2.  A graduate of Baker University, where he
received a master of business administration,
Gary Rixson served various management and
leadership roles with AT&T. Since 2013, he has
built on his nearly 20 years of corporate
experience as a consultant with the Lockton
Benefit Communication Insourcing division of
Lockton Companies. As part of the world’s
largest privately owned insurance broker, Gary
Rixson specializes in creating and financing
employee benefit communication strategies.

3.  Recent studies show 40% of employees do not understand
their benefits (ADP). And only 30% of employees rate their
employers communication and education around
benefits as good or excellent (Harris poll).
Effective communication is one of the most important
components for employee satisfaction. There are a
number of ways employers can effectively communicate
their available benefits and get feedback from their
employees.
- Explain the benefits. Invest the time and resources to
properly explaini benefits to employees should be done in
everyday terms and under the assumption that employees
are not familiar with the full extent of the benefits.

4.  - Remind the employees. Rather than waiting for the
annual enrollment period, remind employees of their
benefits throughout the year. Not only can regular
reminders increase awareness of the advantages of
benefits, they can also help keep the full range of
benefits front and center.
- Engage employees. Although an employer may
feel that the benefit package is already well
communicated, that is not necessarily the case. By
requesting candid feedback through a survey
process or other method, employers can identify
deficiencies in their current communication plan and
make changes accordingly.