Building a One-Page Benefit Piece Employees Will Actually Read
By My Benefit Advisor
Employee benefits are only valuable if employees understand them. Yet many organizations rely on long, tedious guides, dense PDFs, or put the information on portals employees rarely open. A well-designed benefits one pager solves this problem by reducing what matters most into a clear, visual, and actionable summary.
The goal of a one-pager is not to explain everything…it’s to spark understanding and engagement. Business leaders can start by answering three questions employees care about most: What do I get? Why does it matter to me? How do I use it? If the one pager doesn’t clearly answer those questions, it’s not doing the job.
Effective one-pagers focus on prioritization, not completeness. Highlight 5-7 core benefits that drive the most value, such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and key voluntary benefits. Use plain language, not insurance jargon. For example, “help paying medical bills” is more effective than “high-deductible health plan.”
Design matters just as much as content. Using icons, short headings, and white space helps to guide the eye. Break information into sections like Health, Well-Being, Financial, and Extras. Keep sentences short and scannable. If it takes more than 60 seconds to read, it’s too long.
Finally, include a clear call to action. Tell employees exactly where to go next…a benefits portal, HR contact, or enrollment deadline. A QR code or short link works well.
A strong benefits one-pager becomes a versatile tool: it can support onboarding, open enrollment, recruiting, and leadership communication. Most importantly, it respects employees’ time, and that alone increases the likelihood they’ll actually use the benefits being offered.
The Pittsburgh Technology Council offers its members access to My Benefit Advisor as a solution for employee benefits, including voluntary offerings. For more information about My Benefit Advisor, visit our website at ptc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Rob Higginbotham at (724) 698-1363.