Ep. 18: Virtual enrollment in a COVID-19 environment
August 4, 2020
Episode details
With the social-distancing needs of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers may be wondering what benefits enrollment will look like in 2020. For many employers, virtual enrollment methods are replacing face-to-face meetings. According to a recent employer survey, virtual enrollment is expected to double this year. In this episode, benefits experts Shawn Ferguson and Richard Shaffer provide insights for employers starting or expanding virtual-enrollment capabilities, and discuss how to engage and educate employees in virtual environments.
- Before implementing a virtual enrollment strategy, make sure your organization has an online platform and a plan to engage employees on this platform. [03:45]
- Mandatory group enrollment meetings can be held virtually using a variety of methods. These meetings are important for educating employees about their benefits offering, including additions or changes to coverage. [04:02]
- Employees are more likely to research and learn about their benefits when an active decision-making process is applied. [05:01]
- Present a comprehensive benefits package in a logical order, and make sure employees have a consistent experience in all benefits communications and across platforms. [05:33]
- Employees will have very specific questions this enrollment season, as the pandemic has made workers more worried about their financial fragility. [08:00]
- Virtual tools have seen rapid adoption since the COVID-19 outbreak. Some insurance carriers and brokers have retooled and reinvented benefits communication and enrollment to approximate a face-to-face experience in a virtual ecosystem. [09:03]
- For the average American worker, benefits enrollment and selection is going to be the one of the most — if not the most — significant financial decision they make over the course of the year. The goal of enrollment meetings should be benefits education, making sure your employees understand the offerings and their financial decisions. [13:21]
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Featured speakers
Shawn Ferguson
Senior Vice President, Voluntary Benefits, Acrisure
Shawn Ferguson is the Senior Vice President of Voluntary Benefits at Acrisure, one of the world's top 10 insurance brokerages and the fastest growing in the world over the past six years. He is responsible for implementing successful voluntary benefits strategies for Acrisure across the U.S. For the past 15 years, Shawn has worked solely in the voluntary benefits and enrollment segments of the industry. Prior to joining Acrisure, Shawn gained his benefits and enrollment experience with various firms, starting his career as a per diem “Road Warrior” shortly after earning a bachelor’s degree in international business from the University of Akron. He climbed the enrollment-firm ladder, and eventually opened his own firm, Bayside Benefit Solutions, in Tampa, Florida. He also oversaw the voluntary benefits and enrollment division at Alltrust, where he worked closely with brokers and account managers to make voluntary benefits part of the agency’s culture and strategy. Shawn attributes his success to using a carrier-agnostic approach to find the best solutions for each individual client.
Richard Shaffer
Senior Vice President, Field and Market Development, Colonial Life
Richard Shaffer is the Senior Vice President of Field and Market Development for Colonial Life. He oversees corporate strategy and planning, business development and the teams leading the company’s enrollment, client management and retention programs. Richard has held various positions throughout his 22 years with the company. In his previous roles with Unum US, Richard was responsible for leading a benefits account management team, serving as a large employer group and voluntary benefits specialist, and leading innovation for Unum’s 2000+ employees customer segment. Prior to joining the company in 1998, he worked as a family therapist — his knowledge of family dynamics has helped his approach to employee benefits communication and enrollment. Richard holds a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from George Mason University.
About the host
Clare Morin
Unum Content Marketing Manager
Clare Morin is the Content Marketing Manager at Unum and a journalist who’s spent the last 20 years interviewing hundreds of thought leaders on topics ranging from wellness to culture, finance, human resources and technology. Born in the UK, raised in Hong Kong and based in the U.S. since 2009, she brings a global outlook to the HR Trends studio.
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