Open enrollment can be overwhelming. Employees are expected to learn about new benefit options, budget for the cost of coverage, and make the best decision for themselves and their families in a relatively short period of time.
Here are five strategies to help make the open enrollment season less stressful for you and your employees.
1. Start early: Don’t wait until open enrollment to let employees know what’s coming. Tell employees several weeks ahead of time what changes are being made to existing plan options and detail new plans for the upcoming year. This gives employees time to consider their choices and ask questions.
2. Keep it simple: Insurance can be confusing with its associated acronyms and technical jargon. Keep open enrollment materials simple, especially when talking about health care. Highlight changes to the benefit offerings and clearly identify plan features like preventive care, telemedicine and prescription drug coverage. This makes it easier for employees to find information quickly and helps them feel more confident when choosing their options.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate: Talking about benefits should happen year-round. Make it easy for employees to find information like benefit summaries, highlight sheets, calculators and plan updates. Consider a monthly newsletter or blog about your benefit plans and what they cover.
When open enrollment begins, supplement existing information with the details employees need to make their elections for the new plan year. Choose more than one form of communication:
- Hold employee meetings.
- Send emails.
- Provide materials employees can take home to review.
- Assign a point person who can answer questions.
The more access employees have to information, the more empowered they will feel in their decision-making process.
4. Make resources available: When it comes to finding benefit resources, many employees need help. Provide them with links to insurance carrier sites and directions on how to register. Offer additional online tools like calculators for health savings accounts and videos on health care basics.
Give employees the option to talk with your benefits broker or someone in the human resources department dedicated to answering open enrollment questions. Be prepared to support employees as they determine what information they need to make timely benefit decisions.
5. Consider technology options: Using an online enrollment platform can save time and increase accuracy while ensuring employees’ information remains secure. It can also provide personalized options for each employee, show the exact cost of the benefit, and display total compensation information. You won’t have to worry about collecting forms or keeping track of what’s missing. The system reminds employees who haven’t made open enrollment elections and can generate reports needed for compliance.
Open enrollment can play a large role in the success of your employee benefits plan. With these five easy steps, you can set the stage for a worry-free enrollment period by engaging employees in the process and giving them the tools they need to make the most of their benefits throughout the year.
More information is available
For additional information on how to help your employees during open enrollment, contact our Employee Benefits team.
This content is for informational purposes only, should not be considered professional, financial, medical or legal advice, and no representations or warranties are made regarding its accuracy, timeliness or currency. With all information, consult with appropriate licensed professionals to determine if implementing any recommendations would be in accordance with applicable laws and regulations or to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.
Copyright © 2023 Applied Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Please note coverage can not be bound or a claim reported without written acknowledgment from a OneGroup Representative.