How to Plan an Engaging & Informative Annual Enrollment

As employers enter the second-half of the year, many HR professionals are also rapidly approaching their company’s Annual Enrollment (AE) period. AE is the busiest time of the year for most benefit teams – but planning a successful AE doesn’t have to be stressful.

Today, the enrollment experience is about much more than just compensation and perks. AE is an opportunity for employers to support their employees, and serves as an important reflection of a company’s culture and commitment to its workforce. With top talent in high demand, AE is now a key tool for benefit teams looking to drive satisfaction and engagement goals.

Empyrean’s newest At-A-Glance Guide covers three essential tips to help you plan an engaging and informative Annual Enrollment with ease.  This free guide explores strategic steps that will help increase engagement, empower smarter benefit decisions, and set your team up for Annual Enrollment success.

1. Start with Your Benefits “Big Picture”
   It’s no surprise that benefits are a crucial (and costly) factor determining employee satisfaction – but for some workers, benefits actually outweigh pay in terms of importance. A recent survey suggests that nearly two-thirds of employees would opt for a lower salary in exchange for great benefits.¹As you begin planning for AE, take note of any changes to your organizational structure, company culture, or benefits strategy that occurred in the past year. How will these changes shape how you communicate to employees?
2. Create an Employee-Centric Communications Plan
   As AE approaches, employers can utilize targeted messaging to help participants understand how benefit options relate to their families’ needs and goals. Email campaigns can boost visibility around the plans and benefit bundles that are of interest to various employee segments.Utilize additional channels to broaden your reach, like employee newsletters, intranet portals, and in-office posters and flyers. While your company’s communications calendar will vary depending on your workforce, offering, and resources, your team should begin communicating with employees at least 60 days ahead of AE.
3. Bring Clarity to the Enrollment Process
   Your participants want to know how the coverage they select addresses their situation and needs; they want to know that they’ve made the right choices once their enrollment window has closed. Empowering employees through the benefit selection process is the key to driving informed enrollment, utilization, and long-term satisfaction.

Your benefits administration platform is the central component that shapes and solidifies the employee benefits experience. Incorporating tailored messages into the benefits enrollment process will provide a timely reminder for employees to closely consider their coverage priorities and concerns, and will bring your communication efforts full circle. In addition to your communications strategy, a benefits recommendation engine based on individual needs is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to overcome common benefit confusion, while simultaneously ensuring employees receive ideal coverage.

Pairing personalized digital enrollment tools with expert, live Service Center support will give employees the well-rounded and thoughtful benefits experience they need to get the most out of your offering.

For more, download Empyrean’s new At-A-Glance Guide today.  As you read, we’d love to get your thoughts. Feel free to contact us with questions or comments at info@goempyrean.com.

References

1. “Work Perks and Benefits: What Employees and Candidates Want.” Randstad North America, Inc. Atlanta, GA. June 2018.