Tomekia Williams
Sr. Benefits Manager
Graphic Packaging International
Episode 210
Benefits Blind Spot: Why Your Employees Aren't Using Their Perks
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleApril 30, 2025 · 8:54
Thesis
“Effective benefits administration goes beyond offering programs; it critically involves proactive, empathetic education and communication to ensure employees understand and utilize available resources, treating benefits as a core component of employee well-being and engagement.”
Show notes
Most employees don't know what benefits their company offers them. That's not a communication failure — it's a strategy failure. Tomekia Williams has spent her career fixing it.
Tomekia came into benefits administration "by accident," as she describes it — fresh out of college during a recession, not knowing anything about the field. What she discovered was a discipline that sits at the intersection of employee well-being and organizational trust, and one that is profoundly undervalued. At Graphic Packaging International, she leads benefits communication with the conviction that education is the benefit. The most robust package in the world delivers zero value to an employee who doesn't know it exists or how to use it. When the pandemic hit and employees' mental health became a visible crisis, her team moved quickly to implement Headspace — and then spent sustained effort educating employees not just that it existed, but why they might actually use it.
AI has become a meaningful force multiplier for her team. With small headcount and high communication volume, leveraging AI to draft clear, engaging benefits content allowed her team to operate at a scale they couldn't reach manually. Her lesson: technology doesn't replace benefits expertise, it amplifies it. And every HR professional — not just the benefits team — should be a walking advocate for the programs that protect their colleagues.
- Why proactive benefits education is the most underutilized retention tool — and how to build it into your communications calendar
- Using AI for benefits communication — how small teams can produce concise, engaging content at scale
- Responding quickly to employee well-being needs — lessons from implementing Headspace during the pandemic
- Maximizing EAP utilization — how to educate employees about financial, legal, and health resources, not just mental health
- Making benefits advocacy a team sport — why HRBPs and talent acquisition should be actively marketing programs to employees
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What you'll take away
- 1Proactive benefits education is crucial to ensure employees understand and utilize their offerings, often discovering benefits they didn't know existed.
- 2AI tools can significantly enhance benefits communication, especially for small teams, by streamlining content creation and ensuring conciseness and engagement.
- 3Employers must be agile in responding to employee well-being needs, as demonstrated by the rapid implementation of mental health benefits during the pandemic.
- 4Dedicated mental health resources and EAPs require clear, year-round education to maximize engagement beyond crisis situations and highlight their full utility.
- 5All HR professionals, not just benefits teams, should advocate for and share positive experiences with benefits to drive broader employee awareness and utilization.
What most organizations get wrong
- •The rapid implementation of a mental health benefit in 60 days challenges conventional timelines (typically 9 months) for HR program deployment, highlighting a capacity for agility in crisis.
In Tomekia's words
“I started in benefits administration by accident, kind of fresh out of college during the recession... I didn't know anything about health insurance except that I had it.”
Shows an accidental entry into benefits, highlighting a common initial knowledge gap that became a focus for education.
“in my last role, I used AI a lot for benefits communication... we were able to use those tools to facilitate building out the framework, making sure our communications were concise, but also engaging at the same time.”
Demonstrates a practical, effective application of AI to solve a common HR communication challenge for small teams.
“it was at that moment that we were able to move quickly and implement a mental health wellbeing benefit called Headspace at the time... We were able to turn that around in around 60 days.”
Highlights an organization's agility in responding to critical employee needs during a crisis, significantly faster than typical timelines.
“there's still obviously a lot of stigma around mental health and support and things like that, but this was the first time that I've seen in my career where employees were actually requesting those resources.”
Underscores a significant shift in employee perception and demand for mental health support, driven by external factors.
“employees will reach out to us and say, I wish we had a benefit that offered this... And our response, fortunately, a lot of times, we do. So it's pushing that communication, that education to them so they are aware...”
Reveals a critical disconnect between available benefits and employee awareness, emphasizing the need for robust communication strategies.
“if you have a good experience with a benefit, share that. Share that with your peers. Let them know how you used it. So it's not just dependent upon the benefits team to communicate that.”
Advocates for a decentralized approach to benefits communication, leveraging peer advocacy across all HR functions.
The problems this episode addresses
- •HR and benefits teams often lack communications expertise, leading to challenges in creating concise and engaging benefits messaging.
- •The high volume of communications required during open enrollment strains small benefits teams, especially without dedicated internal communications support.
- •Traditional benefits implementation cycles (e.g., 9 months) can be too slow to address urgent employee needs, such as during a public health crisis.
- •Employees frequently remain unaware of existing benefits, even those that directly address their expressed needs or desires.
- •Stigma surrounding mental health can prevent employees from actively seeking and utilizing available support resources.
- •Employees struggle to understand how to effectively access and leverage the full scope of benefits beyond basic contact information.
- •Benefits education is often siloed within the benefits team, missing opportunities for broader advocacy and communication from other HR stakeholders (e.g., HRBPs, talent acquisition).
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
I started in benefits administration by accident during the recession
My Career Paths
Tamika used AI a lot for benefits communication in her last role
How to Leverage AI in Benefits Administration
Tamika says focus on benefits education significantly impacted employee decision-making
Tamika, tell me
Tamika says she's seen mental health benefits transform in her organizations
Mental health benefits: How to communicate with employees
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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