Open enrollment season is upon us! We know it can be a stressful time that requires a lot of planning and collaboration across teams. To help your benefits team ensure a successful open enrollment, we are giving you seven easy-to-follow tips.
1. Get creative
Who said open enrollment has to be a drab process for your HR and benefits teams? In today’s digital age, explore new ways to engage employees. Use prizes as incentives for registration or hold virtual information sessions with interesting topics to pull folks in. If you have a consulting team, lean into its creative resources and marketing intel to understand what has worked for other clients and their plan participants.
2. Be proactive
Try to get ahead by establishing a timeline for open enrollment well in advance. Start by working backward from important milestones. Develop a list of key deliverables and deadlines. Once you have an outline of what open enrollment will look like in 2025, communicate your goals and timeframe to your vendor partners. This way, there is plenty of time for vendors to code and test plan changes, communicate information on new programs and send marketing materials or giveaways your way.
3. Communicate effectively
You are busy and your employees are too. With a process like open enrollment, it can sometimes be hard to strike a balance between getting plan participants the information they need while not overwhelming them. If possible, work with your internal marketing team to develop a communications strategy that calls out the most important information and dates. Be sure to keep it clear and concise and engage with employees where they are – whether that be via email, hard copy, posters, etc.
4. Educate
Education is especially crucial for companies with younger populations. Familiar jargon and acronyms you and your HR team throw around every day, like “deductible,” “OOP,” “PPO,” etc., can be foreign to new employees who may not have participated in open enrollment before. Define important terms and use them in real-world examples to equip your members with the knowledge they need for this year’s open enrollment and beyond.
5. Time
Communicate the upcoming open enrollment timeframe to associates so they can plan accordingly and give plenty of time to make informed choices. Don’t be afraid to send multiple email reminders or make companywide calendar events with important due dates. It is good practice to have a solidified open and close period followed by a silent window for about a week after close in case employees take longer than anticipated.
6. Keep your door open
Even with the most effective communications, there will always be questions from plan members. Keep an open-door policy and make sure you and your team are easy to reach for optimal open enrollment success. With workforces split between home and the office, it is important to have a streamlined process for answering questions. Virtual and in-person Q&A sessions and a thorough FAQ document posted on a company intranet are good ways to help your benefits team and associates.
7. Compliance
Above all, compliance needs to be at the forefront of open enrollment to protect your company and provide all the necessary information to the appropriate members. From plan changes to HIPAA, ERISA and COBRA, make sure that all your communications and strategies are legally sound.
Utilize the help of the team at Employers Health, your other vendors, internal team members and the tips above to ensure a successful open enrollment season. While detailed, it does not have to be a daunting task. And remember, even though it can be stressful, do your best to keep it fun!
