There is a professional niche in the insurance industry found across United States known as the Worksite Enroller. These professionals at a minimum retain a Life and Health insurance license in their home state. Many travel throughout the United States to educate employees about their employer sponsored benefits, so frequently the Worksite Enroller will have multiple non-resident Life and Health insurance licenses in order to assist with an employee’s enrollment selections when outside of their home state. The Worksite Enroller must comply with all current and continuing education requirements in their resident and non-resident license states in order to serve as a qualified worksite benefits educator.

At Worksite Communications – a Division of Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc., the training of the Worksite enroller is viewed as the most critical endeavor we perform in our service level agreement to our clients. Having the minimum requirements to obtain an insurance license is not sufficient to meet the complexities of the plans our clients are offering employees. We at Worksite Communications address every aspect of proper training of enrollment staff covering vast subject matters in the areas of product knowledge, ethics, computer skills, HIPPA, conduct, presentation and intrapersonal skills to name a few. Prior to the enroller’s worksite deployment, our enrollers are tested by exam and by their oral presentation skills, so we are sure of their readiness to conduct an enrollment session with our client’s employees.

Over the past 12 years I have had the opportunity to speak with thousands of this industry’s worksite enrollers. I have found the worksite enroller to be a highly motivated and caring individual whose driving goal is to help individuals make informative choices to protect themselves and their families from the unexpected events that can happen in life. Who better to have as an insurance advisor than the well trained, educated and caring benefits counselor, the worksite enroller? I can certainly think of no other.  Can you?

Effectively engaging employees in a wellness program starts with a robust marketing campaign. The marketing campaign should follow a ‘seven touches’ methodology, in that every employee should be ‘touched’ at least seven times before the time of wellness engagement. The ‘touching’ through communications can be in the form of emails, mailbox and payroll stuffers, posters, P.A. announcements, educational videos and even yard signs. A message from upper management should be included in the communications pieces – when upper management is supportive, employees will be more likely to cooperate in the wellness program efforts.

Face to face individual enrollment sessions are the most effective way to drive employee engagement in a wellness program. During the one on one session, a benefits counselor educates the employee on the details of the client’s wellness program. The counselor can also assist with walking the employee through the wellness website, completing an Health Risk Assessment, and enrolling employees in any wellness programs (walking program, health coaching, etc.). Download Worksite’s wellness program engagement case study here: Wellness Case Study (PDF)

Have you had success with other effective methods for engaging employees in Wellness? Which wellness programs attract the most employee participation? Join the conversation below.

Online Surveys

One of the simplest methods to garner employee input is an online survey. To ensure sufficient response the survey should be short and to the point. A gift card can go a long way to enhance employee responsiveness. Online surveys are a convenient and efficient tool to get the answers to important benefit questions. See a PDF sample of a survey questionnaire here.

Focus Groups

Sample Question and Remote

One of the most effective ways to determine employee satisfaction is to conduct a focus group. The Focus groups we conduct usually consist of 12-15 participants performed at three or four different work sites. These meetings usually consist of 20 to 30 ~ questions and last 30 to 45 minutes. Each participant is given a remote control that enables them to anonymously enter their responses. Implementing this type of technology use more effectively engages the employee than a paper survey. During the session, discussion is always open and employees offer a wealth of information and personal experiences. Discovering employee views firsthand can be critical in enhancing program quality.

Web Analytics

Another way to evaluate employee interest in benefits is by analyzing the benefits website to determine usage patterns. Many employers realize the convenience and accessibility a website offers and use it as a medium to communicate employee benefits information. Often times they don’t realize that there are tools that measure and track user interaction. Through the use of analytic software, patterns and trends can be discovered that reveal important information about employee interests. The software can track which pages users are visiting, how often, how long they are spending on these pages, and other variables that can reveal a lot about user behavior. If users are spending a lot of time on a certain page of the benefits website, there probably is a lot of interest in that particular benefit. The analysis of this data can reveal a lot about a benefits program that may have otherwise gone undiscovered.

Want to Learn More?

Technology can play a pivotal role in determining employee understanding and satisfaction with regards to benefits. To learn more about how we can help your organization harness these tools leave a comment below, or fill out a contact form.

Have you come across any other techniques where technology can help shape employee satisfaction? What are some of the questions you would like to see asked in a focus group or survey? Please share them below.

Established in 1996, Worksite Communications, Inc. is an employee benefits communication and enrollment firm. They provide communication, education and enrollment services for both core and voluntary benefit programs to employee benefits brokers and their clients throughout the United States. They specialize in public and private sector employers and union organizations. Joseph Gaudino and his staff will continue to operate at their current location under the direction of William Ziebell, North Central Regional Executive Vice President of Gallagher’s employee benefit consulting and brokerage operations.

“Worksite Communications is highly regarded for its outstanding enrollment expertise and high degree of quality service,” said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. “This acquisition will give our benefit consulting operations additional capabilities in the rapidly growing voluntary benefits space. They will be a terrific addition to our employee benefits brokerage and consulting operation, and we are pleased to welcome Joe and his associates to our growing Gallagher family of professionals.”

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, has operations in 16 countries and offers client-service capabilities in more than 100 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

If you have any questions regarding this, they may be directed to our President, Joe Gaudino, at 888-636-0112 ext 112 – jgaudino@enrollmentcompany.com.