In the midst of sunny summer days and high temperatures, open enrollment season may seem far away. However, now is a great time to start planning to ensure this year’s open enrollment is the best it can be for both your employees and your organization.

Follow these steps to get ahead:

1. Review last year’s plan. What worked? What didn’t? Collaborate with other departments in your organization to get feedback and brainstorm new ideas.

 

2. Set goals. What specific outcomes do you want out of this year’s open enrollment? Whether it’s getting employees to join a new plan, or take advantage of an oft-neglected offering, now is the time to focus on messaging tailored to these goals. Utilize messages that appeal to the emotions of your employees, pointing them to the direct impact of what they stand to gain or lose from selecting or not selecting certain options.
    
3. Gauge last year’s success. Send out a quick survey to employees revolving around the effectiveness of last year’s open enrollment. Questions may touch on the effectiveness of communication guides and seminars, if there is any other form of communication that may be helpful, and which aspects of benefit selection they find most frustrating or difficult to understand. By gathering results now, you will have ample time to take feedback into account and apply it to this year’s plan.
    
4. Give your benefits guide a facelift. Simple tweaks can make a world of a difference. Color coding, clear section titles and calls to action are just a few improvements you can implement. Take things back to basics, and make sure the guide would be understandable to and address the needs of a brand-new employee.

For more guidance preparing for Open Enrollment, contact us today.