Today's insurance agents and brokers are much more thanmiddlemen. Savvy producers sell workplace strategies, not justinsurance policies, by following business trends that directlyaffect their clients and offering cost-effective benefits solutionsto meet their needs. Comprehensive new data provides timely insightthat insurance professionals can leverage to better understandchallenges their clients face and offer the best employee benefitsinsurance strategies.

The 2011 AflacWorkForces Report, a study conducted by Harris Interactive forAflac last September, has uncovered trends which show thatthe country's ongoing economic struggles have left a large segmentof the U.S. workforce teetering on the brink of financial disaster.For example:

• Most consumers (51 percent) say they are not at all prepared topay out-of-pocket expenses related to an unexpected illness oraccident
• 31 percent have less than $500 on hand to pay out-of-pockethealth expenses
• 22 percent have between $500 and $1,000.

With limited funds to help pay for an unexpected illness, mostworkers will be forced to turn to other measures and outlets tohelp cover the costs.

How can agents and brokers put this information to work as partof a new business strategy, helping their business clients reapsignificant rewards, including healthier, more protected andengaged employees?

One immediate action is making employers aware of the extent towhich their workforce may be financially at risk. By doing so,agents and brokers can help clients, whose productivity and ownfinancial livelihoods depend on these workers, realize they mustplay stronger roles in helping workers expand their protection.

Helping employers focus on a central finding of the Aflacstudy—the need to more effectively communicate with employees andprovide more education for wiser, safer benefits decisions—alsowill empower clients with information to help put an end to theworkforce vulnerability cycle.

Based on the survey results, here are four observations to beaware of when advising your business customers on improvingemployee communication:

1. Engagement generates success.

It is potentially damaging for employers to make assumptionsabout whether employees are satisfied with and understand theirbenefits and health insurance—not only to workers, who may feeltheir needs aren't being met, but also to the company'sproductivity and retention levels.

A mere 8 percent of employers strongly agree that employees arefully engaged in making benefits decisions. Sixty-three percent ofcompanies agree that workers need to be more engaged, and just halffeel their employees take full advantage of the benefits they'reoffered. As a result, they're unprepared and underprotected againstan accident or illness, resulting in significant financialimplications for both themselves and their employers.

Understanding U.S. workers' preferences and needs will helpemployers increase employee satisfaction by offering comprehensivebenefits packages and providing employees with peace of mind whenthey need it most. Additionally, a greater recognition of healthinsurance gaps can help HR executives better address benefitscommunications needs and find ways to make benefits informationmore robust and accessible.

2. Information can overwhelm. Expectingemployees to comprehend and retain large amounts of benefitsinformation all at once during open enrollment or the hiringprocess is unrealistic, unfair, and can make them feeloverwhelmed.

According to the Aflac study, most employees say their employerscommunicate less than three times a year about benefits, and 44percent of employees say they receive too little communicationabout benefits from their employers. Without real information,employees often turn to poor sources for insight and guidance.Sixty-one percent of workers say they receive information and/oradvice about employee benefits via word of mouth, while 45 percentconsult colleagues and 36 percent rely on friends orfamily.Employers should present elements of their benefits programsto employees throughout the year. By doing so, they'll helpemployees retain the information, making open enrollment asmoother, easier process.

3. Communications missteps affect retention. Agents and brokers can make a strong business caseto clients for improved benefits communications. Forty-one percentof workers agree they would be less likely to leave their jobs ifthey were well-informed about benefits, according to the Aflacreport. The turnover cost alone is an incentive for employers tochange when and how they share benefits information.

4. Admit things can be better. Companies alsoneed to acknowledge that their communications need improvement andavoid making false perceptions. For example, 85 percent ofemployers believe their HR departments are effective at benefitscommunication. However, more than one-quarter (27 percent) ofworkers say their HR teams communicate not very/not at alleffectively, and another 39 percent say the efforts are somewhateffective.

Greater workforce insight will help today's agents and brokerscater to clients' needs, assist in needed benefits communicationand employee engagement strategies, and make information simple foremployees to understand and remember, enabling better decisions foremployees' families and greater appreciation for the totalcompensation package.