It’s That Time Again: Making the Most of Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for many human resources departments is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, technology advancements that allow an employee force to manage, select and enroll in their own benefit programs significantly cuts down on the red tape for HR managers. On the flip side, benefits are complicated and making sure you’ve informed and educated your staff to get through your open enrollment period without too many issues is a difficult task.
Especially today, when all of the media attention being put on a government healthcare overhaul is reaching a fever pitch, your employees may feel more overwhelmed than ever when making open enrollment decisions. Use the following simple tips to ensure that your open enrollment season is smooth and productive.
Communicate Early and Often
It’s a cliché, but also absolutely true. The earlier and more frequently you communicate with your staff about open enrollment the better results you will see. Nothing is worse than that employee (and we all have one) who comes to you after the enrollment period is closed and says that no one told him it was happening. When communicating about your enrollment period, also be sure to use multiple media options: emails, conference calls, live meetings and even reminder posters or brochures around the office(s) to keep enrollment on the front burner.
Build in Time for Q&A
Many companies offer open Q&A sessions during the early stages of (or just before) open enrollment, but don’t get the attendance they desire. Then, in the last couple of days of the enrollment period they get slammed with last minute info requests. To avoid this complication consider assigning Q&A sessions to various teams or employees, yet still making them optional. This way everyone has a specific time that’s been set aside for them, and if they choose not to use it then your team can rest easy. Some leading edge companies are also running fewer info sessions and instead scheduling times during department or team meetings where they know all of the employees will be attending. The right process will be different for each organization, but you’d be well served to give some strategic thought about the best way to touch as many employees possible in your organization.
Turn Confusion Into a Tool
Today many employees are confused due to all of the talk about healthcare in the media. Rather than billing your info sessions as “open enrollment” sessions, consider running a discussion or training on what’s going on in national healthcare and what it might mean to your employees. This confusing topic may garner more interest than the same old annual “open enrollment” meeting, and you can tack your enrollment needs on at the end of the session.
