The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many employers conduct their day-to-day business, accelerated technology development toward digital experiences, and has led to new legislation to support businesses and employees. In many cases, change happened quickly and will be lasting. Listening to consumers is as important as ever, because their experiences and responses will drive decision-making going forward.

That's especially true in health care and employee benefits. As we look ahead to 2021, we are leaning heavily on outreach and feedback from partners, consultants, brokers, clients, and participants to shape our planning and strategy. With that in mind, here are five trends we're anticipating in the employee benefits and health care space for the coming year:

Move to virtual open enrollment experiences

The pandemic forced many employers and their benefits advisors to implement a virtual open enrollment for their 2021 plan year. That was especially true in cases where part or all of the workforce was working from home.

We recently surveyed employers whose open enrollment periods were finished. The survey results revealed that some form of virtual open enrollment appears to be here to stay. Among respondents who conducted a virtual open enrollment in 2020, 85 percent said they plan to continue to do so in future years. Our survey results showed that the percentage of employers that hosted in-person open enrollment fairs declined dramatically from last year to this year, from 45 percent to 3 percent. It is very unlikely that in-person open enrollment will return to previous levels.