No Fooling – Prepare to Celebrate National Employee Benefits Day on the First Workday of April

March 20, 2012

I’m so glad that April 1st  will be falling on a Sunday this year since that means only my family at home can try to trick me with April Fool’s jokes. What I can look forward to is that the first workday of April, Monday the 2nd, is National Employee Benefits Day.  This event is a celebration recognized each year by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) to recognize trustees, administrators, corporate benefits practitioners and professional advisors for their hard work and dedication in providing quality employee benefits and this year, its focus is on the International Foundation’s two newest initiatives: retirement security and value-based health care. The IFEBP has actually been celebrating National Employee Benefits day since 2004 and offers a website which has numerous resources for helping employers learn more about this year’s theme of retirement security and value-based health care, including government resources, recent news and survey updates and information that can be shared with employees. The site also has suggestions on how to celebrate and offers Benefits Day premium items, including a National Employee Benefits Day mug and T-shirts.Here are a few activities to prep for in the next several days as we approach National Employee Benefits Day:

  • Host a lunch-and-learn program led by your Benefits Team
  • Bring in a guest speaker to talk on a specific aspect of your plan’s health care or retirement offerings
  • Survey your staff about the wellness/VBHC or retirement security initiatives they’d like to see offered in the future

Why not use the day to implement a new wellness program or retirement security measure? Or if you already have initiatives in place, hold Q&A sessions for large groups or one-on-one consultation so your employees can better understand what you offer.  There is always something new your employees can learn so they can maximize the benefits you work hard to put in place.