Employee Benefits Education: Help Your Team Use It
Employee benefits education means clearly showing your team what their group plan covers, how to make a claim, and what it's actually worth. The most effective approach pairs a plain-language walkthrough at onboarding with an annual reminder of total value—so employees use the coverage you're paying for instead of leaving it unclaimed.
Key takeaways
- A benefits plan only delivers value if employees understand and use it—unclaimed coverage is wasted spend.
- Explain benefits in plain language at onboarding, then reinforce with a short annual refresher.
- Group your explanation by what employees actually need: health, income protection, retirement, and family support.
- Show the total dollar value—your contributions are part of every employee's compensation, and most staff underestimate it.
- Get the mechanics right: waiting periods, coordination of benefits, and how to submit claims are where confusion lives.
Why unused benefits are a hidden cost to you
You pay premiums every month whether your team uses the plan or not. When employees don't understand their coverage, they skip the paramedical visits, dental cleanings, and drug savings you're already funding—and then wonder if the plan is worth it. That gap between what you pay and what your team perceives is where retention and goodwill quietly leak away.
Benefits communication is one of the most neglected parts of running a plan. Employers invest real time and money designing coverage, then hand out a booklet and move on. The result: staff who can't tell you three things their plan covers, and who value the benefit far below what it costs you.
The fix isn't more spending. It's making sure the coverage you already have is understood and used. That's employee benefits education—and it's the highest-return, lowest-cost improvement most Alberta employers can make.
Start at onboarding, in plain language
A new hire's first exposure to the plan sets the tone. Handing over a 40-page booklet and a login is not education—it's paperwork. Walk them through the essentials in a short, human conversation or a one-page summary they can actually keep. Cover the four things that trip people up first:
- When coverage starts. Most plans have a waiting period (often after a probationary period) before an employee is eligible. Say the date out loud. - What they pay vs. what you pay. Be clear on any employee-paid premiums and how they show up on the paycheque. - How to submit a claim. Direct-deposit setup, the carrier app, and which receipts to keep. This one detail drives usage more than any other. - Who to ask. A name and a contact for questions—not just a 1-800 line. Keep it concrete. "Paramedical coverage subject to plan maximums" does not.
Organize benefits around real employee needs
Employees don't think in insurance categories. They think in life situations. Group your explanation the way they actually experience it, and comprehension jumps.
- Everyday health: drug, dental, vision, and paramedical—the benefits people use most and value most.
- Income protection: short- and long-term disability, life, and AD&D—what keeps a paycheque coming if someone can't work.
- Family and mental health: EAP, coverage for dependents, and increasingly, mental-health practitioners.
- Retirement: if you offer a group RRSP or DPSP with matching, spell out the match. "We add 3% when you contribute 3%" is money most employees don't want to leave on the table.
When you frame each category around a question an employee is actually asking—"What happens if I get hurt?" or "How do I pay for my kid's glasses?"—the plan stops being abstract and starts feeling like protection they own.
Show the total value, once a year
Most employees badly underestimate what their benefits are worth because they only see the premiums that come off their own cheque—not what you contribute. A once-a-year total-value statement fixes that.
It doesn't need to be fancy. A simple summary showing the annual value of your contributions across health, dental, life, disability, and any retirement match turns an invisible perk into a visible part of total compensation. This is standard practice for a reason: it directly improves how employees perceive the plan and, by extension, their job.
Time it with your renewal or the start of your benefit year, when you're already reviewing the plan. If you're changing anything—new carrier, adjusted coverage, a Health Spending Account added alongside traditional benefits—communicate it clearly and early. Silent changes breed suspicion; explained changes build trust.
Nail the mechanics people get wrong
Even employees who like their plan get tangled in a few recurring details. Address these head-on and you'll cut down on frustration and "the plan doesn't cover anything" complaints.
- Coordination of benefits. If an employee's spouse also has coverage, claims can often be split between the two plans to recover more of the cost. Many people never do this because no one explained it.
- Eligibility and dependents. Who counts as a dependent, and until what age for a student child—this varies by plan, so point people to their own booklet.
- What ends coverage. Benefits typically end when employment ends or an employee stops being eligible. Some plans allow conversion of certain coverage—worth mentioning so departing staff aren't caught off guard.
- Deadlines. Claims usually must be submitted within a set window. Late receipts get denied, and that stings.
The exact amounts, maximums, and rules live in your specific plan booklet—every plan is different. Your job is to make sure employees know where to look and feel comfortable asking.
Make education ongoing, not one-and-done
Benefits knowledge fades. New hires join, life circumstances change, and last year's explanation gets forgotten. Treat education as a light annual rhythm rather than a single onboarding event.
A workable cadence for a 2–50 person shop:
- At hire: the plain-language walkthrough and claims setup.
- Annually at renewal: a total-value reminder and any plan changes.
- As needed: a quick note when the carrier updates its app, or when you add coverage.
You don't have to run this alone. Part of a good broker relationship is helping with employee onboarding and education—so the plan you're paying for actually gets used. If your last renewal came and went with nothing more than a rate change and silence, that's a signal your plan could be working harder for both you and your team.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to educate employees about their benefits?
Usually nothing beyond a bit of time. Onboarding walkthroughs, a one-page plan summary, and an annual total-value statement don't add premium cost. A good group benefits broker will often help produce these materials and run employee sessions as part of the ongoing service you're already paying for through the plan.
What's the single most effective thing I can do to increase benefits usage?
Make claim submission dead simple and explain it at onboarding. Set up direct deposit and the carrier's mobile app on day one, and show employees exactly which receipts to keep. Confusion about how to claim is the biggest reason coverage goes unused.
Should I hand out the full plan booklet or a summary?
Both. Give employees a short plain-language summary of what they use most, plus the full booklet for the details and exact maximums. The summary drives understanding; the booklet is the authoritative source when someone needs specifics on limits, eligibility, or deadlines.
What is a total-value or total-compensation statement?
It's a simple annual summary showing what your benefits contributions are worth to each employee across health, dental, life, disability, and any group retirement match. Because employees only see their own payroll deductions, this statement reveals the portion you fund—which most staff significantly underestimate.
How do I explain coverage that varies by employee?
Explain the categories and how the plan works generally, then direct each person to their own booklet or member portal for exact amounts, maximums, and dependent rules. Every plan differs, so avoid quoting specific figures that may not apply to a given employee's coverage.
How often should I communicate benefits changes?
At minimum, once a year at renewal, and immediately whenever you change carriers, adjust coverage, or add something like a Health Spending Account. Communicate changes clearly and early—unexplained changes create distrust, while explained ones reinforce that you're investing in your team.
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