At the end of 2020, we sent out a survey to assess the effectiveness of our communication tools. Pensioners and former participants received the survey by post. Due to a new font that the HPF uses as part of its corporate identity, the distinction between certain letters was minimal or not visible at all. Many participants were subsequently provided with the correct password upon request and were able to complete the survey. Participants living abroad mostly received the letter only after the survey had already closed. We apologize for the inconvenience.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who completed the survey! The results give us a clear picture of which communication tools are effective and which ones we can further improve.

Below are the key results of the survey.

Response rates

• In total, 11.48% of participants completed the survey (2017: 10.43%).

• The survey was mainly completed by active participants. Of the active participants, 29.2% completed the survey.

• The survey was completed by 11% of pensioners and 1.9% of former participants (former employees who still have pension entitlements with HPF).

Pensioners

The survey shows that pensioners are well informed and know where to find information relevant to them. Pensioners are mainly interested in the amount of their pension and any possible increase or reduction. They receive this information in the contribution and indexation letter and in the pension overview. The newsletter and website can keep them informed about current developments if they are interested. We believe there are currently no direct areas for improvement in communication with pensioners.

Former participants

Only a very small percentage of former participants completed the survey. This low response and the answers given show that we have little contact with former participants. We accept this because former participants usually have only a small pension entitlement with us and are often employed elsewhere where they are also building up a pension. The contribution and indexation letter is only sent to former participants if there is an increase or reduction. However, former participants do receive their annual statement and pension overview each year, containing the information relevant to them. They also receive a congratulatory card at the age of 58 with a link to the pension planner to draw their attention to this tool. The newsletter and website can keep them informed about current developments if they are interested. We believe there are currently no direct areas for improvement in communication with former participants.

Active participants

The survey shows that active participants are sufficiently informed, but that we have not yet sparked their interest in pensions. Interest in pensions varies by age group/stage in working life. We therefore divide active participants into three groups:
a. Participants up to and including 40 years old (relatively young participants)
b. Participants aged 40–55 (middle group)
c. Participants aged 55–68 (those nearing retirement age)

Groups a (≤40 years) and b (40–55 years)

The results of these two groups are roughly similar. Almost 70% indicate that they are familiar with the pension scheme and most are also aware that the pension is an important employment benefit. However, nearly half of the participants say they do not know when they can make certain choices. In addition, only half of them read the Uniform Pension Overview. It is striking that many participants do not know much about their pension, even though it is very important and both participants and the employer pay a lot of money for it. Furthermore, life events (such as living together, getting married, and getting divorced) are particularly relevant for this group. We therefore want to focus on these topics. We already started doing this in 2020 through our blogs, but we also want to feature life events more prominently on our website and refer to them through other communication tools. We will therefore implement several improvements in our communication with these participants.

Group c (55–68 years)

The last group (group c) is in regular contact with the helpdesk. They also receive a congratulatory card at the age of 58 with a link to the pension planner to draw their attention to this tool. We believe there are currently no direct areas for improvement in communication with this group of participants. Of course, the additional communication regarding life events (such as living together, getting married, and getting divorced) aimed at participants up to 55 years old will also be made available to this group.