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They’ve been dubbed Gen Y or the Millennials. Born in the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s, these workers are now close to 32 million strong and retirement is simply not on their radar screen. A recent Hewitt study revealed that only 31% of Gen Y workers participate in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans. Part of the participation problem may be the methods employers use to communicate to younger workers. In dealing with the generation that’s turned technology multitasking into the norm, employers have to be creative with the use of new media or even humor to cut through the clutter of cell phones, laptops, instant messaging, and digital audio players. But despite how wired these workers are, they do respond to meetings with managers who become almost parental influences when it comes to complex issues such as retirement benefits.

With health care and prescription drug plans increasingly difficult to understand and use, Hewitt’s Participant Advocacy Services has adapted its service to meet these changing needs. A large number of employers have added features to their benefit programs, such as consumer-driven health plans and three-tiered prescription plans, that require employees to be more involved in their approach to health care. Employees who design their own benefits often require the one-on-one attention that Advocacy Services provides. “Clients often tell us that employees just don’t know what questions to ask,” explains Barb Donahue, a Hewitt advocacy manager. “In addition, HR generalists aren’t always familiar with specific plan provisions and network procedures, so we include education as a part of our service as we resolve access to care and claim issues.” According to Donahue, 70% of the advocacy intervention is facilitating claim reprocessing. Currently, Hewitt provides advocacy services to 107 organizations representing 3.3 million employees and their dependents.