August may seem like a tough month to get employees to pay attention to benefits. Many people are squeezing in a last-minute vacation or preparing their kids for the back-to-school frenzy. In fact, August is just the sort of “transition” month when many employees need a little help. Here are the topics we suggest you communicate to your employees in August.
1. Telemedicine
Educate employees about this benefit and encourage them to download the app to their phone before the school year starts. Promote it as a timesaver since life with school-age children is busy — hello drop-offs, pick-ups, homework at night, sports, and activities!
2. Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Many EAPs have resources for families ranging from mental health to childcare support. August is a great time to shape how employees use the EAP and educate them on resources they may not know are available.
3. Financial Wellness
Back-to-school can be expensive! Provide tips to help budget for costs related to back-to-school or the upcoming season change.
4. Flexible Spending Accounts
Schedules change in August and an employee may need to find after-school care. Promote the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account to help cover costs.
We’re also over halfway through the year, with Flexible Spending Accounts being use-it-or-lose-it, it’s a perfect time to remind employees to pace out their funds.
5. National Immunization Awareness Month
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to promote preventive care. Most vaccinations are considered preventive care and are covered 100% by health insurance.
6. PTO Policy Reminder
Summer is coming to a close, and employees are scrambling to take a vacation before the weather shifts and the kids are back in school. Now is a great time to highlight the PTO policy.
Bonus Topic: Annual Enrollment coming up in September? Start communicating information employees should know before it starts. We suggest previewing changes to come, health insurance terms employees should know, important dates and deadlines.
That’s our suggestion of what 6 topics to cover in August. We hope this saved you some time so you can squeeze in one last beach day! 🙂 🏖