials Manufacturing Company, with Multiple Divisions, Products, and Locations

Services – Communication Strategy, Change Management, and Branding

The Situation
This nationally known company had absorbed health care cost increases for years – until reaching the point where it could no longer bear the burden alone. The company planned to introduce three new benefit options – two with substantially higher employee premiums and, the third, a high-deductible plan with company-matched FSA contributions. 

Key Challenges

• In a traditionally paternalistic environment, employees expected the company would continue to “provide for” their benefit needs and pay the lion’s share of the cost.
• Previously, company benefit communications had been limited to program details. Employees had no context for understanding the business impact of skyrocketing benefit costs or the value of their plan.
• The company’s health plans had always been simple. Now, faced with entirely new options, employees needed to "unlearn" what they knew before, deal with new issues and considerations, and make sound, informed choices.
• Faced with new options, and no “automatic reenrollment,” all employees had to sign up for coverage.

Our Approach
To successfully implement the new program, and lay the groundwork for future changes, Strategic Planning Associates took the following steps:

• Met with corporate executives, HR field managers, and other company leaders to gain their perspective on business issues, organizational culture, communication goals, and key program objectives.
• Created a new “brand” for both HR and the new benefit program – with a distinct identity and theme, ensuring employee recognition of related communications.
• Developed a communication strategy that engaged corporate and field managers through a series of leadership updates. Media included site-specific versions of materials (e.g., posters, an announcement letter, newsletters, highlights brochure, enrollment kit, and employee presentation), many in three languages, to achieve the following objectives:
• Educate employees about the forces driving health care costs (nationally, as well as those specific to the company and its employee population) and gain their acceptance of the need to change
• Provide details on new plan options and important issues to consider in making benefit decisions
• Encourage employees to take action to reduce costs (e.g., use new wellness benefits and other resources to better manage, or head off, serious health conditions)
• Emphasize enhanced 401(k) features, including greater company match, to encourage retirement savings (and help offset the impact of news about increased medical premiums)
• Held a series of online meetings with employees unable to attend group session.

Results

• To the client's surprise, employees were open to, and accepting of, change, providing highly positive feedback to management.
• Over 99% of employees (an unprecedented number) enrolled online and on time.
• More than one-third signed up for the high-deductible plan – significantly higher than expected.
• Participation in the both the 401(k) and the Health Care FSA doubled.
• Managers and employees alike expressed appreciation for, and urged the company to continue, its outstanding communication efforts.

Strategic Planning Associates was retained to produce quarterly benefit newsletters on an ongoing basis and to develop communication materials for the following year’s Open Enrollment campaign (including rollout of an HDHP with HSA).