Open enrollment can be stressful for employees, HR professionals, and third-party benefit administrators. Vital information must be shared and digested, and timely financial decisions must be made so coverage can start on time. Your company workforce may range from experienced, veteran employees to new hires in their first job. It’s a tall task to pull off an open enrollment season that meets the needs of everyone involved (but you CAN do it!).
Here are 12 ways to improve your open enrollment meetings process, with ideas to help you make this season your best.
In-Person Events
Company-wide Meeting
Some people take in complex material better through a live, in-person presentation. It offers the chance for focus and immediate Q&A for any pressing questions. Post printed flyers to promote the dates and times and hand out information people can take home. If you have a large workforce, you may need to host several meetings to give everyone a chance to attend.
Benefit Fairs
Another option is a benefit fair, where you can invite enrollment and plan experts to come in and set up tables with valuable information; you can even bring in local vendors to promote health and wellness initiatives. Invite family members to the event and offer raffles and giveaways to encourage attendance.
Go Digital
Incorporating digital content into your media mix is necessary for today’s workforce, and it gives you flexible options to create the best enrollment season yet.
Virtual Lunch-and-Learns
Hosting lunch-and-learns with subject matter experts is a great option. Employees can listen to the material as if in a live, in-person meeting and ask questions afterward.
Recorded Playback
Some employees may not be able to make a set meeting time. Recording the session and hosting the video securely allows employees to watch at leisure and follow up with questions afterward. You can also allow employees who attended a live meeting to watch it again in case they missed something the first time.
Internal Repository
Are you looking to keep all your enrollment materials in one easily accessible spot? Create a virtual repository that all company employees can access. Point employees to a single, organized location for all the necessary forms, flyers, and educational material, allowing them to seek answers independently.
Email, Text, Company Intranet …
Use digital communication tools to your advantage. Send reminders and links through company-wide emails (remember to use BCC for groups). For employees who have opted in to text messages, send essential dates, reminders, and links directly to their phones. If you have a company intranet, use that space to post important dates and links so people can refer to them as needed.
Prioritize Education
It is important to remember that open enrollment typically contains A LOT of information. And some of it can be confusing when you consider the jargon surrounding FSAs, HSAs, HDHPs, premiums, deductibles, co-pays … you get the point. Here are some ideas for how to prioritize employee education.
Executive Perspectives
As an HR leader, you may hold a different point of view than your company’s chief financial officer. Use your expertise to your advantage. Write a blog that includes what is going on with this year’s plan, compare coverages, and how it benefits employees and their families. You can also get the CFO to write about employee financial benefits. A well-rounded education helps people make the best decisions for themselves.
Demos and Instructions
Educating employees about the benefits plan is as crucial as ensuring they know how to make their benefit elections. Create short demos on logging onto your online health portal (or health insurance carrier’s website), comparing options, and making selections or changes.
Make It Fun!
Let’s face it – benefits are often pretty dull. It’s a bunch of numbers and gobbledygook. Spice things up with an employee education and engagement program like The Adventures of Captain Contributor. Captain Contributor breaks down FSAs, HSAs, Dependent Care, and other employer-sponsored benefit plans in simple ways that are fun to take in and easy to understand.
Get Social
Social media is an excellent channel for sharing important information you don’t have to create from scratch. Find some trusted channels (you can follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn) and share those with your workforce.
Be Inclusive
Open enrollment is for employees and their families. Keep that in mind when planning this year’s activities.
Open Appointments
Your benefits plan can affect everyone in an employee’s immediate family. Health insurance, dependent care plans, and pet insurance are just a few ways your plan reaches beyond the people on your payroll. Offer appointment dates and times when an HR rep can answer questions from the employee or their family. These are big decisions, and you want to help everyone involved to feel secure and satisfied with their choices for next year.
Employee Surveys
Want to know what your employees think? Ask them. Surveys are beneficial before and after enrollment. Before you start planning, get the pulse of your team. Find out what their preferences are for benefits education. Live or recorded? In-person or virtual? You can also do a follow-up survey after enrollment ends to get their feedback on what went well and where you can improve.
Try something new this year for your company’s open enrollment. Implementing some of these suggestions can help make it a better experience for everyone.
For 40 years, DataPath has been a pivotal force in the employee benefits, financial services, and insurance industries. The company’s flagship DataPath Summit platform offers an integrated solution for managing CDH, HSA, Well-Being, COBRA, and Billing. Through its partnership with Accelergent Growth Solutions, DataPath also offers expert BPO services, automation, outsourced customer service, and award-winning marketing services.
