5 Approaches to More Effective Total Rewards Communication
Total Rewards communication often falls short of its intended impact. Schaefer [9] reports that only 40% of employees understand their Total Rewards; this figure is cited from professional commentary rather than a verified primary study. Annual statements can provide a backward-looking snapshot rather than guidance on current value and future choices [5]. This communication gap can limit employees’ ability to recognize and use their package.
Effective rewards programmes need effective communication. Consumer-marketing principles and employee-centred explanations provide a practical foundation for improving awareness and understanding [7, 10]. The following five strategies outline how organizations can make their Total Rewards communication more accessible and useful.
1. Develop a Year-Round, Multichannel Communication Experience
The traditional Total Rewards Statement (TRS) is issued annually and summarises what an employee earned in the previous year. It may offer limited guidance on current benefits or future opportunities [5]. Distribution through email or employee portals can also limit access for frontline employees who do not regularly use these channels [10].
Year-round communication should use channels suited to the workforce. Printed summaries or breakroom signage may be appropriate for deskless workers, while short videos or workplace messages may suit remote knowledge workers [7, 10]. Total Rewards statements can complement these communications by presenting the value of compensation and benefits beyond salary [1].
Communication frequency is as important as channel selection. Lantern [7] recommends consistent, year-round promotion through multiple channels, rather than relying on a single open-enrolment presentation. As an illustrative application, a “one-line benefit a day” email series could present ten short messages, each linking to further detail. This approach supports understanding over time.
2. Use Interactive Dashboards to Support Informed Decisions
Interactive tools can help employees interpret compensation information and explore the implications of different choices [2].
A Fortune 100 company working with Gallagher Guide deployed a Total Rewards platform across 84 countries and nine languages. Employees could view total compensation, compare it with market benchmarks and model how performance could affect future pay. Reported results included an average visit duration of 26 minutes, more than 188,000 returning visits and a Net Promoter Score of 67. The share plan achieved 60% overall enrolment, double its first-year target [2].
The supplied Employee Benefits [6] reference describes Experian’s interactive Total Rewards statement as an approach to increasing benefits take-up. This provides a further example of moving beyond a static annual statement; its implementation details remain subject to source verification.
The practical implication is to give employees opportunities to use the information: model scenarios, compare options and explore potential outcomes, rather than simply review past compensation [2].
3. Use Visual Storytelling to Demonstrate Relevance
Employee stories and relevant visuals can make benefits information more meaningful and accessible [11, 7].
JetBlue spent more than $2 billion annually on Total Rewards programmes that were underutilised and underappreciated. Its previous approach – paper statements mailed to employees’ homes, focused on the cost of benefits rather than their value to employees. Working with WTW, JetBlue redesigned the experience around three principles: simply inspire, future focus and actively support. The online, personalised experience was designed to help crewmembers understand how to optimise their package and how it could evolve with their needs [5].
Gallagher’s healthcare-client case study illustrates the role of relevant imagery. An employee reported that a home mailer showing a father laughing with his toddler prompted her husband to “stop, fall silent, review the material” [11]. The example demonstrates how a relatable image can encourage employees and their families to engage with benefits information.
Communication is more likely to resonate when employees can relate it to their own circumstances. Relevant visuals and authentic employee stories can help demonstrate how rewards support individual needs [11, 7].
4. Tailor Communication to Employee Needs
Employees’ benefits priorities vary according to their circumstances. Some may focus on student loans and retirement savings; others may prioritise dependent coverage, access to healthcare providers or potential out-of-pocket costs. A single message is unlikely to address these different needs equally well [10].
Audience segmentation can make benefits communication more relevant [7, 10]. Illustrative topics include student loan support, flexible work and entry-level equity for early-career employees; dependent care, life insurance and tuition benefits for employees with families; and retirement modelling or phased retirement options for late-career employees. These examples should be adapted to employees’ expressed needs and the benefits actually available, rather than treated as fixed assumptions about age or career stage.
Personalization can also extend to delivery. The supplied reference by De La Espada Sempris [4] describes a personalized video campaign for Total Rewards statements. Such an approach can present individual rewards information in a tailored format; the reported campaign outcomes remain subject to source verification.
5. Use Plain Language and Practical Examples
Plain language helps employees understand their options without reducing the substance of the information [10].
Benefits communication often begins with a list of available features, leaving employees to determine their relevance. A more accessible approach starts with the employee’s circumstances and explains technical terms through practical scenarios. For example, comparing a high-deductible health plan with a preferred provider organization (PPO) should address not only monthly premiums but also potential costs and coverage in situations such as surgery, childbirth or mental healthcare. Using actual plan figures can help employees understand how benefits work in practice [10].
Communication should reflect how employees prefer to receive and interpret information. Horvath [8] highlights the importance of adapting benefits communication for Gen Z and millennials. Accessible, reliable explanations can help employees navigate their choices.
The priority is to provide clear information through appropriate channels. A glossary of common terms and a plain-language summary of each plan can support understanding [10]. Careful editing is equally important: retain necessary qualifications, remove avoidable complexity and ensure each explanation addresses a practical employee question.
Conclusion
All five approaches share a focus on employee needs. Year-round, multichannel communication improves accessibility [7]; interactive modelling supports informed choices [2]; relevant storytelling strengthens the connection to benefits [11]; and employee-centred, plain-language explanations clarify practical decisions [10]. Together, these approaches provide a framework for helping employees understand and use their Total Rewards.
References
- Employee Benefit News. (2025, February 20). How companies are using total rewards statements to boost retention. https://www.benefitnews.com/news/how-companies-are-using-total-rewards-statements-to-boost-retention
- (2025a). Informed Employees, Better Decisions: Total Rewards Case Study. https://www.ajg.com/-/media/files/gallagher/us/campaigns/2025/gallagher-guide-total-rewards-fortune-500-case-study.pdf
- Javia, D. (2025, October 20). How HR can transform benefits communication like a financial advisor. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/digyajavia_communicating-complex-benefits-packages-like-activity-7386461276195033088-jCl-
- De La Espada Sempris, J. (2026, March 9). Personalized video campaign for total reward statements. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/josiasdelaespada_customerexperience-employeeexperience-activity-7437101380697391104-zMNt
- (2026, May 29). Creating a consumer-grade Total Rewards Experience at JetBlue. https://www.wtwco.com/en-il/insights/2026/05/creating-a-consumer-grade-total-rewards-experience-at-jetblue
- Employee Benefits. (2025, November 17). Experian uses interactive total reward statement to boost benefits take up. https://www.employeebenefits.co.uk/case-studies/2025/11/18/experian-uses-interactive-total-reward-statement-to-boost-benefits-take-up/
- (2025, March 26). How to Get Employees to Use Their Benefits. https://lanterncare.com/blog/how-to-get-employees-to-use-their-benefits-increase-engagement/
- Horvath, C. (2025, October 22). Your employees aren’t reading your benefits communications. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/christie-horvath_your-employees-arent-reading-your-benefits-activity-7387148231539060736-FygD
- Schaefer, E. (2024, November 6). Thriving Workplaces series: Total Rewards communication. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edward-schaefer_workplaceculture-employeeengagement-totalrewards-activity-7260385746207809537-EXZf
- NAPEO PEO Insider. (2026, August). The benefits communication problem no one talks about. https://peoinsider.org/articles/the-benefits-communication-problem-no-one-talks-about/
- (2025b, August 28). Designing for engagement. https://www.ajg.com/employeeexperience/projects/designing-for-engagement/
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