By Kylie Artz, Shared Services Manager, Trüpp.
Open Enrollment may look different this year due to employees working remotely but don’t let anything fall through the cracks with your upcoming benefits renewal. Simplify your open enrollment with these helpful steps.
1. Inform
- Establish effective communication and educational plan, with communication before, during and after the Open Enrollment period.
- Understand and educate employees on how to best leverage their benefits during the Pandemic.
- Highlight the value of your health and benefits program.
- Educate employees on plan changes and the potential impact of those changes.
- Communicate early and often to the newly eligible.
2. Improve
- Make the most of your benefits dollars by surveying employees on their preferences and priorities.
- Consider adding a wellness program or an Employee Assistance Program.
- Use open enrollment as an opportunity to reinforce wellness campaigns.
- Understand the “hidden” perks your benefits offer employees (EAP, travel assistance, etc.)
- Make voluntary benefits a big part of the message.
- Highlight cost-saving opportunities.
- Capture employee questions, communication preferences, and feedback to improve next year’s open enrollment process.
- Leverage a broker to provide general user feedback.
3. Innovate
- Create easy access to benefits information.
- Leverage technology to increase employee accessibility and transition accountability to the employee.
- Avoid the nightmare of paper forms by exploring online open enrollment programs and software.
- Utilize texting and social media platforms to deliver reminders and helpful information to employees.
4. Identify
Identify all the enrollment-related materials that your employees need or are required to have:
- Open enrollment schedule.
- Statement of current coverage.
- Plan-specific changes and rates.
- Plan-specific summaries.
- Open enrollment forms.
- Resource contact information.
- Other resources such as frequently asked questions, benefit choice comparisons, information on underutilized benefits, etc.
5. Implement
- Confirm that all forms are complete, accurate, and submitted.
- Be sure that all employees have received ID cards.
- Comply with all relevant healthcare reform requirements.
- Verify that all payroll deductions and employer contributions are properly adjusted in the payroll system.
- Distribute all required notices.
- Use as an opportunity to update addresses and beneficiary information of employees.
