At this time of year, Reward & Benefit teams face what we call the Father Christmas Problem. They’ve spent months organising, negotiating, juggling budgets, sweating the small stuff... only for someone else to take all the credit.
It might not be the big man in red, but it may as well be. Even though you’re the one stacking up perks beneath the metaphorical Christmas tree, employees frequently believe that the rewards they receive are courtesy of the vendor, not the company who paid for them.
Employers invest… but employees often don’t notice
The disconnect is staggering: Only 38% of employees believe communications about their benefits are helpful¹ (a 30-point perception gap between what HR teams think!). Half of all employees don't fully understand their benefits package², and 80% fail to fully use what's available³.
In short: organisations spend serious time and money offering valuable plans and resources, yet many employees either don’t realise these offerings come from the organisation, or don’t know how to use them.
Why your investment goes unnoticed
Several factors contribute to this credit-misplacement:
- Provider-led communications. External vendors often send welcome packs, policy details, or reminders, rarely highlighting the employer who actually funds the benefit.
- Feast or famine. Benefits communication tends to come in overwhelming annual waves, all at once - open enrolment, policy updates, vendor emails - followed by radio silence for months. Employees either drown in information or forget you're providing anything at all.
- One-and-done approaches. A single email or thick handbook at onboarding won’t cut it. Without ongoing communication, most employees never fully absorb what’s available.
How to reclaim credit for your benefits investment
The good news? This problem is entirely fixable with a more proactive, connected communication strategy. Here are a few simple things you can do:
- Create a shared communications calendar. Coordinate with providers so all benefit messages go through a single, employer-led channel. Control timing to prevent overload and keep your branding front and centre.
- Let your brand shine, not theirs. Every communication about benefits is an opportunity to strengthen your employer brand. You’ve orchestrated the entire benefits programme, negotiated the deals, allocated the budget, only to let vendors own the conversation by sending out welcome emails and packs. Make it crystal clear this benefit is from you, delivered through a specialist partner that you’ve carefully chosen.
- Think like an employee. What I’d love in the run up to Christmas is realms of detail about pension and insurance options, said no employee ever. Yes, of course you have to provide the fine print, but keep the big, important messages simple, with real world examples: ‘Here’s a benefit you can use today, and this is how it will help you with X.’
- Plan messaging throughout the year. For example: Early year: recap benefits and re-activate awareness (mental health, virtual GPs). Mid-year: highlight underused perks or timely support (extra leave, wellness, flexible working). Pre-holiday/year-end: remind staff of remaining entitlements or support (counselling, help-lines, financial advice).
This avoids a single, overwhelming blast of information and continuously reinforces value.
The payoff
The Father Christmas problem isn’t just about lost credit, it’s about lost impact. When perks and the people providing them go unseen, morale, retention, and wellbeing all take a hit. But when employers own the story and show employees that the value comes from them, the mystery fades.
Father Christmas gets credit once a year for one night's work. You deserve recognition for 365 days of investment. Time to step out of the sleigh and into the spotlight.
References:
¹ Prudential (2024), US-wide study of benefits communication
² Drewberry Insurance (2024)
³ Robert Walters (2024)
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