Open enrollment can be a stressful time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are five tips that can help ensure a successful, anxiety-free open enrollment experience for your Human Resource (HR) staff and employees.  

Start early with employee communication and engagement. 

Give employees and HR staff a period of three weeks or more for open enrollment. Employees need time to carefully consider and compare all their options and discuss them with family members. If questions come up, they need time to find answers or ask for clarification.  

Provide employees with the education required for making the best choices.

Many employees don’t fully understand the basics let alone the nuances of health insurance or other benefits. Consequently, educational handouts should provide the necessary information along with illustrative examples. 

It’s important to hold informational meetings to explain the key points outlined in the handouts and to address employee questions. Adults tend to learn best when they both see and hear information.  

Non-English speakers and those with mental or physical disabilities, low incomes, or family situations with special needs may require more assistance in making open enrollment selections. See the guidelines included in your company’s overall education plan to properly address these needs.  

Move enrollment information online to reduce paper clutter.

Too many pages of paper can result in clutter and confusion about key information. Use a website instead of handouts for extensive explanations or details. You may also want to post summary handouts to the site for easy access, search, and download. 

Ultimately, moving open enrollment entirely to a web-based system is the most efficient and contributes to a better benefits experience for employees.

Leverage benefit brokers for education and enrollment support. 

Your healthcare and other benefits brokers often have materials and links to informative websites that can help employees make their selections. Before creating your own materials, be sure to review and assess your brokers’ resources. If they meet your needs, using them can save you time and energy. 

Consider using The BEACON, a cloud-based Benefits Administration platform provided by U.S. Retirement & Benefits Partners.  

Even with the helpful tips described here, a largely paper-based open enrollment can still be complicated and labor-intensive. You can simplify the process by going digital with The BEACON, (Benefits Education Administration Communication Online), a cloud-based platform. Designed with ease of use and practicality in mind, The BEACON simplifies your employees’ understanding of their benefit options. The platform is fully secure and customizable. It features: 

1. Multi-mode Enrollment: (Face-to-Face, Call Center, Self-Service/Online)
2. Employee Communication (Communication Link): Email, text messaging, and a proprietary tool that tailors communications to the goals and preferences of each employee
3. Employee Education (Education Mentor): Decision support tools that help employees choose the best benefits for their situations, with a large library of education videos for guidance.
4. Ease of Access: Full Spanish translation; optimized for mobile devices
5. Extensive Reporting: 25 standard reports and ad-hoc report functionality  

Click Here to learn more about The BEACON and how our team can help you crush your next open enrollment period.