Employees are struggling to understand their employers’ benefits plans. While in 2015, 77 percent of employees said they understood them, that number has fallen to only 50 percent in recent years. Not understanding their benefits can have significant repercussions for employees as well as employers in terms of sick days and absences, which, beyond negatively impacting overall employee health and morale, can hinder company productivity and bottom line.
But you, as benefits and human resources professionals, can play a key role in improving the effectiveness of benefits plans communications and use of the plans. And with open enrollment right around the corner, there is no time like the present. Here are top 10 ways to prepare for your open enrollment communications.
10 ways to prepare for your open-enrollment communications
1. Work around employees’ schedules – Your employees are used to living in a world of convenience and this includes the ways they access and consume information. Ensure your benefits information is accessible in a way that is convenient for employees.
2. Offer web and mobile access – Beyond having it at-the-ready, employees will want to access benefits enrollment information in the way that makes sense for them. That means ensuring the content is easily readable on a desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.
3. Use all communications channels at your disposal – You will want to cast as wide a net as possible when distributing open enrollment communications. Beyond digital means like emails, and e-newsletters, don’t overlook materials such as brochures, one-pagers, flyers; even promotional SWAG that can be used for desk drops as more employees increasingly return to the office, not to mention in-person meetings.
4. Use less paper – Beyond legal reasons, in today’s day and age, there is no reason to print up hard copies of guidebooks. Employees expect Amazon; not the Sears Roebuck catalog. Plus, using less paper is better for the environment.
5. Use less words – Remember that your employees are consumers and used to consuming information in succinct, informative bites, not long-form reading and presentations. They will expect a similar brevity in their benefits communications so ensure your materials are brief, concise and include a clear call to action – what it is you want employees specifically to do because of your communications.
6. Repeat the words often – The more frequently you communicate with employees regarding your benefits plan leading up to open enrollment, the greater your opportunity to enhance overall employee knowledge and ultimately, participation rates.
7. Eliminate jargon – You do not want your employees being unfairly put in a position where they need to make important healthcare decisions based on information they may not readily comprehend. While certain industry-specific terms or acronyms are necessary, your aim should be to use these sparingly.
8. Tell it with a video – Communicating more frequently using videos free of jargon is a proven way to boost employee benefits knowledge and appreciation to help them maximize the value of their benefits. At LearnYour Benefits, our customizable, intuitive and easy to track videos help employees absorb and consume benefits plan information from open enrollment to all points in between so they can make smarter, better informed healthcare decisions year-round.
9. Include spouses and family members – Remember that many of your employees will be evaluating your benefits plan based on how it will impact their spouses and family members. That’s why it’s crucial to develop your open enrollment communications with them in mind.
10. Make open-enrollment interesting – Consider using unique website designs or employee experiences to make open-enrollment communications interesting.
Open enrollment presents a great opportunity to engage your employee with their benefits plans through effective, sustained communications. But remember that benefits communications need to extend well beyond open enrollment and should ideally be part of an ongoing, iterative process. When one communications cycle is winding down, it is time to start planning for the next.
Contact us to learn more
LearnYour Benefits is an online employee benefits knowledge platform. Our suite of benefits communications tools facilitates year-round employee knowledge, engagement and action. We provide instantly accessible resources all in one location that help your employees and their families maximize the value of their benefits plan and turn benefits information into ongoing, rear-round benefits engagement when and where it’s convenient for them.
