A Modern Approach to Benefits Engagement for Manufacturing Organizations 

Connecting a disconnected manufacturing industry  

Effective benefits communication and personalization are game changers for every industry, but they might be most impactful for widespread and around-the-clock manufacturing organizations. 

We recently published our 2025 Benefits Insights Report, and it showed that 86% of employees remain confused about their benefits. Manufacturing employees face many challenges that contribute to their confusion. Employees are often disconnected from their organization. Being spread across the country and working away from a desk makes them difficult to reach with traditional means. 

So, how can we connect them to the benefits their organizations are already offering? Installing personalized communication and taking advantage of modern benefits technology is a great place to start. 

The impact of poor benefits communication and engagement  

First, let’s look at the impact of benefits communications coming up short. It doesn’t just affect employees; it affects the entire organization.  

HR professionals told us via our 2024 Survey of HR Professionals that driving down total spend and engaging their workforce were the most important strategic priorities. Ineffective benefits communication and personalization will bring poor engagement. And with poor engagement, employees are less likely to make good choices that would in turn bring down total benefits spend. 

Nearly half of employees say they would feel panicked about an unexpected $6,000 ER bill. With unclear benefits information, employees are more likely to fail to prepare for or utilize cost-saving measures. Financial insecurity and confusion can take a toll not only on employees’ productivity but also on their mental health. If your people feel overwhelmed or unsupported, the result is disengagement, absenteeism, and burnout. 

Building a thriving benefits experience for your manufacturing workforce  

Like with many things in life, a better benefits experience starts with communication. People can’t act on what they don’t know. A 2024 survey by Principal Financial Group found that 43% of employees receive benefits communications only once a year, or not at all. This simply won’t do. Especially for the typical manufacturing organization that has a vast workforce that is spread far across the country. 

So, if we understand that we need to reach employees more often, how should we go about doing that? For starters, it largely depends on your workforce and their needs. 

Creating purposeful benefits communication 

It might be more crucial to reach manufacturing employees where they want to be met than any other workforce. We know that location and work hours pose issues for getting information into their hands in standard ways. We’ve got to get creative and intentional. Check out some of our favorite ways to create purposeful benefits communication below: 

• Make Mobile Accessible: For those working away from a desk, mobile is likely the best way to reach them. We found that 45% of employees opted to receive text messages in 2024 which resulted in 1.9 million texts sent. This was an 11% increase from 2023, showcasing that employees are getting more comfortable receiving information via mobile and are starting to actively look for the option. 

• Cover all bases: While mobile is a great way to reach employees and one that will only grow as Generation Z continues to take their place in the workforce, it’s not the only way you should communicate. With a median age of 44, lots of manufacturing employees want emails or QR codes that can give them benefits information on site. The right approach isn’t one or the other, it’s omnichannel that accounts for all. 

• Personalized and dedicated communications: Whatever the message is and however you send it, employees are more likely to engage with communications that speak to their specific situations and needs. We found that 42% of employees log in to view their benefits when employers deploy a dedicated communications strategy, a 17% lift from 36%. It’s crucial to create pointed messages that cut through the jargon and larger benefits landscape to speak to them and their lives. 

Embrace evolving benefits technology  

New benefits technology offers a huge opportunity for employers who want to better engage their workforce. Cutting edge tools like virtual benefit assistants, decision support, and mobile apps can make a huge difference in benefits engagement. 

• Virtual benefits assistants: A benefits assistant can make a worlds difference in your employees’ benefits experience. 64% of employees with access to Businessolver’s virtual AI assistant use it to get instant answers or access to their benefits. Employees can get answers at a moment’s notice—during enrollment or throughout the year. An AI virtual assistant like Sofia can do wonders for a manufacturing company whose employees might need help at odd hours. Sofia is there for support 24/7/365. 

• Decision support: While we’ve sung the praises of year-round support, support at the time of enrollment is still paramount. And employees want this support! 69% of employees use decision support at enrollment when their employer offers it. Employees were a whopping 119% more likely to enroll in a high-deductible health plan when they have decision support available to them at enrollment to guide best-fit enrollment based on the employees’ needs. Decision support is a win-win for employees and employers. 

• Mobile apps: A mobile app is crucial in today’s landscape. It’s no surprise that employees want mobile app access because it’s something they have throughout their life. Why should their benefits experience be any different? With our MyChoice Mobile App, employees can check their benefit status, file claims, receive reminders, and more! Another huge win for manufacturing employees in the field or on the floor. 

Businessolver supports benefits for over 800,000 employees in the manufacturing industry. With a combination of deliberate and forward-thinking communications and advanced benefits technology, we can help you give your employees a better experience. 

Schedule a demo to learn more about our technology and service.