Many employers will be launching benefits open enrollment for their employees. The 2023 enrollment will need to meet the needs of onsite and remote workers. How can we communicate with employees, when many workers are unfamiliar with the language of benefits?
-
- People are inundated with communications, so be clear, brief and direct.
- Illustrate different health care use scenarios and associated cost differences between the health care plans that you offer.
- Encourage your employees to run the numbers for themselves. Assumptions such as “high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) are for healthy people who use very little health care” just aren’t true—these plans can work for all types of employees, especially if your company provides health savings account funding.
- Consider providing a comparison tool to help employees see what their costs are under each medical option.
- Don’t shy away from bad news. Use it as an opportunity to explain how benefits costs affect your organization.
- Provide opportunities to ask questions. Build digital or safe in-person Q&A sessions into your communications schedule. It helps to offer a way for employees to ask questions outside of business hours—for example, an e-mail address or online question form that promises a response within one business day.
- Emphasize wellness and virtual benefits. Some benefits, such as telemedicine, employee assistance programs, and well-baby programs are especially important now.
- Provide live and virtual meeting options, which are recorded so they can be viewed later.
Economic uncertainty, recruiting and retention challenges, evolving work arrangements and an emphasis on employees’ emotional well-being underscore the need for an effective open enrollment 2023.
