Benefits Communications Should Be a Year ‘Round Endeavor

As open enrollment season nears for employees at many U.S. companies, communications about choosing insurance and other benefits usually amp up. Internal benefits communicators help educate employees during this period, explaining their benefits options and encouraging them to take action.

Benefits have become increasingly important in employee recruitment and retention, so it’s best for internal communicators to highlight company-sponsored programs throughout the year. Being aware of benefit offerings can help employees feel valued and lead them to take advantage of available resources. Awareness also may prime employees for the decisions they’ll make during benefits enrollment. This is valuable because many enrollment decisions are binding for the full year (unless there is qualifying life event, like a marriage or birth of a child).

Whether your company has comprehensive benefits communications or primarily communicates about benefits only during open enrollment season, here are four tips to help ensure more successful enrollment communications.

  1. Start early. Before a benefits enrollment period begins, employees should have the opportunity to research their options and potentially consult with a spouse or partner about what they believe will be best for them in the coming year. Start communications weeks ahead of the enrollment window, to give employees time to know what’s coming, which actions they will need to take and any deadlines.
  2. Make information accessible. During open enrollment, communicators may need to activate channels not typically used throughout the year for business communications. Benefits decisions are often made outside of working hours so, in addition to using a variety of internal channels, communicators should make information available at home—whether by mailing or on a website. It can also be helpful to make online tools accessible by spouses or partners too.
  3. Keep it simple and relatable. Benefits information can be overwhelming and hard to understand. Communicators can help by using plain language and real-world examples in benefits communications. When possible, include a calculator tool that employees can use to estimate costs and compare plans.
  4. Reinforce the big picture. The benefits enrollment period may be the only time some employees are tuned in to benefits information. Communicators can use this time as an opportunity not only to highlight what’s new and changing in the coming year, but also to remind employees about benefit offerings in general. Benefit utilization data can identify which programs to focus on more than others. And in every communication, include where employees can find benefits information and how to take advantage of resources year ‘round. This can help increase the number of people who use benefit programs and contribute to positive feelings employees have about the breadth of benefits offered by the company.

Here’s to happy enrolling!