Open Enrollment Communication Employees Actually Understand

Open enrollment season is coming, which means employees will soon be asked to make some pretty important decisions about their benefits. For employers, open enrollment communication can sometimes feel as simple as sending out enrollment materials with plan information, rates, deadlines, and instructions.

But usually, employees need quite a bit more.

Benefits can be confusing even for employees who have been through open enrollment plenty of times. Add changes to premiums, deductibles, carriers, plan options, or enrollment platforms, and suddenly that benefits packet isn't nearly as straightforward as it seemed.

While employees are ultimately responsible for making their own benefit elections, employers can make the process a whole lot easier by communicating clearly before, during, and after enrollment.

Don't Assume Employees Know What's Changing

If something about your benefits is different this year, call it out clearly. Employees shouldn't have to compare two benefit guides side by side to figure out that their deductible increased or that a plan option is no longer available.

Put the most important changes front and center.

Before open enrollment starts, there are at least three things your employees should be aware of:

What's changing. New premiums, a different carrier, a deductible increase, a plan being dropped or added, or changes to employer contributions. If nothing is changing, say that too. It's useful information.

What deadlines matter. Enrollment start and end dates, plus any related deadlines, such as when FSA or HSA elections are due or when dependent documentation needs to be submitted.

Where to go with questions. Give employees a specific contact or resource. "Ask HR" isn't particularly helpful if employees aren't sure who handles benefits questions.

It also helps to tell employees exactly what they need to do, even if they don't want to make changes.

Is this an active enrollment where everyone must log in and make elections? Will existing medical elections carry forward? Are there benefits that require a new election every year?

Don't make employees guess. It will only create frustration for them and for you down the road.

Give Employees Enough Time

Sending an email two days before the enrollment deadline and hoping everyone gets it done isn't a great strategy.

Give employees advance notice about when open enrollment will begin, how long they'll have to make their elections, and when everything is due. Send reminders throughout the enrollment period rather than relying on one announcement.

Remember, employees may need time to talk with a spouse, compare coverage available through another employer, gather dependent information, review prescriptions or provider networks, or simply understand their options.

For many employees, this isn't a five-minute decision.

And don't forget to explain what happens if they don't make an election. Depending on the plan and benefit, some existing elections may continue while others may require employees to actively re-enroll. Flexible Spending Account elections, for example, generally require a new election for each plan year.

An employee who assumes everything will continue as-is and discovers in January that it didn't is going to be frustrated. And that frustration is probably going to land on HR or their manager.

An Enrollment Packet Isn't the Same as Communication

Benefits materials serve an important purpose, but handing someone a packet isn't the same as helping them understand what's in it.

Think about some of the language employees encounter during open enrollment: deductible, coinsurance, copay, out-of-pocket maximum, in-network, out-of-network, HSA, FSA.

Those terms may be second nature to someone who works in HR or benefits, but they aren't necessarily second nature to the employee trying to figure out which plan makes sense for their family.

Your Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) provides important, standardized information about the plan, but don't assume providing required plan materials means employees understand how all the pieces fit together.

Consider giving employees information in more than one format.

Hold an open enrollment meeting where employees can hear what's changing and ask general questions. Create a one-page summary of key dates and changes. Send reminders as the deadline approaches.

If your workforce is spread across locations or works different shifts, consider recording a short video that walks employees through the highlights in plain language.

Good open enrollment communication isn't about giving employees more information. It's about making the important information easier to understand.

Help Employees Understand Without Making the Decision for Them

Employees are going to have questions during open enrollment, and some of those questions can put employers and HR teams in a tricky position.

They're going to ask:

"Which plan should I pick?"

"Which one is better?"

"What would you choose?"

You can explain how the plans work, point employees toward plan resources, help them understand terminology, and connect them with your broker or carrier when appropriate.

What you don't want to do is make the election for them.

The "best" option depends on factors you may not know — and probably don't need to know — about an employee's personal health needs, finances, family coverage, prescriptions, and other circumstances.

Your job is to give employees the information and resources they need to make an informed choice, not to choose for them.

Make It Easy to Ask Questions

Benefits questions can get personal quickly.

An employee may not want to ask their manager about whether a particular medication is covered, whether a dependent qualifies, or how a medical treatment would be handled under the plan.

Make sure employees know where they can go with those questions, whether that's HR, your benefits broker, the insurance carrier, an enrollment support line, or another resource.

Managers should know where to send employees, too. They don't need to become benefits experts. In fact, it's often better if they don't try.

Give them a simple answer they can use:

"That's a great question. Here's the person who can help you with it."

That helps employees get accurate information while keeping managers from unintentionally giving incorrect benefits guidance.

Don't Let Employees Forget About Life Events

Open enrollment may be the one time each year when benefits get everyone's attention, so use the opportunity to remind employees that it isn't necessarily their only opportunity to make certain changes.

Marriage, divorce, the birth or adoption of a child, and loss of other health coverage are examples of events that may allow employees to make mid-year changes outside of open enrollment. But those opportunities come with deadlines.

Depending on the type of event and applicable plan rules, employees may have a limited period to request a change. Under HIPAA special enrollment rules, for example, certain requests generally must be made within 30 days of the qualifying event, while some events have different timeframes.

Employees don't need to memorize every rule, but they do need to know this:

If something significant changes in your life, tell HR promptly.

Don't wait until the next open enrollment to ask whether it affects your benefits. That one reminder can save everyone a lot of frustration later.

Don't Forget About the Employees Who Haven't Enrolled

As the deadline approaches, don't assume silence means everyone has handled it.

Run an enrollment report if your HR system allows it. Identify employees who haven't completed the process and send reminders.

Maybe they forgot. Maybe they're confused. Maybe they're waiting for information from a spouse. Maybe they thought they submitted their elections and never clicked the final confirmation button.

A quick reminder before the deadline is much easier than trying to solve the problem afterward.

And once enrollment closes, communicate that too.

Let employees know when they should expect new insurance cards, when new elections or deductions take effect, and what they should do if something doesn't look right on their first paycheck of the new plan year.

Good Open Enrollment Communication Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

You don't need daily emails, elaborate presentations, or a 20-page open enrollment communication strategy.

You need employees to understand: -What's changing? - What do I need to do? - When do I need to do it? - What happens if I don't? - Where do I go if I have questions? Answer those questions clearly, give employees enough time to act, and remind them before the deadline.

A little communication upfront can prevent a lot of confusion after elections are made.

Need help getting ready for open enrollment? Employers Advantage LLC can help you prepare employee communications, coordinate the enrollment process, and make sure your team understands what to expect before it's time to make their elections.

Good open enrollment communication doesn't mean giving employees more information. It means making the important information easier to understand.

HERE ARE SOME OPEN ENROLLMENT QUESTIONS WE GET ASKED:

What should be included in open enrollment communication?

Open enrollment communication should clearly explain what's changing, important enrollment dates and deadlines, what employees need to do, what happens if they don't take action, and where they can go with questions.

How can employers make open enrollment easier for employees?

Employers can make open enrollment easier by providing information in plain language, highlighting important changes, communicating in multiple formats, sending reminders, and giving employees enough time to review their options.

Do employees have to re-enroll in benefits every year?

It depends on the benefit and the employer's plan. Some elections may carry forward, while others may require employees to make a new election each year. Employers should clearly explain which benefits require action during open enrollment.

Should managers answer employee benefits questions?

Managers don't need to become benefits experts. Employers should give managers a clear resource or contact where they can direct employees who have detailed benefits questions.

Can employees change their benefits outside of open enrollment?

Certain qualifying life events may allow employees to make eligible benefit changes outside of open enrollment. Employees should contact HR promptly after a significant life event because applicable deadlines may be limited.

How can Employers Advantage LLC help with open enrollment?

Employers Advantage LLC can help businesses prepare employee communications, coordinate the open enrollment process, answer HR-related questions, and create a clearer experience for both employees and managers.