Alerting Your Employees to Family-Building Benefits
Communication is Key
Whether your company has just started offering family building benefits or has been providing them for some time, communicating with your employees is key.
You’re showing your employees that they matter, families matter, and that your company cares about their hopes and dreams. Here are some ideas to help you inform them of their options for family building.
Communicate Through Several Channels
Your employees are individuals and may prefer to learn in ways that differ among the group. Some people will read an email, a flyer, or an employee newsletter that highlights the family building benefits, while others would rather hear about it in a group meeting or all-staff meeting as part of a general benefits discussion. Lunch and learn sessions can provide an informal means to ask questions and spread the word from those who attend to other employees.
Since infertility is such a private and personal subject, be sure to make it clear how employees can find out about the details of the benefits offering in a private way.  Make sure the information is posted on your employee benefits website or your human resources website. If your HR team creates personal dashboards for employees, include the family building benefits. If your company receives family building benefits through WINFertility, the WINFertility Companion App lets employees receive in-app notifications and take advantage of their benefits from their phones. The app can be downloaded from the Apple Store or from Google Play.
Remind Employees Periodically about the Benefits
Your employees need to know that the company cares about them and their future families. Telling them during the open enrollment period that family building benefits will be available is just the beginning. Include the benefits in any applicable benefits packages that are distributed. It’s a good idea to spotlight family building benefits in your employee newsletter or other employee communications at least once per quarter. Especially if offering these benefits is new to your company, you may want to consider holding a town hall meeting to kick it off, followed by smaller meetings or events for interested employees. Whenever you communicate about family building benefits, make sure you inform employees that the company is offering these because you value your employees and you want to support them as they embark on this journey.
How Your Company Gains from Providing Family Building Benefits
Having a family is extremely important to many people. You want to attract and retain talented employees, and family building benefits are an important tool in recruitment and retention. In this competitive job environment, providing inclusive benefits can give a company an additional edge. In addition to fertility treatment, offering adoption benefits and coverage for LGBTQ family building can provide a competitive advantage.
