Annual Enrollment is Approaching Quickly - Act Now

It may just be the beginning of June, but Open Enrollment will be upon us before you know it. Now is a great time to get your HR Team together to assess what needs to be done to make Open Enrollment run smoothly for your employees as well as for your HR Team. Some HR Professionals dread the fall because of Open Enrollment and the challenges it brings, but it can be an opportunity for great interaction and engagement with employees.

Now is the time to;

1. Review your Benefit Plan and confirm all changes for the coming year.

2. Make sure these changes are communicated and incorporated with your benefit provider.

3. Confirm everything is in place for annual enrollment with the new benefit plan information and that your benefit platform is set and ready to go.

4. Establish benefit enrollment goals with timelines.

5. Create a communication plan and assign responsibilities with deadlines.

Review & Confirm Your Benefit Plan Information

Benefit Plans will be unique to your organization, so take the time to identify each benefit that your company is offering and provide a description of that benefit. Health Benefits should be self-explanatory but questions will arise regarding deductibles, co-pays, co-insurance, health savings plans, flexible spending accounts, and/or the differences between PPO, POS and HMO plans. It would be helpful to the employee to have descriptive information of these things easily accessible so they can refer to it while making their decisions. A cost and benefit calculator should be integrated into the benefit platform as well so that employees can try various scenarios to see what works best for their personal and family needs. Voluntary benefits are becoming more common and an integral part of the overall Benefit Plan a company offers. This may add to the confusion of Annual Enrollment but, if you provide effective communication and education ahead of time, employees should get excited about the opportunity to “purchase” benefits that add value to their life and provide them with an additional layer of security. As an HR Professional you should get excited about the Benefits being offered as well, for they provide an opportunity to increase employee satisfaction and well being which ultimately leads to improved retention and corporate stability.

Set & Meet Your Benefit Enrollment Goals

It’s important for your HR Team to set Benefit Enrollment goals with timelines and members involved in order to ensure Open Enrollment proceeds as smoothly as possible. Goals could include;

1. Confirm Benefit Plan is Complete and Platform is Ready To Go

2. Establish Communication and Education Plan

3. Initial Open Enrollment Communications Sent to Employees

4. Pilot Period for Open Enrollment

5. Set-Up Round Table Type Discussion Opportunities for Employees to Engage in Information Gathering/Understanding

6. Evaluate Initial Open Enrollment Response and Make Any Necessary Changes

7. Incentivize Employee Participation

8. Evaluation Opportunities - Evaluation opportunities would be anything that would help make the process easier for the following year.

Establish & Deploy Your Communication Plan

Your communication plan may well be the most important part of a successful Open Enrollment. There’s no such thing as too much communication. With that being said, a multi-media approach will be your best solution as employees have different communication preferences. By using various platforms such as an e-mail campaign, mailed pamphlet/benefit booklet, or some sort of interactive platform, your employees will receive the message that Open Enrollment is here and their input is required. Subtle reminders like posters and weekly reminders with incentives help to move employees into action. You can create a little hype early, before Annual Enrollment begins with a creative campaign initiative that sparks interest and enthusiasm. The goal is to capture the important messages and have the employee respond in a timely matter.

Awareness and Education Communication need to be completed and presented to employees early so they are made aware of their options and deadlines and have an understanding of what they need to do and how to take ownership and responsibility for their personal benefit plan. They should have received enough information for them to access their account and make informed decisions for the coming year. Annual Enrollment should be presented so that employees view it as something enjoyable to participate in; something that they can take ownership of and “purchase” products that best suit their needs.

There should be some communication given that notifies them of who they may contact if they have questions. The HR Benefit Team should be trained on how to assist and answer any questions that might be brought to them. The enthusiasm and excitement of the HR Team will influence the employees response and view of Open Enrollment. Never underestimate the role you have on employees as an HR Professional.

Finally, your HR Team may want to provide some sort of incentive for employees to make their Benefit Plan Purchase early. Depending on how large your company is and how many employees participate, you could do a draw with the names of all employees that have completed their submission by November 15th. Depending on your budget, you could offer gift cards, cash awards or club membership for a year. Find something that appeals to your employees and see how quickly they get signed up.

Although it may seem far off, Open Enrollment is upon us. Don't delay! Get your HR Team together and start setting your goals now. Be creative and make it fun. This could be the best experience with Open Enrollment for your HR Team, company, and employees.