3 Ways To Create a Strong Communication Plan for a Successful Open Enrollment Season

Open enrollment involves a lot of moving parts, but it all begins with a well-planned communication strategy. Recent studies have shown that in 2022, 70% of employers implemented additional communication tools to assist employees during open enrollment. This number is projected to increase to 84% in 2023.

However, creating an effective communication strategy isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, 80% of organizations reported that plan participants do not take the time to even open or read communications materials. 

So how can you break this cycle and ensure your employees are well educated on their benefit offerings? 

Here’s our list of 3 ways to create a strong communication plan to ensure a successful open enrollment season.

Way 1: Grab Their Attention With The Head Honcho

Employees are used to receiving company emails on a weekly basis, which means many go straight to the trash bin. Recent research has shown that 60.8% of respondents ignore company emails. 

Think about who your emails are coming from. Are they coming from marketing or your HR department? For the purpose of grabbing their attention, try sending an intro email from the person in charge, whether that’s the CEO, president, or a chairperson. 

Establishing the importance of open enrollment from the start will help set the tone for the rest of your communication strategy and ultimately help ensure your employees are taking the time to review your materials.

Way 2: Initiate Reminders & Notifications

There’s a lot to keep track of during open enrollment, so make sure your employees are staying on track and meeting deadlines with friendly reminders and helpful notifications. This includes:

• Open and closing dates 
• Consequences of missing deadlines
• Meeting dates, including:
  • Webinars
  • Virtual meetings
  • Employee trainings
• Periodic reminders about methods available to enroll

As an employer, it’s important to have a solution that not only helps your employees easily navigate open enrollment periods, but is also more efficient with less manual effort. With Proliant's ReadyPay Online (RPO) solution at your side, you have the convenience of effortlessly generating notifications and reminders for your employees. Take a look at the steps here and discover how simple it is to create and send notifications through Proliant's RPO solution.

Way 3: Offer Education For Your Employees

It’s important for employees to have a clear understanding of their benefit plan options in order to make informed decisions. By providing educational materials, you can ensure your employees are able to make the best choices for themselves and their families.

Additionally, employers should schedule educational meetings that go into detail before and during open enrollment. By holding meetings, you allow your employees to hear from your subject matter experts as well as ask questions they may have. Educating your employees not only increases plan enrollment, but also enhances employee satisfaction as they gain a better understanding of their options.

Relieve the Stress of Open Enrollment

Considering the complexity of the process, open enrollment can often be a source of stress and overwhelm for both management and employees. However, by Implementing a well-thought-out open enrollment communication plan, you can greatly simplify the process and encourage increased participation during this year’s open enrollment season.