Four dental benefit promotional ideas most employers don't know
You offer dental benefits to help your employees enjoy good oral and overall health. But they are also a valuable differentiator in recruiting and retaining top talent in a tight labor market.
Dental coverage offers flexible, affordable benefits that your employees want. In fact, 88 percent of employees say better health, dental and vision coverage are factors they consider when choosing a job.1 And two-thirds of workers consider dental benefits to be very or extremely important.2
Like any employee benefit, it’s important to make sure your employees not only use their dental benefits, but that they also see the value in your benefit offerings. Here’s how you can gain greater appreciation from your employees.3
Make your dental plan part of your overall wellness package
Some employers focus much of their efforts on educating employees about medical insurance. If you treat dental coverage like an add-on to health insurance, it will likely have less value to your employees. Communicate and highlight dental benefits as part of a whole benefits package for full employee health.
Emphasize the connection between benefits and preventive care
Dental disease is almost always preventable. That’s why most dental plans offer free preventive care. Highlight the potential savings in treating dental issues early before they become more expensive.
Plus, emphasize that going to the dentist is good for more than just their smiles. More than 120 diseases may be detected in the mouth, including diabetes and heart diseases.4,5
Promote the dollar value of dental benefits
Make sure your employees understand their benefits are part of their overall employee compensation. By communicating the value of each benefit, including dental coverage, you will help employees feel more valued and better compensated.
Use marketing tools year-round
Take advantage of any communication tools your dental carrier may offer, such as emails, preventive care reminders, posters, oral health articles and brochures. These resources are carefully developed to encourage your employees to enroll in, understand and make the most out of their benefits while enjoying the advantages of good oral and overall health. You may also want to customize materials for your organization’s needs.
Don’t just promote your benefits during enrollment periods. Make it a yearlong effort. Follow these best practices and use your dental plan to gain a competitive edge.
Sources:
1 https://hbr.org/2017/02/the-most-desirable-employee-benefits
2 Employee Benefit Research Institute
3 https://www.thebalancecareers.com/marketing-employee-benefits-4152038
4 U.S. Surgeon General Report on Oral Health 2000 – Chapter 3 – Diseases and Disorders
5 Application of the international classification of diseases to dentistry and stomatology : ICD-DA. World Health Organization 1995