3 HR Mistakes to Avoid During Open Enrollment

If you work in Human Resources (HR), you know that you carry a big responsibility for your team. Everyone is counting on you to have all the answers during the open enrollment period, from your boss to new employees.

As an insurance brokerage firm, we want to set you and your company up for success. As such, we provide a virtual tool for employees to enroll online and better understand their group insurance coverage.

Our Employee Navigator tool will not only make your life easier but will help reduce confusion about your company’s benefits.

That being said, here are the top three HR mistakes we can help you avoid during open enrollment.

1. Not Enrolling Online

When an employee creates an account with our Employee Navigator, they’ll be able to enroll in the benefits your company offers. The Employee Navigator also allows you to share company resources and keep track of time-off requests, all in one convenient online portal.

Our online enrollment program uses language that’s easy to understand so employees know exactly what they’re getting for their money. This also makes your job easier because you won’t have to field as many questions during the open enrollment period. Likewise, enrolling online means that you’ll have less physical paperwork to keep track of.

2. Not Taking Advantage of Online Resources

If you haven’t already, we encourage you and your employees to register online with your insurance carrier. Many employees now prefer accessing their plan information online, as opposed to receiving paper documents. That way, they’re able to look at their information on the go.

By registering online, you’ll be able to:

• Access your plan information
• Access your virtual ID card
• Search for in-network providers
• Compare prescription and treatment costs
• Track your claims and spending
• And more!

To learn more, be sure to check out our blog post on the 10 reasons to register online with your insurance carrier.

During your open enrollment meeting with us, we can also help your team download healthcare consumer apps. That way, they can access their insurance information through their phones.

3. Not Educating Spouses About Group Benefits

It’s not uncommon for spouses of employees to be excluded from conversations about group insurance. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best HR practice.

At Michigan Planners, we invite employees and their spouses to attend our virtual open enrollment meeting together.

If the spouse is unable to attend the initial meeting, they may instead watch the replay of the meeting via our Employee Navigator. Likewise, the employee may also watch the replay if they need to revisit their plan information.

During the virtual open enrollment meeting, we’ll discuss:

• Plan coverage
• Required employee contributions
• Telemedicine
• Transparency/price comparison sites
• Prescription drug shopping tools

This open enrollment meeting provides employees with the information they need to make an informed decision regarding their benefits. It also gives them the opportunity to ask questions so they can feel confident about the coverage they choose.

Learn More: Common Pain Points During Open Enrollment →

Contact Michigan Planners Today

Michigan Planners is an insurance brokerage company that offers both group and individual coverage. Whether you’re a small to mid-sized business or an individual seeking insurance, you can trust Michigan Planners to help you shop for competitive rates.

To request a quote for group insurance, call Michigan Planners at (800) 674-9235. You may also fill out our online contact form and someone from our team will reach out to you soon.