Everybody loves a great employee benefit package. But if it’s not being used to its full advantage, how much is it really benefiting your employees…and your organization?

One of the biggest reasons employees don’t maximize all their benefits is because they’re simply not aware of them. Sure, benefits come up during the hiring and onboarding process, but once all the papers have been signed and filed, it’s easy to forget about them in the daily rush to get things done. One way to make things stick from the start is to get new employees involved in the process. Rather than just reel off a list of perks – vacation, bonus, insurance, recognition – give them options. If they have to think about and choose a benefit plan, they’re more likely to be actively engaged in using it. As a bonus, offering customized plans from a wide selection of benefits makes employees feel valued and increases loyalty.

Keep that awareness front and center throughout your employees’ tenures by talking about benefits throughout the year. Annual open enrollment is an ideal time to revisit options. However, you have plenty of opportunities year-round to get employees thinking about what’s best for them. After all, life changes – marriages, babies, home buying – don’t happen only at open enrollment. Even if employees can’t actually make a change right when it’s convenient, it helps them to know what’s available and that they only have to wait a few months to implement their new benefits plan. Discuss benefits during all-company or department meetings, send quarterly emails or use your newsletter if you have one. Also, make sure employees know they’re always welcome to visit HR to talk about their plans.

Finally, make it easy for employees to sign up for new benefits or makes changes to existing plans. Online enrollment is the simplest, most streamlined option. It offers the greatest flexibility to employees and saves you time and money. That’s a benefit you can’t pass up!