Effective COBRA communications: Lessons learned from COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed American attitudes toward work. The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting phenomena have proven that workers expect more support and attention from their employers than in the past and are willing to risk their jobs and incomes to get it.

In providing support for workers that is more robust, employers have wisely begun paying increased attention to such factors as generational variances. Changes in technology and societal norms over the past century have led to significant differences in how each generation prefers to learn and communicate. In turn, this influences how they understand and respond to incoming information.

Close to home

The impact of a person’s age cohort on how they communicate was brought home to me personally in recent months as I helped my mother sign up for Medicare and my grandson enroll in his first “career job” benefits.

In my mother’s case, so much of the information she received arrived via email and on the web; but as an older baby boomer, she remains uncomfortable with digital information. My mother prefers printed information that she can hold in her hands and study when she wants without remembering passwords, scrolling endlessly, or wondering if she has missed any clicks.

At the other end of the spectrum, my grandson could be a poster child for Gen Z. As we sorted through his benefits enrollment packet, he continually expressed frustration that he couldn’t just take care of this entirely online or — better yet — from his mobile device.

Layoffs and COBRA insurance

COBRA regulations ensure that Americans who have lost their jobs (except for reasons of gross misconduct), had their hours reduced, or experienced certain other events have options to maintain health coverage for themselves and their dependents. 

The U.S. may face a significant period of layoffs in 2022 and 2023. In August 2022, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) surveyed 722 U.S. executives about their workforce expectations for the next 6-12 months and more than 50% said they plan to make significant headcount reductions.

The COBRA election (enrollment) notice that the U.S. Department of Labor requires employers to send to COBRA-eligible persons consists of more than 3,200 words spread over about 10 pages of dense, single-spaced text and forms. 

Wading through a document like that is not a comfortable experience for anyone, let alone the potential COBRA enrollee who is often dealing with a stressful time in their life. 

How the generations learn

The tremendous societal and technological changes since World War II mean that the four generations that primarily comprise the active U.S. workforce have developed very different approaches to receiving information and communicating.

This directly impacts how they interact with COBRA eligibility information and, for that matter, pretty much all benefits education.

Baby boomers 

Born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s, baby boomers often define themselves by their professional achievements. They are hardworking, accustomed to long hours, and motivated by position, perks and prestige. By the time the internet arrived on the scene, they were well into their careers and raising families.

More than other generations, boomers tend to value interpersonal communications like face-to-face conversation or talking on the phone. Their comfort level with technology is mixed; some are receptive, while others are not.

Generation X

Gen Xers are purpose-driven and more open-minded about trying new things and adapting to change. Born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, about three-fourths (74%) are on social media. 

They are the first generation to embrace higher education immediately following high school. Gen Xer’s family demands are complex and require flexibility. They’re comfortable with both face-to-face communication and less personal interaction.

Millennials (Gen Y)

Although computers came along before this group entered the world, Millennials are the first generation that truly leveraged them. Born between 1981 and 1996, they are the largest demographic in the workplace, just ahead of Generation X, and the largest age group in the U.S., recently bypassing the boomers (72.1 million vs. 71.6 million).

The ease of emailing, texting and messaging others through online or phone apps, as opposed to talking on the phone, has had an enormous impact on this group. They consider phone calls time-consuming and tend to avoid face-to-face interactions as well.

Gen Y dislikes “too many details.” Raised in the internet age, they have always had access to large amounts of often-disorganized information. In response, whether through print, video or on the web, their preferred learning and communication styles focus on smaller, more digestible info bites, with less fluff.

Gen Z

Born after 1997, Gen Z is young, energetic, and tech-savvy. Compared to Millennials, they are digital natives rather than digital pioneers and have witnessed new technology disruptors practically every day of their lives. 

Gen Z spends many of their waking hours in front of screens and prefers to communicate online. They are financially cautious, practical, pragmatic and mindful of the future. Most members of Gen Z are focused on the opinions of others and will seek information from family, friends, and peers (as well as online review sites) before making decisions. 

Gen Z expects fast, straightforward communication with rapid responses. They are comfortable making critical decisions through email, online messaging and texting.

Final thoughts

As someone who helps develop COBRA administration software and spends a lot of time thinking about best practices, I know the challenges posed by employee benefits on TPAs, benefits advisors, and employers.

But I also recognize that it can be easy to focus so intensely on the “what and why” that we overlook the “who and how” more than we should. My recent experiences helping my mother and my grandson helped make that very clear.

We have the opportunity to apply lessons learned from the pandemic to develop ways to serve the needs of our multi-generational workforce more effectively. For example, COBRA education and enrollment procedures should be simplified and aligned more closely with how the various generations think, learn and communicate. COBRA administration software should be flexible enough to provide COBRA communications via postal mail, email, and for viewing on computers and mobile devices. 

Legislators, regulatory agency personnel and those who create and administer COBRA-related products, services and communications must work together to make what we do more accessible for today’s workforce. 

Levita Scull is the product manager for COBRA and premium billing products at DataPath, Inc. She began her career in programming, development, and systems engineering. Scull also has 15 years of experience in project management and systems improvement.