by Frank Mengert, founder and CEO of ebm
Open enrollment season can be a hectic period for both employees and HR departments. It’s that time of year when employees get to enroll into or adjust their benefit packages, covering everything from health and dental plans to life and vision insurance.
Since this is often the only chance employees have to make changes to their plans, other than during significant life events like adding new dependents, HR teams can often be bogged down with a lot of tasks to get done in a short amount of time. And missing important deadlines is rarely an option, as businesses have a limited window to get necessary employee updates to their carriers.
While these periods can be a bit stressful and demanding for some businesses, there are ways teams can make this time of year much less demanding. With a little bit of forethought and well-executed planning initiatives, you can simplify your open enrollment process and create a much more positive experience for everyone involved.
Pre-Enrollment Planning and Preparation
When it comes to open enrollment, it’s a good idea to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. This allows teams plenty of time for preparation and ensures communication isn’t rushed while maintaining a timing buffer in the event you need to troubleshoot any issues before the actual enrollment window opens up. This is a great way to avoid experiencing that last-minute chaos that adds more stress on HR teams as they handle their benefits administration.
A good rule of thumb when planning for open enrollment is to announce upcoming supporting procedures to all employees at least six to eight weeks before it begins. But planning even three months out isn’t uncommon for many larger organizations.
At this point, it’s important to let your team members know the important dates, deadlines, benefit options, and any changes compared to the previous year. Giving them ample notice ahead of time allows them time to ask questions or voice any concerns, making sure they’re well-prepared for any required benefits procedures.
Once you’ve made the initial announcement, continue to send reminders as the enrollment period gets closer and during the enrollment window itself. You should use a variety of different communication methods when doing this to make sure everyone receives them. This could include using internal newsletters, emails, or your company intranet. The important thing to remember is that your notification messages should be short and to the point. Bombarding everyone with too much information all at once can be confusing and counterproductive.
Increase Employee Engagement
Although passive enrollment – meaning employees just let their coverage options auto-renew without review – might seem like a time-saver, it’s not the most effective approach. Active enrollment makes sure there is the right amount of attention given to employees from the very beginning. By requiring them to actually review all of their previous selections and weigh them against their current needs, employees are much more likely to be satisfied with their choices as the year progresses and not regret their lack of attention.
Employee benefits education can also help to improve employee engagement levels during open enrollment. Webinars, for example, hosted by benefits brokers can offer a more comprehensive overview of different benefit options and address frequently asked questions related to family healthcare coverage, coverage tiers, and associated costs.
Individual consultations over the phone with a benefits specialist can also help to provide more personalized support for employees. Benefits call centers can be a great resource for getting more information, or getting more guidance on benefits-related topics. This also is a great way to reduce the administrative workload in the HR department, which can focus on other important initiatives rather than answering multiple employee questions.
For employees who prefer a self-service approach to picking their coverage options, decision support tools like monthly premium calculators or plan comparison charts are also very beneficial. These tools let employees evaluate their options on their own time and based on their individual circumstances.
Building Strong Partnerships
Open enrollment periods can have their own set of challenges for different types of companies. Having a technology partner who specializes in benefits administration can be a valuable resource during this period. These partners help businesses implement technology solutions that simplify benefits management and create more efficient HR procedures.
A great technology partner can also help to deliver continuous support to help tackle any issues that might come up during the year. This support can be invaluable as it allows businesses to optimize their benefits management strategy and anticipate potential challenges before open enrollment even starts, rather than waiting and reacting to problems after they happen.
Review Annual Performance and Make Improvements
After the current enrollment period ends, it’s important to start preparing for the next one as soon as it makes sense. This includes reviewing any changes to legally required employee benefits each year, as well as setting goals ahead of time for improving open enrollment processes.
You should establish specific, measurable objectives, such as lowering the number of errors, increasing employee satisfaction with the benefits selection process, or getting more balanced usage rates for all your offering types.
One way to do this is by documenting your key performance indicators and tracking their progress throughout the year to make sure you’re meeting all your goals. Some important metrics to consider include enrollment percentages, employee satisfaction scores, and the number of HR responsibilities that are handled manually versus those that are automated.
Make sure that you’re actually using the information gathered from employee feedback or your tracked metrics to make continuous improvements to your open enrollment processes.
Help Better Prepare Your Business for Open Enrollment
Getting through annual open enrollment periods can be challenging without the right plan in place. However, taking a more proactive approach will help HR teams identify and resolve potential issues much earlier, helping to provide a smoother experience for everyone involved in the process.
Frank Mengert continues to find success by spotting opportunities where others see nothing. As the founder and CEO of ebm, a leading provider of employee benefits solutions, Frank has built the business by bridging the gap between insurance and technology driven solutions for brokers, consultants, carriers, and employers nationwide.
