If a company wants to get the word out and explain benefits, its human resource professionals should rely on a variety of ways to communicate.

A simple way to do this without segregating your workers into groups is to communicate a message in at least three ways, according to Robin Throckmorton, president of Cincinnati-based Strategic Human Re-sources Inc., a firm that provides human resources services to small and midsize companies. “It's going to take that constant reminder because people will pick and choose what they want to listen to,” she said.

Varying the way the messages are communicated is key, experts say.

Sam Gruenbaum, president of Needham, Mass.-based BTHR Solutions, a human resource consulting firm and provider of communications services for companies, provided a strategy for diversifying the message.

First, provide an introductory message to all employees via managers' memos, emails, workplace meetings, etc. Then, to provide an in-depth look at the benefits plan or changes, make the information available in a multitude of ways, allowing employees to engage in the method they prefer. Emails and postings on company websites are universally accepted as a way to get employees' attention, but employers should “always recognize that some people won't look at anything electronic,” said Mr. Gruenbaum. “You want hard copies of information, fliers and postcards. It starts to seem redundant, but redundant is useful.”

Most effective, he said, are employee meetings, whether voluntary or involuntary. “The face to face is critical,” he said. Can't afford the face time? “Technology can simulate this with online chats during enrollment. Or employers can set up a phone center” staffed with HR representatives.

Jennifer Benz, chief strategist and founder of San Francisco-based Benz Communications, a firm that provides communication and human resource strategies for companies, said to keep things personal.

“Benefits are so much about peoples' lives, and that's very personal,” she said. “People are used to having things presented the way they want it. You should be using every communication channel that you can.”

Experts also recognize that while some companies may have a budget to provide multiple-channel communication, others don't. Also, added Mr. Gruenbaum, the recession has led to cutbacks in funding toward communication and human resources. But that's changing, as plans get more complicated, he said.

“The stakes are high,” he said.