5 Tips for Employers to Effectively Manage Open Enrollment

Open enrollment season for employee benefits can be frustrating for employers and employees alike. Employees are often overwhelmed with information and need assistance. Employers dread the additional administrative work that comes anytime employee benefits are in flux.

Here are 5 tips for employers to effectively manage open enrollment and reduce this stress:

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate. To minimize employee anxiety and frustration (as well as minimize how many queries need to be answered separately), be sure your communications to employees are comprehensive yet succinct and are sensitive to employee needs. Outline what is changing, what the employee options are, and critical deadlines employees must meet. Start this communication before the open enrollment period begins.
2. Consider providing training on the benefit options for employees. Many employees are not going to read all of the materials that come from the insurance company, but they still need to understand their choices; this means it is in everyone’s best interest if the employer provides summaries of the choices. Each employee will be faced with differing decision factors; to help them determine their best option, consider having informational sessions to better explain the pros and cons of each choice and to give information on what factors each individual should consider in his or her decision.
3. Consider automating the open enrollment process and making plan information available online. This can streamline the process for all employees who are regularly online and can be a space to also provide resources for employees to better understand plan choices before making their selection. If possible, include a benefit calculator to assist employees in comparing choices based on their needs.
4. Create a means to review the open enrollment process and improve it from one year to the next. Once this process is in place, you will have more tools to learn from past frustrations and streamline the process going forward. Consider utilizing employee surveys after the open enrollment period to get input on what they would change about the process and take that input into consideration for the next open enrollment period. Also consider asking what parts of the process they did not find valuable—which could save you money by eliminating any elements that employees do not find helpful.
5. Remember, if you would prefer to outsource the process, there are options. Employers can opt to hire third-party providers to handle the entire process, which not only frees up administrative time in-house but also provides the employees with dedicated resources to help them every step of the way. This can be a win-win if it is handled well and if you find the costs of hiring outside assistance are worth the benefits involved.

By taking the time to help employees truly understand their benefit options, employers can reduce employee stress and anxiety around the process. By providing this guidance, it also serves to minimize lost productivity by employees struggling to assess their options and being frustrated along the way. It will show the employees that the employer has a vested interest in ensuring they chose the benefit options that are most beneficial to them, which can improve employee perceptions of the organization during this time.