Communicating Benefits That Employees Actually Use:

Insights from Jared Cox

Kelly Bowman connects with Jared Cox, Communication and Engagement Practice Leader at IMA, to get into a side of benefits strategy that often gets overlooked: communication. Jared makes the case that how you communicate your benefits matters just as much as the benefits themselves, and shares how his team helps employers move beyond basic awareness toward real outcomes like better utilization, stronger understanding, and a more compelling story for recruitment and retention.

He walks through why one-size-fits-all messaging has run its course, how to introduce technology and AI in a way that actually helps employees rather than overwhelming them, and what a workforce survey revealed about why a paper-first approach outperformed a tech-heavy rollout for one client. From cutting through information overload to building communication plans around what employees actually need, this conversation is a practical guide for any employer who wants their people to truly understand and get value from the benefits they’ve invested in.

Listen to this episode below.