Have you ever heard the term employee champions? At first glance, it may sound like a buzzword, but in practice it describes a powerful internal force: trusted peers who help translate company benefits into real-life value. Unlike top-down communications that can feel formal or overwhelming, employee champions share knowledge through everyday conversations, personal experiences, and authentic advocacy. They build trust, clarify confusion, and make benefits feel relevant rather than abstract. In doing so, they not only improve understanding and participation, but also strengthen workplace culture, reinforce employer credibility, and create a feedback loop that helps organizations refine offerings based on real employee needs.
This concept came to life following a TPSU program at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where Fred Barstein spoke with April, a People Operations Manager at a general contracting company with just under 50 employees. She explained that her organization relies on employee champions as internal advocates who voluntarily educate coworkers about available benefits. Acting as trusted peer resources, these champions reinforce employer branding while demonstrating the real value of the company’s offerings. Because employees often feel more comfortable approaching colleagues than HR, champions help answer questions, clarify options, and guide coworkers through benefit decisions. This peer-to-peer support improves communication flow, reduces administrative burden on HR, and ensures employees receive timely, relatable information.
April noted that the presence of employee champions drives stronger engagement overall. Employees ask more informed questions, enrollment conversations become more productive, and HR can focus on complex issues rather than routine inquiries. The result is higher participation, better understanding, and a more informed workforce — outcomes that position the organization for a smoother and more successful rollout when it introduces its future retirement plan.
Read the Full Transcript Here:
Fred Barstein: Greetings, this is Fred Barstein, Founder and CEO at TPSU and 401kTV, here in Winter Park, Florida, on the campus of Rollins College, where we just completed a TPSU program. And I’m here with April. Welcome, April.
April: Hello.
Fred Barstein: Okay, may I ask you a few questions?
April: Yes.
Fred Barstein: Thank you. So before we do, tell us a little bit about yourself.
April: My name is April. I work for a general contracting company with just shy of 50 employees, and I serve as the People Operations Manager.
Fred Barstein: Very good. So one of the things that you do for your benefits — and what you will implement when you create a retirement plan — is using employee champions. What does that mean?
April: Employee champions for us are, in a way, word-of-mouth advocates. They pay it forward because we consider them to be a true testament to our employer branding and the benefits that we offer. Our employee champions are people who volunteer to educate others on benefits offered by the company. I really think they could be a great asset when it comes time for us to roll out our retirement options.
Fred Barstein: So on the benefits side, what benefits do you see from having employees serve in that role? What are the results of that?
April: Greater engagement, certainly. We see better questions being asked, and through our employee champions, sometimes questions are rerouted because they’re answering them before HR may need to step in or before we need to involve anyone else. Consequently, we see greater engagement during benefits enrollment.
Fred Barstein: So final question — and this is particularly relevant for you because you’re picking things up like a sponge. What did you learn today that you want to try to implement when you start your retirement plan?
April: I think early education is going to be very important, based upon the sentiment from everyone who attended TPSU today. And then making sure that we have appropriate buy-in at all levels and the support we need from top to bottom. We certainly have employee support, I’m sure, but senior management support is critical, along with support from all of our vendors and advisors. I’ve seen that we definitely need strong involvement from all of our partners from start to finish.
Fred Barstein: Well, thank you for your time.
April: Thank you. I appreciate it.
Fred Barstein: And thank you for watching 401kTV.
