Open enrollment 101, Pt 2: More industry experts' best tips
This is the second in a two-part series offering open enrollment advice from top benefits advisors, HR leaders, and other benefits professionals.
As we head into Q4 craziness, what’s one piece of open enrollment advice you’d offer your fellow benefits advisors, HR professionals, or even overwhelmed employees? From ways to boost staff morale, to specific cost-savings strategies or communication hacks, here are actionable ideas and strategies that will make OE 2024 easier and more effective.
You know the drill
“Repeating what I said last year (repetition is also a great learning strategy):
1) Keep it simple
2) Balance tech and touch
3) Use all available resources
“Annual open enrollment is not the time to share all of your benefit details in onsite meetings. Employees do not have an hour+ attention span, so highlight the key items in live sessions, reinforce those in other communications and refer them to more detailed, self-service resources. Then, plan ongoing educational touchpoints to re-enforce and share more throughout the year using multiple mediums.
“Employers, you know your employees and culture best. Don’t be shy in sharing that with those who are supporting your OE process and hold them accountable. You deserve some peace this season, and employees deserve a year-round education process. Happy enrolling!”
Kristine Scheer, CEO and Founder, K2 Strategic
It’s not about you
“Remember this simple (and harsh) truth when communicating to employees during OE: almost none of them want to be in OE meetings. Yes it’s important; yes their decisions will impact them for the whole year; yes, it’s expensive, etc. But to them, that doesn’t matter: If it did, they’d be more involved and engaged. The fact remains that our single biggest hurdle with engagement is employee apathy towards insurance in general.
“So jump into the shoes of the employees receiving your message. Understand how they think and feel. Learn how they view insurance and benefits. Then craft your message with your recipient in mind. As a benefits professional, I often default to my understanding of and appreciation for benefits and forget that employees don’t relate to that. I’m not saying you shouldn’t educate them on the importance of benefits; I’m saying you have to earn the right to be listened to by employees, and that only happens when they feel you understand them and meet them where they are.
“Employees have the potential to be the linchpin for change in insurance — let’s do the hard work of truly engaging them so they can step into that potential!”
Luke Aslesen, vice president, employee benefits, Christensen Group Insurance
Humanizing benefits
“Take an ethical and human-centered approach by focusing (at a local level) on: (1) what benefits your participants need to thrive, and (2) what your participants need to be able to access the benefit programs available to them. In other words, make sure to understand the application of social determinants of health, as well as barriers to financial wellbeing. For example, where might there be the most significant cost-of-living issues? What groups are most impacted? Then prioritize the most impactful benefits and approaches to engagement.”
Uche Enemchukwu, JD, LLM, CEO, Nelu Diversified Solutions
It’s game time!
“Most employees view open enrollment meetings as a “have to” not a “get to.” To drum up a little excitement and encourage employees to pay attention, we sprinkle pop quiz questions throughout the presentation. The first person to answer correctly wins an Amazon gift card. This has boosted attendance and enthusiasm!
“We recognize that open enrollment is like the Super Bowl for HR/benefits teams, so we take the opportunity to give shout outs and kudos to the team during the meetings so employees hear about all the hard work and effort they have invested to bring the programs to them. We want to be viewed as an extension of the team.”
Kathy Kwasniak, CEBS, RHU, Vice President of Operations, Employee Benefits, Brightline Dealer Advisors
Recipe for success
“As we move into the 4th quarter of 2024 and finalize our health care program decisions for 2025 (and beyond), there are some key things to keep in mind:
- Whether your plan is fully funded or self-funded, you are a fiduciary of your health care plan if you have any decision-making authority. This includes, but is not limited to CEO, CFO, human resources, finance and other personnel.
- With that in mind, make sure your insurance broker and/or insurance advisor has presented you with different health care plan options and they are carefully evaluated to meet those fiduciary guidelines.
- Change is never easy, but having a solid communication plan and a united front from the top down can make the change process a lot smoother.
- Don’t settle for the same plan just because your renewal came in lower than you expected. Push for more!
- If you are making a wholesale change in your health care program, remember that change doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re working with the right advisor, they should be able to guide you through the process and provide the support that you and your employees need for a successful transition.
- Employee communication should not be a one-size-fits-all approach. As with many companies, there are now multiple generations working together and each one of those generations learns and processes information in their own way. For example, host a webcast to review all of the health insurance program options for the upcoming year and including all family members; record it and have it available to all employees so they can watch it again in case they missed some of the important information you shared; provide the information about your company’s health care program in multiple languages (when applicable); provide booklets that summarize the company’s benefit offerings for the upcoming year; have in person meetings, etc.
- There are a lot of great point solutions that could plug into self-funded health care plans. Make sure you use the data from your plan to help navigate which solutions would have the greatest impact and ROI. Additionally, make sure the vendor you select provides you with ongoing reporting so you can hold them accountable and achieve the results you desire.
- Most importantly, ask for help and support from your vendor partners. We’re all in this together and it’s everyone’s job to execute a very successful open enrollment season.”
Stephanie M. Koch, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Director of Human Resources, Hendry Marine Industries, Inc.
Power of partnership
“Success comes when you can work with a distribution partner specializing in benefits. Right before the busy fourth quarter season, I asked my benefits representative if she could enroll a new group for me while I was on vacation with my family. She said “absolutely,” and I totally trusted her and her team to help move this employer to a new health plan effective October 1st. I have never let go of this process with any of my external partners. Both myself and my client were very pleased with the outcome. I feel fortunate to have developed a special trust in this partnership that has helped me throughout the year and into the busy 4Q season for benefits, health insurance and compliance.”
Wayne Sakamoto, president, Health Insurance Interactive, Inc.