How to Communicate the Value of Voluntary Benefits to Employees

Open enrollment season arrives every year, and with it comes a familiar challenge for HR leaders and benefits administrators: how do you get employees to actually pay attention to what is being offered to them? Voluntary benefits, in particular, tend to get lost in the shuffle. Employees glance at a dense enrollment packet, feel overwhelmed, and default to whatever they chose the year before - often without realizing they may be leaving genuinely useful coverage on the table. If your organization has invested in building out a voluntary benefits program, the work does not stop at selecting the right plans. The harder, and arguably more important, job is communicating the value of those benefits in a way that resonates with real people living real lives.

This is especially relevant right now, as fall open enrollment windows open across the country. Employees are being asked to make decisions that will affect their financial security and wellbeing for the next twelve months. The quality of the communication you provide during this window can mean the difference between a workforce that feels genuinely supported and one that walks away confused, disengaged, or unprotected. Understanding how to bridge that gap is what this article is all about.

Why Voluntary Benefits Often Go Underappreciated by Employees

Before diving into communication strategies, it helps to understand why voluntary benefits so often fail to land with employees in the first place. The core issue is that most employees do not think about insurance or supplemental benefits until they need them. When someone is healthy, financially stable, and busy managing day-to-day responsibilities, the idea of adding a critical illness plan or a hospital indemnity policy to their benefits package feels abstract. There is no immediate emotional pull, so the decision gets deferred, minimized, or skipped entirely.

There is also the matter of complexity. Voluntary benefits span a wide range of coverage types - from accident insurance and supplemental life coverage to legal assistance plans and identity theft protection. Each product has its own terms, its own scenarios where it applies, and its own cost structure. Without clear, plain-language explanations, employees simply cannot evaluate whether a benefit is right for their situation. Confusion breeds inaction, and inaction means low enrollment rates that undermine the value of the program you worked hard to put together.

Finally, there is a trust gap. Many employees are skeptical about insurance products in general. They may have had past experiences where coverage did not perform as expected, or they may feel uncertain about whether their employer is presenting voluntary options in their best interest. Addressing this skepticism directly, with transparency and real-world examples, is part of building a communication strategy that actually works.

Building a Communication Strategy That Starts With the Employee's Perspective

The most effective voluntary benefits communication does not start with the product - it starts with the person. Before crafting any message, take time to think about who your employees are, what life stage they are in, what financial pressures they are facing, and what kinds of risks keep them up at night. A 28-year-old single employee and a 45-year-old parent of three have very different needs, and a one-size-fits-all message will resonate with neither of them as strongly as something tailored to their reality.

Segmenting your workforce, even loosely, allows you to frame voluntary benefits in terms that feel relevant. For younger employees, you might emphasize how accident insurance can protect against unexpected out-of-pocket costs that could derail a tight budget. For mid-career employees with families, critical illness coverage and supplemental life insurance speak more directly to their concerns about protecting dependents. When employees see themselves in the story you are telling, they are far more likely to engage with the information and make thoughtful enrollment decisions.

Here are some foundational principles to build your communication strategy around:

• Lead with the problem the benefit solves, not with the product name or technical details.
• Use plain, conversational language that avoids insurance jargon wherever possible.
• Ground abstract coverage concepts in concrete, relatable scenarios.
• Acknowledge that these benefits are optional and employee-paid, but explain clearly why that can still make them a smart financial choice.
• Make it easy for employees to ask questions and get personalized guidance.

This employee-first framing shifts the conversation from "here is what we are offering" to "here is how this could protect you and your family." That shift, while subtle, is enormously powerful in driving both comprehension and enrollment.

Using Multiple Channels and Touchpoints to Reinforce the Message

One email sent a week before open enrollment closes is not a communication strategy. It is a notification. Truly effective benefits communication requires a multi-channel, multi-touchpoint approach that meets employees where they are and gives them time to absorb, research, and decide. Relying on a single channel or a single moment in time will consistently produce underwhelming results, no matter how well-written that one message is.

Think about layering your communication efforts across several formats and timeframes. Start building awareness several weeks before open enrollment begins. Use that lead-up period to introduce employees to the concept of voluntary benefits at a high level, without overwhelming them with details. As enrollment approaches, shift to more specific, benefit-by-benefit content that helps employees understand what each option covers and what it costs. During the enrollment window itself, provide decision-support tools and easy access to one-on-one guidance. After enrollment closes, send confirmation summaries and reminders about when coverage begins.

Effective channels to consider incorporating include:

• Email campaigns with short, focused messages on individual benefit types.
• Short explainer videos that walk through real-life claim scenarios in two to three minutes.
• Live or virtual information sessions where employees can ask questions directly.
• Printed materials or digital guides that employees can reference at their own pace.
• Intranet or benefits portal resources with searchable, easy-to-navigate content.
• Manager briefings, so that team leaders can answer basic questions and encourage participation.
• Text message reminders for deadline-sensitive moments during enrollment.

Managers are a particularly underutilized communication channel. When a trusted direct supervisor mentions that they personally enrolled in a voluntary benefit and explains why, it carries far more weight than a corporate email. Equipping managers with talking points and encouraging them to share their own experience - without pressure - can meaningfully increase engagement across the workforce.

Making the Financial Case in Simple, Concrete Terms

One of the most persuasive things you can do when communicating voluntary benefits is help employees understand the financial math in terms they can immediately grasp. Many employees underestimate the financial exposure that comes with common health events or accidents, and as a result, they undervalue coverage that could protect them from significant out-of-pocket costs.

Consider walking employees through a simple scenario. An employee breaks their arm and requires an emergency room visit, imaging, and follow-up care. Even with solid medical coverage, the combination of deductibles, copays, and any non-covered costs can add up quickly. An accident insurance policy that pays a fixed benefit upon diagnosis or treatment can offset a meaningful portion of those costs - costs that might otherwise go on a credit card or drain an emergency fund that took years to build. When employees see those numbers side by side, the cost of a voluntary benefit that comes out of their paycheck each pay period starts to look very different.

The same logic applies to critical illness, hospital indemnity, and supplemental life insurance. The key is not to catastrophize or use fear as the primary motivator - that approach tends to feel manipulative and can backfire. Instead, present realistic scenarios with realistic numbers, and let employees draw their own conclusions. Providing a simple cost-benefit comparison, or even a short worksheet that helps employees calculate their potential exposure, gives them a concrete reason to evaluate each option seriously rather than dismissing it out of hand.

It is also worth reminding employees of the access advantages that come with employer-sponsored voluntary benefits. Because these plans are offered through the workplace, employees often benefit from group pricing that would not be available to them purchasing coverage individually. Enrollment is also typically simplified, without the medical underwriting requirements that might apply to individually purchased policies. These are genuine advantages that are easy to communicate and easy for employees to appreciate once they understand them.

Sustaining Engagement Beyond Open Enrollment

Communication about voluntary benefits should not begin and end with open enrollment. A year-round approach to benefits engagement helps employees remember what coverage they have, understand how to use it when the time comes, and feel consistently valued by their employer. It also lays the groundwork for stronger participation in next year's enrollment cycle.

Throughout the year, look for natural opportunities to remind employees of their voluntary benefits. If your organization sends a regular internal newsletter, consider including a short benefits spotlight each month that highlights a specific coverage type and explains a scenario where it would apply. When life events occur - a marriage, a new baby, a home purchase - benefits-related communications can be triggered that highlight relevant voluntary options. Even something as simple as a mid-year reminder email that says "here is what you enrolled in and here is how to use it" can meaningfully increase utilization and employee satisfaction.

Post-claim communication is another often-overlooked opportunity. When an employee successfully uses a voluntary benefit and receives a payout, that story - shared with permission and appropriate privacy protections - becomes one of the most powerful communication tools available. Real examples of real employees receiving real financial support are far more compelling than any brochure or enrollment guide.

Working with an experienced employee benefits partner can make all of this significantly easier. At Combs & Company, the team works with employers to design and support employee benefits programs that include voluntary benefits as part of a comprehensive package. Having a knowledgeable partner in your corner means you are not building your communication strategy from scratch or navigating the complexities of plan options alone. It means your employees have access to people who can explain their options clearly, answer their questions honestly, and help them make decisions that genuinely serve their needs.

Ultimately, the goal of communicating voluntary benefits is not simply to drive enrollment numbers. It is to help employees understand what protection is available to them, make informed choices that reflect their personal circumstances, and feel that their employer genuinely cares about their financial wellbeing beyond the basics. When that message comes through clearly, the result is a workforce that is more engaged, more loyal, and better protected against the unexpected events that life inevitably brings. That is a return on investment worth pursuing - and the right communication strategy is what makes it possible.