It’s August, and open enrollment is just a few months away. So no matter your role in open enrollment – an administrator or a participant – it will serve you well to be prepared! Following are a few tips to help you get through this process effectively.
Tips for HR Professionals:
Communicate – Communication with everyone in the organization is key to the success of the open enrollment process. Communicate early and often to get employees thinking about their benefit options so they can make informed decisions by the time open enrollment comes. Here are some strategies to help you get the word out to all involved:
· Meet early on with managers to fully explain all benefits, especially any changes made from last year. Depending on the size of your organization, you might also want to schedule a brief follow-up meeting with each manager one-on-one to make sure they understand all benefits and are on board with the plan. They are the ones who will likely receive the most questions from their staff, so they need to not only understand the plan options, but also understand the why’s behind any changes.
· Use many communication channels to convey your message(s). We have a dizzying array of communication vehicles these days, and while you don’t want to overload your employees with too much information, you do want to be sure to reach each employee in the communication mode most effective for him/her. Carefully plan out your communication strategy to make sure all bases are covered. (Here’s a tip: If employees receive pay check stubs in an envelope, get fun stickers printed that direct them to your web site, employee newsletter or other resources to get additional information. As the dates for open enrollment near, reflect dates and pertinent information on the stickers. This method can work with employee newsletters as well. Stickers will get noticed!)
· Keep it simple. Remember that while this is your job and you are familiar with all pertinent terminology, it is Greek to them. Explain options in easy to understand language. Also, don’t give too much detail. You can always provide options for getting more information (on a web site, etc.), but in order to avoid information overload, keep all general communication simple.
· Be honest about changes in benefits. If options have changed, explain why they have changed. Most people understand that these are tough economic times and would rather get an open, upfront explanation than a sugar-coated version
· Evaluate your system. After open enrollment, ask employees to fill out a brief evaluation. You can gain important insights into what communication worked and what didn’t. You can also learn how you can streamline the process, making it easier for your employees.
Tips for Open Enrollment Participants:
· Educate yourself on all the different plan options. It is very easy to research benefits these days and gain additional information so that you can make an informed decision about what is right for you.
· Spend time thinking about your benefits needs for the coming year. It would be valuable to take a little time to review your spending from the previous year and see what might change for the coming year.
· Ask for help if you don’t understand a particular benefit option. You will live with your benefit choices for the next year, so it’s worth the time to ask questions if you don’t understand something.
Open enrollment is a busy time for HR professionals and employees alike. With proper planning and communication, it can go smoothly for everyone involved.
At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you prepare for open enrollment. We can also do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio, making suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.
Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.
TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810
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