Guiding Employees Through the Open Enrollment Process
Open enrollment season is here, and for many employees, it may cause anxiety and fear. Employees don’t just find open enrollment mildly inconvenient; they find it genuinely confusing. While employees might recognize terms like “deductible” or ” coinsurance,” they rarely understand how insurance really works. Employees also have to determine what has changed from the previous year’s insurance benefits, compare plans and costs, understand deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, consider voluntary benefits, such as supplemental life insurance, and decide whether or not to contribute to a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA).
Despite an employer’s best efforts to provide as much detail as possible, absorbing all of this information may be overwhelming to employees. Many times, employees default to whatever they chose last year and hope for the best, which may not meet their families’ needs. With benefits growing more complex each year, clear communication is essential to ensure employees make informed decisions about their health and financial security.
It is highly recommended that employers not treat open enrollment as a single event. If employers want to communicate open enrollment effectively, a communication plan should be rolled out in phases. Start with a kickoff announcement four to six-weeks prior to open enrollment that provides key dates in the process. Two to three-weeks later, provide employees with a benefits overview, which includes any plan and employee contribution changes. It is also important to make resources available that employees may use to study insurance plans, contribution amounts, and open enrollment instructions during this timeframe. This approach gives employees time to digest information without feeling rushed. During open enrollment, continued communication is key. Employees need to feel supported through the process so they may make their selections confidently and not miss the deadline for enrollment.
The best way to communicate to all employees in the workplace is to use differing methods of communication to reach a broader audience. Employees from different generations may need different coverage from their benefits. So, employers should expand their messaging and health plan options to reach Millennial through Baby Boomer employees. Tailoring the content of the messaging acknowledges all employees’ priorities around their healthcare-related needs, financial situation, and flexibility of coverage. Offering a variety of methods of communication, e.g., verbal, written, and visual, ensures that information reaches everyone, no matter their communication style. Offering question and answer sessions, virtual benefit fairs, instructional videos, one-on-one meetings, notices in paycheck envelopes, email reminders, and benefit guides mailed to employees’ homes are just a few ways to reach a wider audience.
When designing open enrollment communication materials, employers should create documents that are easy for employees to understand. No employee desires to read a 50-page benefits guide or watch an hour-long video with a bunch of technical jargon. Terms like “deductible” or “out-of-network” may make employees feel anxious and confused when choosing a plan. So, employers should keep the information simple and accessible by using plain language and providing examples to relate information to real-life scenarios. Use short paragraphs, bold headings, bullet points, and visual aids that explain complex concepts. Develop a document that lists plan details with a side-by-side comparison, enrollment deadlines, step-by-step instructions if using an online platform, and create a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document, or a list of definitions that employees may refer to while making their selections.
Finally, employers should track what’s working with their open enrollment process. Open enrollment participation rates show the number of employees who enroll in each benefit plan. If participation rates are low, this may mean that employees did not understand the plans enough to make an informed selection. Employers may also track how many employees started the process and didn’t finish, so that they know which employees to go back and personally assist with their completion. This may also reveal an issue with the enrollment process or portal itself, or language that was confusing to employees. Tracking which plans employees are choosing, like a high deductible health plan (HDHP) versus a more traditional preferred provider organization (PPO) plan, may help employers decide future medical plan needs that appeal most to employees.
Open enrollment doesn’t have to be a source of dread for employees or employers. Simplifying technical jargon, communicating early, often, and with a variety of methods, and evaluating what does and doesn’t work may help both employees and employers when navigating the open enrollment process. When open enrollment is easy and understandable, employees trust that their employer truly cares about its people.
For additional information on the open enrollment process, please contact us at www.newfocushr.com.
Written by:
- Imani Murphy, MSM, SHRM-SCP
Senior HR Consultant
08/24/2026
Sources:
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