Redesign of benefits materials achieves results that transcend enrollment

Ford Motor Company’s interactive 2015 benefits enrollment guide is accessible outside the company firewall on desktop and mobile devices, providing one-stop shopping for benefits information from wherever employees (or the family members responsible for enrollment decisions) happen to be. 

The primary document, an e-guide, features tabs employees can click to seamlessly move through the materials, identifying what they need to know before enrolling, the various choices available to them, and easy-to-follow instructions for completing their enrollments online. Links to calculators and other tools enhance the document, which is also available in printable versions for workers without online access (or with a preference for print). 

A comprehensive communication campaign accompanied the revamped enrollment, which resulted in a significant reduction in the number of calls to the service center and a high rating in a follow-up survey. Ford was also able to tout the ecological benefits of a mainly digital enrollment guide while reducing the cost of production. 

Of particular interest, the company’s recruiting department latched on to the guide, extracting a portion for recruiting purposes even before the enrollment began. Because the document was crafted as an information resource, it serves employees year-round, and is part of the toolkit new hires use. 

Above all, in addition to a sound strategic plan and good, measurable outcomes, the production values of the finished guide blew away the competition. 

For outstanding work producing what is often a dry, officious communication, we’re pleased to present Ragan’s 2014 Employee Communications Award for Best Benefits Communication to Ford Motor Company. Congratulations to Catherine Biondi, Kathleen Hurt, and Katelyn Davis, along with their counterparts at Xerox, Cheryl Desjardin, Steve Coogan, Betsy Eschelbacher, and Rex Points II.