Open enrollment during a pandemic: 5 invaluable lessons learned

It’s challenging during an ordinary open enrollment period to get employees to take an active interest in their health care benefits. But, from each cycle, we learn a little more about how to educate employees so they feel confident to choose the benefits that are the best fit for them, their families and their future. Nothing, however, has ever affected employers’ approach to open enrollment like the COVID-19 pandemic.

To support remote employees and promote social distancing, employers were forced to try different tactics last year. Webinars, virtual fairs and email communications were in. Printed handouts were out. Whether we liked it or not, those of us in the benefits industry – from consultants and brokers to administrators and technology providers – took a crash course in what works and what doesn’t for today’s workers. And we did this while moving our own employees to work-from-home, adopting new, virtual client engagement methods, and acting quickly to help employers interpret and adopt new benefits-related regulations included in relief legislation, such as the CARES Act.

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In WEX’s recently conducted employer survey, a full 85 percent of employers said they did not change their 2021 benefits as a result of COVID-19 or its economic impacts. Employers saw this as a way to extend a steady hand to employees during a turbulent year. What did change out of necessity was employers’ approaches to the mechanics of open enrollment. Sixty-seven percent of employers said they delivered open enrollment education differently due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements. Examples included employers hosting virtual open enrollment fairs, shepherding their employees through the process via live webinars, and offering online chat during scheduled times to help address questions. And the new approach could stick around. Of those who added virtual engagement methods to their open enrollment tool kits, 85 percent said they will continue to do so in future years.

Here are five of the most important takeaways from 2021 open enrollment:

1. Virtual OE fairs are easier and more effective than in-person fairs: The vast majority of employers who provided a virtual open enrollment experience in 2020 said they would provide a similar experience even when social distancing guidelines are no longer in effect. Many employers did say they miss the person-to-person interaction they normally enjoy during open enrollment; of course, this was a theme of 2020 in general. Even when in-person interactions are safe again, virtual open enrollment has proven to be the way to go for many employers when engaging employees. A hybrid model, in which both an in-person and virtual OE fair is offered, may further boost engagement.

2. More time is needed to prepare for open enrollment: Overwhelmingly, employers said they should have started sooner in 2020 and need more time to prepare in the future.

Of course, COVID made employers feel even more crunched for time than normal, as they rushed to adopt new technologies, including implementing self-service options and transitioning to virtual. Some said they wished they had time to translate their open enrollment materials into more languages or to create educational videos. Others would like to develop their open enrollment communications further in advance so they can get their employees thinking about open enrollment before it begins.

Also: Why 2021 will be the year of employee relations

In future years, when going virtual with open enrollment is a choice rather than a quick response to a pandemic-sized problem, employers will have more time to get ready. As benefits consultants and brokers begin to ramp up for this year’s open enrollment season, employers’ desire to deliver hybrid virtual and in-person experiences offers new opportunities for delivering value-add service and advisement.

3. Whether conducted virtually or face-to-face, open enrollment needs to be more personalized and interactive: Increased interactivity was also requested, with employers calling for access to chat features that will enable them to answer employees’ questions. Some expressed interest in interactive online platforms such as Jellyvision or Brainshark. Others would like to incorporate gamification into educating their employees about benefits options. And several said they want to provide a benefits calculator to help employees decide which plans would be best for them. In-person fairs provide employees with face-to-face interaction, but there are still ways to work that personal touch into a virtual open enrollment fair in the future. And there now exists more resources than ever to create a more interactive experience.

4. Open enrollment should either be mandatory or incentivized for employees: Open enrollment meetings are seldom mandatory for employees, but employers may rethink that. Many employers struggled especially hard in 2020 to entice remote workforces to make their benefits selections. One employer said they regret that their company couldn’t allocate paid time for employees to meet virtually to discuss the benefits available to them. Going forward, consider ways to incentivize or compensate employees for taking the time to review their benefits options and show up for open enrollment meetings. Incentives could include gift card giveaways, scavenger hunts in the virtual fair environment, or random drawings for attendance. Making open enrollment fairs mandatory may sound extreme, but it shows employees their health and well-being are being taken seriously. Recruiting a company’s management team to act as open enrollment ambassadors may help drive home the importance of open enrollment participation.

5. Look for new ways to get ahead now. Responding to the many changes HR leaders needed to address during COVID-19 and wanting to avoid introducing too many new things at once delayed employers’ drive to continue innovating benefits offerings for 2021. But that will change once things get back to “normal.” Employers who haven’t already will broaden their benefits portfolio to include health savings accounts (HSAs), health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and lifestyle spending accounts (LSAs). LSAs are employer-funded and employer-owned. However, LSAs differ from the aforementioned accounts in that an employer funds an employee’s LSA after funds have been taxed. LSA-eligible expenses typically fall into three wellness categories: physical, financial and emotional. But because there are no tax restrictions on how the funds may be spent, eligible expenses for an LSA can be anything an employer determines will help meet their employees’ needs. Commuter benefits were also growing in popularity before the pandemic. As more employees return to offices, their popularity should rebound. In 2021 and beyond, expect employers to look for new ways to get an edge on open enrollment for 2022. This will largely involve finding ways to help employees manage their costs in the areas of health care, childcare, and commuting.

Though 2020 did present considerable challenges, it managed to provide some lessons on how to better engage employees during future open enrollment periods. And it’s never too early to turn the lessons from one year into a solid open enrollment strategy for years to come.

Sherry Olson is VP of Human Resources for Benefits at, WEX.