Maximizing Open Enrollment: 6 Tips For Educating Employees On Their Benefits Options

Interactive and multi-channel approaches to open enrollment success

To help you effectively educate employees about their benefits options and boost participation during open enrollment, we asked benefits leaders and human resources (HR) managers for their best strategies. From adopting a personalized omnichannel approach to hosting interactive webinars, here are six successful engagement tactics shared by these experts.
 

• Adopt a Personalized Omni-Channel Approach
• Use a More-Is-More Education Strategy
• Implement Engaging Educational Campaigns
• Introduce Multi-Channel Communication Strategy
• Provide a Variety of Educational Tools
• Host Interactive Webinars And Q&A Sessions

Adopt a Personalized Omni-Channel Approach

A shocking number of employees generally miss or choose the wrong benefits during open enrollment due to miscommunication or difficulty reaching deskless workers.

To address this, it’s crucial to adopt a personalized, omnichannel, and strategic approach to communicate critical benefits information effectively within the limited enrollment period. Bright Horizons (a Firstup customer) took this approach and saved nearly $100,000 annually by digitizing its open enrollment process.

Here are some tips for effective benefits communication that we put into practice at Firstup to achieve an open enrollment rate of nearly 100%:

1. Engaging Communications: Choose a fun and engaging theme to capture attention and break through the noise, such as 'Rock Enroll,' 'Ready, Set, Elect,' or 'Benefits are Out of This World.' Integrate this theme into your visuals, writing, and digital signage to make your communications stand out. In a world where millions of emails and texts are sent a day, it is important to make sure your communications are noticed.

2. Personalized Communications with AI-Audience Builder: Utilize an intelligent communication platform to reach employees with the right information at the right time through the right channels. Leverage AI to quickly build audiences based on employee attributes, ensuring they receive accurate benefits information tailored to their specific circumstances, such as country- or state-specific benefits or union/non-union variations.

3. Multi-Content Strategy: People consume information differently, so diversify your content to engage employees effectively. Provide multiple formats, such as open enrollment guidebooks, FAQ sheets, infographics, employee stories, and reminder images. Additionally, offer live and recorded webinars for detailed benefits explanations and HR open houses and Q&A sessions for a more personalized approach.

4. Omni-Channel Delivery: Employees often miss communications because they are sent out in a mode that they are unlikely to see, such as an email for deskless workers or during a busy time of day. Break through the noise by using AI and intelligent communication to ensure critical comms are provided in a way the employee is most likely to consume the information, whether through mobile push notifications, emails, or platforms like Teams. This ensures employees can access, understand, and enroll in benefits promptly.
 

Sabra Sciolaro, Chief People Officer, Firstup

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Use a More-Is-More Education Strategy

Benefits season is my favorite time of year! It is a time to construct a package that is responsive and reflective of employee needs. It is also of utmost importance to me that my employees are the most informed so they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families.

My approach to benefits education is more-is-more. Throughout the year, I am always talking about our benefits, how to utilize them, how to get greater value out of them, how to ask the right questions to healthcare providers, and what I am exploring for the new benefits year. I share this information in group meetings and 1:1 meetings with employees.

When an employee shares a situation that is not covered by their current elections, I let them know how enrolling in another option could assist in either cost reduction or an increase of coverage. I also work with our benefits brokers to develop an easy-to-understand benefits booklet that employees can reference during open enrollment and throughout the year.

Our benefits package is my way of telling my employees that I see you, I value you, and here is how our organization is going to support you and your family's wellness.
 

Brittany Brazell, Human Resources Manager, Our Children's Trust

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Implement Engaging Educational Campaigns

At Bravo Benefits, we use engaging educational campaigns alongside robust support systems to ensure employees are well-informed and active participants during open enrollment. We achieve this by using a combination of emails, webinars, in-person meetings, and an online portal to communicate with employees through their preferred channels. Each medium is tailored to ensure that critical information about benefits options is communicated effectively. Our online portal offers resources and decision-support tools on demand, including webinars and detailed plan comparisons. Employees can access these resources anytime, allowing them to learn at their own pace and to choose the best options for themselves and their families. Our employees appreciated the interactive and supportive environment, which facilitated their informed decision-making.
 

Wojciech Dochan, Managing Director, Bravo Benefits

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Introduce Multi-Channel Communication Strategy

In addition to in-person, town-hall-style meetings, we implemented a multi-channel communication strategy and introduced interactive webinars to explain benefits options. We also used a personalized approach by sending out individual benefits statements and offering one-on-one consultations. As a result, they saw a significant increase in active participation during open enrollment and a significant rise in employees choosing optimal benefits plans. What we discovered is that many employees just weren't aware of what was available to them, and once they received an education, they were excited to have more involvement in their benefits programs.
 

Samantha Swart, Human Resources Manager, McKean Smith

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Provide a Variety of Educational Tools

We try to provide a variety of educational tools during our annual open enrollment period to remind our California State University employees of the benefits available to them and their families. Recently, we've incorporated a virtual Annual Open Enrollment fair for our State University employees, Vendor Overview Webinars, and provided a centralized website for our 23 regional campus locations throughout the state of California. Employees can access these tools anywhere online and at their in-person work locations.

We believe providing multiple media sources for employee benefits education helps provide vital information across generations and shows it can be delivered in new and fun ways that grab the audience's attention. We've seen an increase in the utilization of certain benefits that were normally docile by providing information based on an employee's preference and ensuring that information is clear. Reminding employees of lesser-known benefits and using post-open enrollment surveys via email after open enrollment has ended has proven to be beneficial to our employees in helping us provide benefits information they want to hear more about in the future.
 

Nikco Moore, Senior Manager, Benefits and Leaves Programs, California State University Chancellor's Office

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

Host Interactive Webinars And Q&A Sessions

To educate employees about their benefits options and encourage active participation during open enrollment, I implement a comprehensive employee communication strategy across multiple platforms, including a custom landing page with access to all benefits offered, text, email, and ringless voicemail.

With over 27 years of experience in the employee benefits sector, I understand the importance of clear and accessible information. Advancements in technology, such as AI integration, are also assisting in this process by providing personalized recommendations and streamlining communication. A properly educated employee is more likely to make informed decisions when selecting benefits, leading to cost savings and reduced frustration when utilizing their benefits. We offer employees the option to self-enroll or to receive assisted enrollment from an experienced and licensed benefits educator.

One successful strategy we employed was hosting interactive webinars and Q&A sessions, which significantly increased engagement and allowed employees to ask questions and receive immediate, personalized responses. By providing timely and relevant information in a format that suits them best, we saw a marked increase in enrollment and better decision-making among our employees.
 

Daniel Carriazo, President, Secured Planning Partners

Brett Farmiloe is the CHRO and CEO of Featured.