5 THINGS TO REMEMBER AS OPEN ENROLLMENT SEASON APPROACHES

Open Enrollment season is upon us.

For many human resources professionals, that statement sends chills down the spine, and that’s completely understandable as it can be a stressful time of year. However, there are some simple steps you can take to keep the stress level at a minimum for a smooth open enrollment season.

1. Plan ahead – Procrastination is the thief of time, so don’t wait to begin planning your open enrollment strategy until it is too late. Do you want a theme for your open enrollment campaign? Is there a benefit in mailing postcards to employees’ homes to catch their attention outside of the office or get family members involved? Establish a timeline with deliverables and milestones and stick to it!
2. Keep it simple – Insurance is complicated and overwhelming for most people. Consider methods by which you can simplify benefits for your employees. Make sure communications stay short and sweet and try to use simple terms to maximize engagement. Create an open enrollment cheat sheet for your employees so they know exactly what benefits changes have been made and how each could affect them. Engage with your MJ communications expert to help execute your OE campaign.
3. Focus on education – empower your employees with the information they need to make the best decision. Create a “dictionary” of commonly used benefits and insurance terms or think about implementing an educational or decision-making tool that will help to guide your employees through choosing the right plans for them. Create a benefit guide that’s clear and concise, post it online for easy access, and always direct employees to additional resources they have to support them through their enrollment journey.
4. Be persistent – keep reminding your employees about open enrollment. Nothing is worse than hearing “I didn’t get that email” or “I haven’t seen that poster”. A best practice around open enrollment is the more communication the better. And in this case, reminders are key. Don’t hold back on repeated enrollment reminders, meeting invitations, and personal outreach.
5. Repeat, repeat, repeat – just like being persistent, don’t be afraid to repeat the same information over and over. Remember “The Rule of 7”—It takes reading or seeing something more than 7 times to remember it. No need to rinse or wash… just repeat. Do you have a new benefit you’re offering this year? Hopefully your employees see that message communicated in numerous ways—a poster in the breakroom, in an all-employee newsletter, in their benefit guide, on a desk drop—the opportunities are endless.

Want to make sure you don’t miss anything this open enrollment season? First of all, check out our 2020 Open Enrollment Checklist—it has everything you need to know! Also, consider attending our upcoming webinar on September 12: Open Enrollment Rules + Strategies, where you’ll learn about rules for benefit plan enrollment, upcoming changes for plans in 2020, and much more. And, as always, reach out to your MJ Consultant for help! We have experts who can help you execute a seamless, and stress-free, open enrollment at your organization.