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Tutorial: Getting Started (#5)
Variable employee benefit statement text & corresponding data are what transform your document from "just another piece of paper" into a powerful, employee communication tool. Although your entire Employee group may be referred to as a Team while at work, when they go home their focus will change. Their 'Team' becomes their family - and their own personal life. Money & benefits are deeply personal issues. Personalization is a critical component of effective employee communications.
A very simple example of personalization is reminding an employee of their enrollment status for a specific benefit:
"You are enrolled in the BCBS Point of Service Plan with Employee Only coverage."
Notice the example uses present tense. A small but important point. 'You are' implies real time data, so unless true, you may choose to restate as:
"As of 12/31/2007, you were enrolled in the BCBS Point of Service Plan with Employee Only coverage."
Rethink again. You may have 15 different benefits & will likely desire consistent text. Is it necessary to say: "As of 12/31/2007" 15 different times? It may seem trivial, but this would be a redundant 'space eater'.
Instead, try a global header statement: "Personal Enrollment Information is as of 12/31/2007."
A very simple example of personalization is reminding an employee of their enrollment status for a specific benefit:
"You are enrolled in the BCBS Point of Service Plan with Employee Only coverage."
Notice the example uses present tense. A small but important point. 'You are' implies real time data, so unless true, you may choose to restate as:
"As of 12/31/2007, you were enrolled in the BCBS Point of Service Plan with Employee Only coverage."
Rethink again. You may have 15 different benefits & will likely desire consistent text. Is it necessary to say: "As of 12/31/2007" 15 different times? It may seem trivial, but this would be a redundant 'space eater'.
Instead, try a global header statement: "Personal Enrollment Information is as of 12/31/2007."
This may be better, but before you walk too far down that path, ask your HRIS person (a critical Team member for an employee benefit statement project): "Do we have enrollment data as of 12/31/2007?"
If that data has not been archived, then ask for a more current & valid data date. Data, like bread, is best when fresh. More about that later, but for now continue to annotate those 'spots' where you would like personal content and also the data type of the personalized content (text, number, chart, date, image).
As you do, you'll find that your space requirements have expanded considerably. An 8.5" x 11" duplexed statement may have 'been big enough' when there was only static text, but now it may be cramped, unreadable and very difficult to manipulate.
Any carpenter will tell you that it is easier to trim a piece of wood than it is to use glue, bolts, screws, joins & nails. Start big. The excess paper can be trimmed later.
Continue until you have identified every desired personalized item on the entire document. Indicate a personalized item by adding brackets around one example of the to-be-personalized text (preferably, the 'longest' string. Example:
If that data has not been archived, then ask for a more current & valid data date. Data, like bread, is best when fresh. More about that later, but for now continue to annotate those 'spots' where you would like personal content and also the data type of the personalized content (text, number, chart, date, image).
As you do, you'll find that your space requirements have expanded considerably. An 8.5" x 11" duplexed statement may have 'been big enough' when there was only static text, but now it may be cramped, unreadable and very difficult to manipulate.
Any carpenter will tell you that it is easier to trim a piece of wood than it is to use glue, bolts, screws, joins & nails. Start big. The excess paper can be trimmed later.
Continue until you have identified every desired personalized item on the entire document. Indicate a personalized item by adding brackets around one example of the to-be-personalized text (preferably, the 'longest' string. Example:
8 1/2" x 11" for 1 side in Printer lingo is 'an impression' and the simplest employee benefit statement.If your benefits are minimal, this may be an option.
Usually, you'll need at least 8.5" x 11". duplex (2-sided).If not, your employee benefit statement will be dense and a difficult read.
Use the back of the employee benefit statement for ++ employee content, a quick summary of contents - or a list of vendor websites, contact phone #'s, etc
Layout for printing your employee benefit statement can be portrait or landscape. Different folds can be used to handle a variety of window envelopes. Avoid using labels. Labels must be matched to each employee; an error eagerly waiting to happen. The classic 'disaster' error.
11" x 17" is your most flexible format. Each sheet of 11" x 17" - when center folded, will be an impression and can give your employee benefit statement a 'magazine look'. Since there is more space, there is lmore room for images and additional content. A 2-sided document of this size is a more serious offerering and allows thorough coverage of your benefits.
If you have a highly educated group of employees, you may wish to consider 2 -- 11" x 17", duplexed documents (8 impressions). This would be center folded & stitched - like a magazine. This syle of employee benefit statement may be appropriate for salaried or Executives with 457 plans, Executive LTD, Executive Whole life, Options, Grants & 'deep' retirement.
There are also 'in-between' sizes, such as 9" x 16". Not quite as large as an 11" x 17", but offers the advantage of fitting into a #10 window envelope. Also, you likely know that postage rates are pegged to the weight - AND the size of the envelope. The bigger the envelope, the greater the metering expense. This size gives 'more space' without increasing your metering costs.
After you have completed the above exercise, you should be ready to select your preliminary paper size & the number of impressions. Remember - whitespace is important.
ABCD Corporation is strongly committed to providing fellow Team members with quality Health care coverage .... (more)... [[You were enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield Point of Service Plan with Employee + Spouse coverage]].
Employee Benefit Statements Tutorial
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Employee Benefit Statements #1
Employee Benefit Statements #2
Employee Benefit Statements #3
Employee Benefit Statements #4
Employee Benefit Statements #5
Employee Benefit Statements #6
Employee Benefit Statements #7
Employee Benefit Statements #8
Employee Benefit Statements #9
Employee Benefit Statements #10