Take a deep breath. OE is getting closer. Stock up on coffee. Cue the scary music. Or maybe not.

While Open Enrollment is always going to be busy, it doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right planning and strategies, you can take control of OE this year.

How Do You Measure Success?

So, how do you define a successful Open Enrollment?

One way to look at it is from the employees’ perspective. In other words, did your employees make their best choices during OE?

Likely not.

In a fascinating study, AFLAC found that most employees aren’t putting in the time and effort to pick their best benefits package.

They saw 46% of US employees spend 30 minutes or less researching and signing up for health care benefits. To drive the point home, they compared it to time spent on other activities:

• Researching new car purchases – 10 hours
• Planning vacations – 5 hours
• Shopping for new computers – 4 hours
• Deciding what televisions to buy – 2 hours

In other words, Americans spend 10x more effort on their one-time getaways than they do on picking a health insurance plan they might need in a life and death situation.

Yep, HR faces an uphill battle on this one. For a deep dive into the causes and solutions, check out our guide to helping employees choose the right plan.

The HR Side of Open Enrollment

Meanwhile, let’s look at the other side of a successful OE – the HR side.

From the HR perspective, a successful Open Enrollment means meeting your goals with the least stress possible.

It means less overtime at work. Fewer repetitive questions from employees. Having enough resource to get the job done.

Sound like a tall order? Here are some expert tips to help you make it happen:

1. Review Last Year’s Open Enrollment Results (and collect data for next year)

How does that saying go?

“Those who cannot learn from OE disasters are doomed to repeat them.”

Or something like that.

Point is that this isn’t the first time you’re doing this. The first step in your OE planning should be looking at what worked and what didn’t work last year. But don’t just ask your HR staff. Get the perspective of employees and managers from all departments.

Once you have that information, you can start a meaningful discussion about how to run OE this year. Make sure your changes align with your Open Enrollment goals.

Then, to make next year’s process easier, collect data on this years’ experience as you go along. Start a swipe file of feedback, good and bad. Chart the metrics that matter at all points in the OE cycle, such as how long it takes employees to respond, which plans they choose or the demographics of who comes to a benefits fair.

2. Get Support

Open Enrollment will be a far more positive experience if it’s a team effort. You don’t want it to devolve into a power struggle between HR, who’s trying to make employees pay attention, and employees, who’d rather have a root canal than read about out-of-pocket maximums.

Bring employees on board with the process. Start with asking their opinions and feedback, as we spoke about already. They’ll be invested if they have input.

Take advantage of the support offered by your employee benefits partners. They often have ready-made materials available for you. Pet Benefit Solutions, for example, offers custom landing pages, posters, and even raffle prizes for OE events.

Educate managers and leaders with your key OE messaging. They’ll be able to handle low-level questions on the spot and save you time.

3. Clear Open Enrollment Messaging

Speaking of messaging, make sure it’s clear and consistent.

• Nothing is as frustrating as contradictory information. Go over all your materials from last year – brochures, emails, posters, newsletters, videos, etc. Mark every place that needs changes, updates, or more explanation.
• Get your entire HR staff on the same page with this year’s messaging and benefits’ changes.
• Write in simple, easy to understand language. Break it down and drip it to your employees in chunks.
• Highlight information that’s new or different for this year so your employees won’t miss it.

4. Reach your Employees

GuideSpark found that “engaging employees at the right time” is a top pain point for 50% of HR departments.

A combination of time crunch and lack of interest means that many employees aren’t reading the information you painstakingly put together.

There’s no simple solution, but try thinking out of the box:

• Emily Dobbins from World at Work recommends taking a salesy approach to your materials. Use catchy, benefit focused headlines or subject lines. For example, instead of:“We Now Offer Pet Benefits,” try “New Pet Benefits Will Cover Your Pet’s Heartworm Preventatives.”
• Be creative! You can use texts, videos, recorded voice mails, or even just change the format or size of your printed materials. MVM, a privately-owned federal government contractor, posted OE flyers on refrigerators and time clock to successfully reach their employees!
• Schedule open office hours for employees to ask questions to HR staff.
• Have information available 24/7 on digital platforms for your employees who are making decisions after work hours. Your millennial employees organize their lives around their phones, so make sure your information is mobile friendly.
• Offer raffle prizes or other incentives for employees who come to OE events.

5. Give Enough Time for OE

You need enough time, and your employees need enough time.

For HR, the ideal time to start planning is 4-5 months in advance. That gives plenty of space to do a thorough review of the past and set goals and strategy for the future.

For your employees, the traditional one-week time frame may not be enough.

Consider giving two or more weeks instead. Plus, you can start sending teasers and other promotions up to six weeks in advance.

Open Enrollment 2020 – The Best Ever!

The bad news is AFLAC reports that 90% of employees keep the same benefits every year, even though 73% sometimes, rarely or never understand policy changes.

It’s a shame because benefits packages directly impact employee satisfaction and retention.

But the good news is you and your employees aren’t doomed to repeat last year’s failures or stress.

With careful planning, attention to your employees’ preferences, and some creative thinking, you can make this year the best Open Enrollment ever.