The ABCs of open enrollment success
September 25, 2024
With enrollment season just around the corner, HR teams everywhere are looking for ways to cut enrollment drama and create easier, better ways to connect employees with their benefits. The good news is there are some relatively simple ways to improve enrollment processes and in turn help increase employee engagement, satisfaction and retention. Start with these basic tips from our most experienced enrollment experts, and take the first steps on your journey to a better experience for employees and benefit administrators alike.
A. Advance awareness
You might be surprised how unaware many employees are of the benefits you offer, and even the benefits they’ve already signed up for. Don’t take it for granted that employees have benefits on their radar. Well in advance of enrollment, start planning your strategy for communicating the value of employee benefits and preparing employees for enrollment.
B. Beef up education
According to a recent LIMRA study,1 the better employees understand their benefits, the more satisfied they are with those benefits. LIMRA also found that employees who are very satisfied with their benefits are also more inclined to stay with their current jobs. Together, these two findings add up to this: Educating employees about their benefits is critically important.
76% of employees who say they understand their benefits extremely well also say they are highly satisfied with their benefits.
Only 36% of employees who say they understand their benefits somewhat well are highly satisfied.
Source: LIMRA, 2023 BEAT Study: Benefits and Employee Attitude Tracker.
Benefits are crucial for recruitment, but benefits education is key to employee retention. The better employees understand their benefits, the more they recognize the value those benefits provide, and the more reluctant they will be to give that value up.
Producing effective benefits education materials can be expensive and time-consuming, though. That’s why employers should reach out to their benefit carriers for support. Many carriers can provide a wide variety of materials to help reach and inform employees across different ages, life stages, needs and level of knowledge about benefits — from booklets and mailers to websites and videos.
TIP: Bonus points for carriers who can embed effective educational materials right into the digital enrollment process, so employees have the information they need at their fingertips
C. Communicate early and often
Employees need time to become aware of their benefits, recognize their value, understand the details and get clear on where and when they need to enroll. A single communication can’t do all of that. Get started early on your enrollment communications, and ensure employees receive information several times, using a variety of methods. Some experts recommend a 3x3x3 strategy: start three weeks before enrollment, send at least three communications and use at least three different methods.
Employee confidence in benefit decisions increases with the number of educational resources available to them
Source: LIMRA, 2023 BEAT Study: Benefits and Employee Attitude Tracker.
TIP: Use your employee intranet if you have one, email and analog methods like posters, postcards and break-room table tents to get the benefits message across.
D. Delight with technology
It’s time to stop using paper-based enrollment processes, if you can. Most employees want a digital process like the ones they use to order goods and services in everyday life. Check whether your carrier offers a digital enrollment experience if you don’t already use one.
Employers also want features like single sign-on (meaning employees don’t have to go to several different websites to enroll in different benefits, repeating a sign-on process for each) and other ways to make enrollment access easier for employees. Wherever you can, ensure a streamlined process so employees complete enrollment with a minimum amount of trouble.
Top-ranked employee educational delivery methods, per employers*
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Benefits information portal | 60%
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In-person 1:1 benefits counseling | 46%
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Emails/internal communications | 45%
*Percentage of employers who ranked these methods in the top three
Source: Unum, Employer Insights Pulse Survey: Q3 – Employee Experience, 2024.
Source: Unum, Employer Insights Pulse Survey: Q3 – Employee Experience, 2024.
TIP: Look for systems that allow employees to complete evidence of insurability (EOI, or medical questions asked for higher coverage levels) online, right in the enrollment process, instead of filling out a separate form later.
E. Engage everyone
You probably have many benefit “audiences” in your organization: new hires with zero information about your benefits, young workers who may not yet understand how insurance helps them, older workers with changing coverage needs, office workers who are accustomed to digital processes, and others who are not as tech savvy or don’t have access to tech during the work day.
A one-size-fits-all education and enrollment strategy won’t work for all of these disparate groups. To ensure all employees are aware of, understand and take action to enroll in benefits, you need to think through the needs of your various employee populations. Then ensure you have enrollment education and enrollment options that reach everyone.
For example, tech-savvy employees who understand insurance may be happy with an email, information on the company intranet and a self-service digital enrollment process. New hires and workers without access to tech could benefit from meetings with live benefit counselors, either in person or virtually.
F. Focus on benefits year-round
Enrollment season is an important time to educate your employees about their benefits. But it’s not the only time. Take action to communicate your benefits message throughout the year. You’ll help employees remember the benefits they have, which can be helpful in times of emergency, like after an accident. Plus, keeping employees aware of their benefits can help you continuously demonstrate your value as an employer.
TIP: Benefits need managing as life circumstances change. Take the opportunity to remind employees that they need to check coverage levels and beneficiaries as they get married, have kids, near retirement, etc. You can also maintain regular touch points throughout the year to remind employees about wellness claims and other benefits they might not remember.
G. Going forward
As you prepare for your next enrollment, analyze your current strategy and see where you can improve. Be sure to work with your benefits provider as you build your strategy. Unum has enrollment education and technology that can help you conduct your best benefits enrollment ever. Learn more about accessing these important support options as part of our long-term commitment to our benefit partners.
1 LIMRA, 2023 BEAT Study: Benefits and Employee Attitude Tracker.