Open enrollment season is generally challenging for employees as well as HR professionals. This is the time of year where employers are evaluated for their healthcare programs.
Is your enrollment system simple and accessible for your employees? If employee benefits are not communicated well, employees may feel under-valued and unappreciated. Avoid these common mistakes to manage the enrolment season without any setback.
Not providing sufficient time to choose
Not allotting sufficient time to discuss all employee benefits option keeps an employee from realizing the true potential of your benefit program.
Enrollment requires employees to make important decisions that will dictate his/her lifestyle for the rest of the life. Employees need to choose a medical plan, insurance products, insurance service provider, beneficiaries and retirement plan. They should be given ample time to compare all options before finalizing a decision.
Redundancies in communication
Make information regarding enrollment process accessible on all communication channels—email, social media, online forum, website, and mobile application.
Employee demographics in your organization may include people from Generation X and millennials. Avoid utilizing a single communication platform.
Younger employees may easily understand your new enrollment software; whereas, older employees may struggle with modern technology. Bring all employees onboard with the new enrollment system and provide necessary support to understand the new system.
Passive enrollment
Each year, companies are given an opportunity to showcase their employee benefits program and improve employee engagement, but most companies let this opportunity pass. Although, passive enrollment is always easier to administer, but allowing employees to actively participate in the process improves employer employee relationship.
Not educating employees about OTHER benefits
Companies usually focus on vision, dental and medical coverage. They don’t educate employees about other benefits like, STD (short term disability) or LTD (long-term disability) programs. Explain all benefits. Moreover, explain total out-of-pocket expenditures their medical plan will entail.
Unfortunately, many companies fail to leverage this employee engagement opportunity with common mistakes and negligence. You might have a dynamic program, but if you don’t educate employees, they will never utilize it.
Have trouble understanding the ACA healthcare reforms? JS Benefits Group can help you run a smooth open enrollment season with our expert consultation services.
We are a HR consulting firm located in Pennsylvania, providing comprehensive HR solutions to mangers, business owners and HR personnel. Call 877 355-6070 to get a quote on group health insurance.
