May 5, 2008

Take the first step now to Wow! open enrollment communication

Open enrollment, the annual period when employees make benefits selections and learn about changes, may seem a long way off. But if you don’t want your 2009 communication effort to be the same collection of bad news, forms and boring e-mails, start planning now.

Open enrollment is a great opportunity to get employees jazzed about their benefits—and feel more connected to your organization. It takes interesting, engaging communication presented in a way that grabs their attention. Plan now to give your open enrollment a makeover this year. Here are some tips to start you thinking about what your communication will be wearing this fall:

• Let them know: benefits improve your life!—Often, companies only talk about what’s changing and drill on about when open enrollment begins and ends. Use your open enrollment materials to remind employees about programs that are designed to make their lives better (e.g., flexible spending account debit cards, preventive care, discount gym memberships and free financial advice).


• Be service-oriented: help them—Include tips, advice and Q&As that will help employees be smarter consumers and live healthier. Some examples of service-oriented topics you can integrate into your communications:
  • How to determine if you’re saving enough for retirement
  • Low impact ways to get more exercise
  • How I saved $300 on my prescriptions
  • Ten top discounts offered by the company medical plan


• Don’t beat around the bush—Open enrollment doesn’t always bring good news. Sometimes costs increase; other times benefits are eliminated. To maintain credibility, it’s important to communicate honestly. Tell employees why the change was made, how the costs were doled out and what they can do to help reduce increases in the future.


• Visualize it—External media is filled with video, flash, images and attention-grabbing copy. Build a strong brand for your HR communication and make sure your key messages are out front. Easy-to-read graphs make your materials more interesting and help employees digest complicated subject matter. And tools and simulators that let employees try out plans or manage their health will be much more engaging than a static web site.