Telling Your Benefits Story: Resources Available

NRECA engaged language research firm maslansky + partners to help us find the right language to tell a clear, compelling story about the value of employee benefit programs—one that captures what employees like about their benefits today AND helps them appreciate those benefits more deeply.

The research initiative blended qualitative and quantitative research as a result of direct engagement with over 25 co-op benefits administrators and more than 400 employees across the United States—representing a cross-section of the co-op community in terms of region, co-op type, employment tenure, employee role/position and more.

The end result of this engagement is a strategic communications blueprint that outlines language to help employees both understand their benefits and appreciate their value. Initially shared at the 2021 Interact Conference, this blueprint informs a shared language to tell the story of the value of employee benefit programs to prospective and current co-op employees.

NRECA has already begun to incorporate enhanced language based on this project into employee benefit communications materials that are being developed while reviewing and revising existing materials to reflect best practices. We’ve developed resources to help benefits administrators, co-op communicators and others tell the story surrounding your benefits program.

Resources

A Language Research page has been added to BA Guide that provides a high-level summary of the research project and its topline results along with the following resources.

• Telling Your Story Language Toolkit summarizes guidance to help you tell your co-op’s high-level benefits story as well as specific information for conveying the value of the Retirement Security Plan, 401(k) Pension Plan and NRECA Medical Plan.
• 401(k) Pension Plan, Retirement Security Plan and NRECA Medical Plan product summaries were developed using the language research principles and are intended to be high-level summaries featuring specific information on the value or benefit for each plan as informed by the research process. While intended for prospective or new co-op employees, they could be used for other co-op employees who perhaps need/want a refresher or better understanding of the benefit programs.

Questions
For specific questions, please reach out to NRECA’s employee benefits communications team via email at employeebenefits@nreca.coop.