Memo
From: Benefits Department
To: Director, Strategic Planning
RE: Change in Benefits
Overview: The company has had the same benefits provider for ten years and we have reached the end of the contract. As premiums and the cost to the company have increased every year, benefits have remained the same and even decreased in some areas. Additionally, employees have been sharing concerns regarding the cost, co-pays, coverage, and options of the current provider. Therefore, in order to conduct due diligence, the benefits team began reviewing other providers last year. Based on the feedback of employees and needs of the company, the following criteria were considered in the search:
Price of premiums
Lower deductibles
Improved dental plan option
Improved eye care plan option
Inclusion of health care savings or spending accounts
Enhanced long- and short-term disability coverage
Wellness programs
Reduced premiums for nonsmokers
After reviewing the different plans offered and extensive consultation with other stakeholders, the benefits team has selected a new program. Compared to the current program, employees will experience the following enhancements in the new program:
Plans with multiple deductible options
Health care savings account
A wellness program that offers access to a weight loss application, incentives for wellness visits and activity logs, and reimbursement for gym memberships and smoking cessation programs
Improved dental plan
Although these were part of the search criteria, the new program does not include:
Lower premiums
Improved eye care plan options
Reduced premiums for nonsmokers
Enhanced long- and short-term disability coverage
Benefits to the company include:
Reduced premiums for the employees engaging in wellness programs
Additional reduction in rates for in-network usage
The option of a gold plan for executives that is significantly more cost-effective than the previous plan
The new benefits plan will go into effect on January 1 of the new fiscal year and will be rolled out during the open-enrollment period of the current year.
Please contact the benefits department if you have any questions.
Prompt
Using the information in the memo above, create the following pieces of communication. Remember to tailor the information to be appropriate for the target audience.
An email to all affected employees
Describe what is changing and why.
Explain the benefits of the change and how it will affect employees.
A brief three- to four-slide presentation to the human resources team with speaker notes as needed
Describe what is changing and why.
Explain the benefits of the change and how it will affect these teams.
