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Employer blogs for employee benefits information

October 29, 2006

Blogs are an excellent way for employers to relay benefits news and communications to employees. This per an article in Benefit News, liberally quoting blog marketing expert Shel Holtz.

Blog technology has made it easier to publish information on the Internet. Consequently, benefit managers can now put content, such as benefits and wellness updates and bonus guidelines, online without always going through IT, Holtz explains. The benefits department can easily become a news publisher of compensation and benefits information.

Associated with the blogging technology is RSS (really simple syndication). RSS permits users to obtain information in real time through the Internet by accessing online content, such as text, audio and video files and summaries of Web sites and their links.

‘It’s an easy way for employees to subscribe to the content on those pages they are interested in,’ Holtz says. For example, a worker who wants to stay up to date on wellness information about blood pressure screenings and health fairs no longer has to remember to visit the Web page on a regular basis. With RSS, the person can subscribe to the Web page, and every time it’s updated he or she will receive an e-mail notification.

Management can use the conversational aspects of blogs to get workers more directly involved with their benefits. They provide easy access to what employees are looking for, where their frustrations are and where they are satisfied.

The article also mentions something I’ve heard from one LexBlog client. Employers are giving iPods to employees so as to keep employees abreast of company human resources matters and training materials. The iPods come preloaded with relevant content with updates streamed to employees via the net.

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