Open enrollment season in 2020 was definitely different than any other we’ve had before. Most years, it can be challenging to help people engage and actively make educated decisions about health care. In 2020, the level of complexity in these endeavors sky rocketed.
Looking ahead to this year’s open enrollment season, remembering what we’ve learned from last year can help ease the process. In short, these are the main lessons we’ve learned to help us prepare:
- Employees want —and need — holistic benefits
- This is especially true if very little changed in their benefits last year.
- Some of the top things employees want include
- Telecommuting
- Flexible of hybrid scheduling
- Mental health resources
- Caregiving benefits
- Developmental opportunities
- More time is needed to thoughtfully plan and promote open enrollment
- Especially this year, it is never to early to start communicating about open enrollment. The more time employees have to be educated about and engaged in the process, the better for everyone.
- Virtual open enrollment tactics are effective, regardless if employees are on-site or remote
- 2020 demonstrated that virtual open enrollment fairs, live webinars and online chats were effective tools for communication. 67% of employers used at least some of these methods, and 85% intend to use them again this year because they proved valuable and effective.
- Open enrollment needs to be more personalized and interactive
- Now, more than ever, employees want to know that their employers care about them. Open enrollment is a great opportunity to personalize the experience for employees to help them feel valued.
For more about these lessons, please download the full pdf here. And, as always, feel free to call Al to discuss this further at 404-256-2171.