ºÚÁÏÍø

You might have the best benefits program in place, or the most advanced benefits technology to support it – but without clear communication, employees can’t see its value. And when that happens, the impact of your investment is limited.

In our Benefits communications masterclass webinar, Benifexers Jessica Bull, Global Communications Lead, Charlotte Read and Sara Atterton-Caine, Senior Communications Consultants, explored emerging trends, practical ideas, and real-world examples to help organizations cut through the noise and connect employees with the benefits that matter to them.
Below, we recap the key themes from the session and answer some of the most popular audience questions.

The value of collaboration

Benefits communications need to cater to a wide audience, often requiring engagement with multiple stakeholders beforehand. Whether working with internal teams or external providers, collaboration is key to achieving impact, avoiding overwhelm, and ensuring messages are useful, timely and human.

Some key takeaways on collaboration included:

• Right people at the right time – involving relevant teams from the outset helps avoid clashes with wider business activity and ensures a more aligned approach.
• Prepare Internal Communications team – briefing them early allows time to identify potential blockers, anticipate questions and plan resources.
• Align with Brand team – early alignment helps prevent last-minute campaign changes and delivery delays.

The webinar also features a case study on Danone’s wellbeing offering, delivered in partnership with Benifex, as an example of how collaboration can strengthen the impact of benefits communications. Read more about how Danone built a personalized employee experience to support wellbeing here.

Three trends shaping communications in 2026

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is a trend that’s evolving rapidly. It’s transforming how we communicate across the board and is also raising questions among employees about its impact in the workplace.

From a communications perspective, AI can help cut through the complexity often found in benefits programs, qualitative data, and employee feedback. The examples the webinar shared on Kantar’s approach also shows how AI is helping sharpen – rather than replace – the role of Internal Communications professionals.

2. Employee listening

Feeling heard and listened to by an employer has a significant impact. According to The Internal Communications Index 2025, 90% of employees who see their company ‘closing the loop’ on feedback would recommend their employer as a great place to work.

This is shaping employee expectations, and Internal Communications plays a vital role in demonstrating to employees how their voices are being heard. It can also help board members and senior leaders – who are often further removed from the day-to-day experiences of their teams – connect with employees in a more authentic and transparent way.

3. Value alignment

There’s been a shift in how people view the work they do and how the values their company demonstrates align with their own personal values.

Value alignment isn’t just a feel-good concept – it’s a strategic lever for retention and engagement. Benefits are no longer viewed simply as perks; they’re signals of what a company stands for.

Every benefit offered is an opportunity to say to employees: we see you and we value you. Internal Communications therefore has an important role to play in making those values visible and tangible through every message, every benefit, and every story.

Four key takeaways from our benefits communications masterclass:

1. Collaboration is key – engaging the right stakeholders at the right time is often the biggest factor in the success of any communications campaign.

2. AI isn’t going anywhere – it’s here to stay, and when used thoughtfully it can simplify complexity and improve employee understanding.

3. Listen. Act. Repeat – employees want to know their voices are heard. Closing the feedback loop builds trust and engagement.

4. Make your values visible – value alignment can make the difference between retaining talent and losing it to competitors. Bring those values to life through both your reward strategy and your communications.

Your employee communications questions answered

During our webinar, we received a range of thoughtful questions. We didn’t have time to cover them all, so here are some of the most common queries we received from HR and Reward professionals on the day.

What are ways we can gather employee feedback and insight?

Some of the main ways we can gather insight and feedback are:

• Employee surveys.
• Focus groups – for example, a select group of employees.
• Stakeholder workshops – those with a vested interest in the project.
• Internal collaboration – for example, exit interviews through your HR team might help identify trends in employee satisfaction.

I struggle to get sign off for communication plans from my internal comms team; do you have any tips?

Communications plans with clear measures and impacts of the deliverables help create stronger business cases.

To help break down those bigger costs and establish a clear rationale to non-comms team, you can:

• Present a baseline set of data showing current engagement levels and what you think projected engagement might be.
• Highlight return on investment figures looking at cost per employee vs overall savings.

When building out a communications plan, look at objectives, goals and include recommendations that form part of a wider strategy.

Getting sign off on bigger projects can be a challenge, so try taking one element of it to key stakeholders first. Focusing on a particular piece you know will resonate with employees or demonstrating the easy wins that don’t blow the budget, help stakeholders see clearly see the benefits to both employees and the business. The plan can always be revisited once proof of concept has been demonstrated.

How are you using AI in Benifex?

We’re exploring how AI can be relevant to different types of business activities, including:

• Process and efficiency: reducing admin burden so we can focus on strategy and creativity.
• Gamification and benefits quizzes: scenario-based questions to identify personality traits that align to customer values, pillars or benefit categories.

How can you increase engagement with communications when you have various working environments in the business – for example, office, field, factory-based etc.?

An up-to-date channel analysis is a key first step. A deeper understanding of existing and new opportunities for different channels helps identify which are most popular, and where new channels can be introduced with minimal obstacles for employees.

Channels for offline groups include:

• Team talks – using stakeholder communications to support on-site managers in distributing key messages.
• Digital or printed communications in communal areas.
• Printed communications only sent to home addresses of relevant groups, helping keep the associated costs low.

If you’d like to watch the webinar again, or share it with a colleague, you can access the on-demand recording here.

Looking for more support with your benefits communications?

Contact our team to learn how we can work with you to design and deliver informed campaigns that achieve real results.