The latest from our blog
Explore insights, how-to tips, trends, and best practices from our team of internal communications experts. All our blog posts are original content written by our writers, consultants, and interns.
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No more one-hit wonders: Why change communication needs “surround sound”
Let’s be honest: Relying on one or two communication channels when you have an important message to deliver is like singing karaoke once and expecting a Grammy. In today’s workplace, where attention spans compete with back-to-back meetings and TikTok videos, you need to ensure that critical messages cut through the clutter. A complex process change…
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Vacation spots we know and love
At OKG, we appreciate the value of recharging, resetting and making room for quality “us” time. It’s a foundational part of our business culture and ethos. Whether relaxing on a sun-soaked beach, exploring a vibrant city, or escaping on a quiet mountain hike, our team has some favorite spots that fill our buckets. Cathy Donnelly…
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One time. Each year. Make your annual enrollment communications count.
Is June too early to plan for annual enrollment? Not at all You only get one chance each year to tell your whole benefits story. Annual enrollment isn’t just about health and wellness benefits. Use this opportunity to champion the entire benefits program – including retirement, well-being, and voluntary programs. Help employees understand the total…
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Is there ever a good time to think about SPDs?
Once a company’s annual benefits enrollment period ends, Benefits and HR professionals (and sometimes their Employee Communication counterparts) often find themselves reviewing and updating their summary plan descriptions – a sometimes unwelcome and tedious task. For those who need a quick definition: A summary plan description (SPD for short) is like a benefits plan’s user…
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2025 Benefit Trends – Part 2 Supporting Employees Through Change
Change can feel unrelenting these days, and companies are looking for ways to help employees navigate it. In part two of our benefits trends series, we explore two kinds of change—one societal and one personal—that could impact your workforce, along with the benefits emerging to address them. And, of course, why it’s important to communicate…
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2025 Benefit Trends – Part 1 Focus on the Family
Employee demand for family support continues to grow. Gen Z is entering its childbearing years and starting to experience the “sandwich generation” squeeze, amplifying the need for benefits that support better work-life integration. More than any generation before, Gen Z is likely to push employers to support them in building and caring for a family…
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Role of Inspiration in business outcomes
What’s Inspiration Got to Do with It? Whew! Is 2024 over yet? And what’s the word for 2025? Details may be unclear, but the new year promises to bring opportunities and challenges that could affect business strategy and tactics. And those changes can impact compensation (benefits, raises, bonuses, etc.). This begs the question: How and…
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The End of the Year is Almost Here: Help Employees Maximize Their Benefits
Lots of benefits reset at the start of the year, but many employees leave money on the table because they fail to take full advantage while they can. Here are a few reminder messages to encourage folks to optimize their benefits before the year ends. Time is Running Out to Make the Most of Health…
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All Politics Is Local – Like in the Cubicle Next to You
We are heading into the most contentious election we’ve seen in recent times – yes, more than 2016, worse than 2020. Identity politics have had years to take root, positions have increasingly polarized, and political discourse too often devolves into personal attacks and insults. And while politics used to be taboo in the workplace, times…
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Beyond the Nest Egg: 10 Financial Well-being Benefits That Work
As America’s “inflation era” rolls on, nearly half of Americans (47%) say money is negatively affecting their mental health – causing anxiety, stress, loss of sleep, or depression – according to Bankrate’s latest Money and Mental Health Survey. That, coupled with a PwC study indicating employees worried about finances are twice as likely to seek…
