Charlene Kelly Published in Workforce Management Online Tool:
A Benefits Primer for New Employees”

Charlene Kelly’s article, “Tool: A Benefits Primer for New Employees,”  was published July 17, 2009 on Workforce Management Online. According to the article, human resource professionals often underestimate how complicated a benefit packet can appear to new employees, particularly if they are young or are recent entrants to the workforce. Charlene’s article provides a basic guidance that HR professionals can use to inform themselves about the role benefits play in total compensation. 

Charlene prefaces her article by noting, “HR professionals can use this article as a template for talking about salary, taxes and benefits with young employees or others who are new to the workplace and may be encountering such benefits as health insurance, 401(k) plans and flexible spending accounts for the first time.” She also explains that HR professionals can customize this discussion to their organizations’ benefit offerings, depending on what kind of health and retirement plans are offered. In addition to the benefit basics covered in Charlene’s article, she also recommends that HR professionals should be ready to discuss such things as: vacation or paid time off, fitness or wellness offerings, discounts on products or services or other benefits that a new employee might need to know. She notes, “Emphasizing these benefits can further strengthen a new employee’s perception that they made a smart choice when they came to work for you.”