7 Ways to Engage Your Employees Before, During, and After Open Enrollment

At the time of open enrollment, all employees hear and think about are the words “insurance,” “benefits,” and “cost.”  They typically don’t really listen to everything else that’s available to them that goes along with your insurance program, but it’s important that they do.

These additional resources may contribute to a healthier, happier, and more productive workplace. Keeping your employees engaged in these offerings extends far beyond the open enrollment period, and doing so may have a positive impact on their motivation and overall well-being.

Following are 7 ways to keep your team engaged in all the resources available to them throughout the year:

Gauging Your Employees’ Feelings about Their Benefits

1. Prior to and during the open enrollment period, survey your employees to gauge how they actually feel about the benefits package. 

Do they understand the benefits? Are they clear enough about their options in order to make the best decisions for their families? Do they wish other things were offered? 

It’s very possible that they “wish” they can have something and actually can, but simply don’t realize this or are hesitating to communicate these wishes to you.

2. Host live webinars about the benefit packages prior to the open enrollment period. As your insurance broker, we can help organize these webinars to ensure employees get their questions answered completely.

3. Set up one-on-one consultations between employees and our benefit brokers. These can be virtual or in person.

Use fun and creative email campaigns throughout the year to remind your team members about additional benefits they have, such as potential discounts to local gyms or other businesses.

Promoting Communication & Use of Benefits throughout the Year

4. Generally emphasize the importance of having an open line of communication between management and employees as well as among employees. 

5. Listen to what your team members are saying and pay attention to how they are feeling to ensure they are motivated, comfortable, and happy in their workplace.  Speak with them one-on-one to obtain their opinions about what is working, what isn’t, and what could be improved. 

Although you do an outstanding job of overseeing, they are on the front lines. For that reason, they will experience wins and losses on a daily basis that could help management learn how to optimize processes and improve team morale.

6. The world is becoming increasingly virtual, and you should adapt to it to ensure you stay up-to-date with modern trends as well as offer your team members reasonable work-life balances.

Find new communication channels to make up for the loss of in-person meetings, and learn to consider them as a part of today’s norm. Webinars, Zoom meetings, video conferences, digital enrollment platforms, and text and email campaigns shouldn’t be viewed as temporary solutions but as enhanced efficiency that everyone should get on board with.

7. Set up fun, enticing, and engaging text campaigns throughout the year to remind your team members about the various tools that come with their benefits program. 

For example, you may have set up your plan to include discounts on gym memberships. Send out a fun and creative email to remind them about this benefit, and make sure it discusses how regular exercise can boost mood and relieve stress. 

Another example is free or reduced-cost continuing education classes they can attend. In this case, you may wish to reinforce the fact that you sincerely care about all of your team members and want to help them grow professionally and personally.

This open enrollment period, be sure to recognize every opportunity available to your company, to your team as a whole, and to each individual. Benefits are about more than insurance. Benefits are geared toward improving the whole you, and the more you can take advantage of them, the stronger you will all be in the long run.