In a perfect world, big decisions would be allowed a lot
of time to be made and come with all the pertinent information. Or, even
better, decision time and support would be proportional to the impact. However,
in today’s uncertain and rapidly changing business environment, such luxuries
are rare.
Decisions
of all shapes and sizes are often given little time for due consideration, and
the decision-maker isn’t necessarily armed with the need-to-know facts and
figures. That’s why simply maintaining the status quo is often a tempting
alternative.
Such
is the complicated relationship between benefit managers and open enrollment.
Every year, OE arrives at the same time, generally follows the same procedure,
and employees are given the same set of resources to support their
decision-making. Considering employee benefits are so important to employees’
health and wellness, and a company’s second or third largest business expense,
it’s surprising that most employers fail to give employee communications
surrounding OE the time and attention it deserves.
And
employees are usually given a scant two weeks to consume the OE information.
That’s two weeks to learn about new programs, involve family decision-makers,
make important financial decisions, and enroll for benefits or default to last
year’s elections. When OE planning focuses primarily on the benefits programs
and election process itself, companies miss the opportunity to maximize
employees’ understanding of – and appreciation for – their benefits package,
and both engagement and enrollment goals suffer.
As
quick and easy as keeping the status quo may be, doing so also carries some
implications for both employers and employees alike – namely in the form of
chaos, anxiety and overall frustration. Overhwelmed benefits staff put in a
great deal of time and effort to achieve a successful outcome during OE.
In-person conversations, enrollment fairs, and stacks of paperwork waiting to
be mailed are planned in advance and carried out with military precision.
And
yet, companies are perpetually surprised that, in the end, 90% of employees
elect to receive the exact same coverage as the previous year. On the flip
side, many employees are constantly annoyed that health care changes and
updates aren’t fully or clearly explained to them, while a full 75% of them
don’t even understand the basics of their policy coverage. And they share a
common bewilderment that management continually repeats the same inefficient
and fruitless process year after year.
A potentially harmful side effect of repeating the status
quo is the erosion of employee satisfaction and engagement. Today’s employees
want to work for companies that are adaptable, innovative, progressive and tech
savvy, so outmoded methods of internal communications don’t help boost their
view of their employer’s brand.
In an age where there is an app for everything, and the
traditional way of doing things is constantly being scrutinized, dissected and
re-engineered, communicating benefits changes is neither exempt nor immune. In
fact, given the impact that benefits have on all sides, a fresh look at the
programs and how they’re being communicated just makes good business sense.
Employees are exposed to, and consume, vast amounts of
information on a daily basis through multiple channels, so how a company
chooses to connect with them can make or break an important message. For
example, a heavy text-laden email or printed package to explain complex
benefits changes and enrollment procedures might miss the mark. While the
necessary information may be there, the delivery does little to interest the
recipient or aid in their comprehension of the material.
In communicating with employees today, smart
companies are taking their cues from how individuals consume information in
their private lives: they’re using new media to catch up on news and
entertainment and to learn how to prepare a meal or change a tire. While the
venerable printed word is far from extinct, it has been largely usurped by its
online counterparts.
Reading on tablets and smartphones is now
commonplace, new breeds of social software are improving on traditional methods
of paper-based employee collaboration, and multimedia is rapidly eliminating
the dusty binders full of outdated policies and procedures. Even complex topics
like open enrollment come alive with multimedia, and become easier to explain
and understand – leading to higher participation rates, and cost effective
decisions that meet employee needs.
In today’s digitally fueled communications environment,
HR departments and benefit managers have the capability to measure, analyze,
and iterate their efforts to increase participation and engagement during key
activities such as OE – which can extend their reach, improve efficiencies, and
satisfy employees at the same time.
And in an age where employee benefits are more highly
valued than ever before, delivering impactful communications that resonate with
employees and spur them into action ensures a significant ROI, year after year.
Source: Employee
Benefit News
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