employee benefits manuals

[Guest Susan Middaugh]

Are there any recent trends in the presentation of information in employee benefits manuals to make them more reader friendly? Would be interested in tips -- what works, what doesn't.

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Susan

[Guest Chuck Miller]

I think there are a few trends:

1) Write in Plain English;

2) Use examples where appropriate;

3) Use charts and graphs where appropriate;

4) Use color where appropriate;

5) Organize material like employees use the information and put the information most important to employees FIRST, not what's most important to administrators. If you're not sure what information is important to employees, go ask them;

6) Manuals are reference tools, so make things easy to find with tabs or different color sections;

7) Be creative. The best manual I've seen lately used TV Guide as a theme.

8) When you think you have a decent manual created, ask a few employee focus groups for input. They will tell you if you really have something good.