NBCH and Benz Communications Launch 2014 Inside Benefits Communication Survey

SAN FRANCISCO AND WASHINGTON, June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Benz Communications and the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) announced the 2014 Inside Benefits Communication Survey, a collaborative effort to learn how companies are strategizing and implementing benefits communication through the lens of the Affordable Care Act, compliance mandates and industry trends.

The Benz-NBCH joint survey will gather key data from HR/benefits professionals about their benefits communication approaches, strategies and results.

"We want to better understand how organizations are addressing industry changes around health care reform and compliance issues," said Brian Klepper, NBCH CEO. "Health care benefits are critical to employee recruiting and retention, and employers historically have not communicated well on benefits. People are stressed due to the economy and still learning about how health care reform legislation may impact them."

This year's survey is the much-anticipated follow up to the 2012 survey, which was the first of its kind in the employee benefits industry and garnered nearly 300 responses from HR/benefits professionals. Key findings from the first survey revealed that engaging employees year round is among employers' top communications challenges, with nearly half (45%) saying they are dissatisfied with their current communications strategies. In addition, 41% said they aren't sure if their benefits communication efforts are helping them meet their goals.

"Industry research is voluminous and clear: How benefits are communicated is a key factor in whether they're used, understood and valued," said Jennifer Benz, founder and CEO of Benz Communications. "However, employers still have limited data and understanding about how to most effectively create and implement strategic benefits communication to drive desired results in not only employee behavior, but also the company bottom line. With this follow-up survey, our goal is to broaden industry insight into the what, why, when and how of successful benefits communication programs."

The 2014 survey is targeted at human resources and employee benefits managers/directors and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

To encourage participation, one of every 50 participants will receive a free full registration to their choice among two leading industry events:

• The 2014 NBCH 19^th Annual Conference (November 10–12 in Washington), "Employers Transforming Health Care: The Power of Collaboration." The conference gathers health and employment experts to provide expertise, resources and vision to its member coalitions and attendees. Through the event, NBCH spreads the tenets and practical applications of community health reform to areas where employers have yet to organize their purchasing power.
• The 2015 Health & Benefits Leadership Conference (April 8–10 in Las Vegas), led by Human Resource Executive with Jennifer Benz as programming chair. The event brings together more than 500 high-level HR/benefits industry practitioners, researchers and vendors to discuss immediate solutions and future innovations for employee benefit programs.

Additionally, NBCH members may receive exclusive breakout data from the survey that pertains to respondents from their particular region. If 15 members from a regional coalition participate, all respondents from that region will receive this special breakout report.

Interested benefits and HR professionals may take the 2014 Inside Benefits Communication Survey online at benzcommunications.com/ibcsurvey or nbch.org/ibcsurvey.

About Benz Communications
Benz Communications is a benefits communications strategy boutique creating integrated employee benefits campaigns for employers committed to nurturing high-performing and satisfied employees. Benz Communications' clients include Fortune 500 companies and Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. The firm has also created a group of innovative toolkits and resources to help companies educate employees about health and financial benefits.

About National Business Coalition on Health
National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) is a national nonprofit membership organization of purchaser-led health care coalitions, representing more than 4,000 employers and about 35 million employees and dependents. NBCH and its members are dedicated to value-based purchasing of health care services through the collective action of public and private purchasers. NBCH seeks to accelerate the nation's progress toward safe, efficient, high-quality health care and the improved health status of the American population.

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SOURCE National Business Coalition on Health; Benz Communications