Annual Open Enrollment Communications

Friday, October 05, 2012

A recent report by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), found that employers believe their benefits communications are ineffective and most employees agree.

Guardian’s study illustrated five key points:

1. Employers must balance benefits cost management with meeting employee needs.

2. Multiple-channel communications are preferred by employees.

3. Self-service tools for enrollment are gaining in importance.

4. Communications in preferred channels tend to increase confidence and satisfaction benefit decisions.

5. Greater confidence & satisfaction are linked to greater appreciation and loyalty.

There is nothing unique about Guardian Life’s finding. Any good communications program of yesteryear or today is founded on delivering the right message to the right audience, at the right time, using the right media, and at the right cost. Today’s self service, technology-based benefits enrollments often take advantage of every communications channel available. And this technology is not cheap. Hiring professional grade writers, designers, printers, (yes, we still print) as well as providing the technology platform capable of supporting various web-enabled devices requires significant technology and organizational resources. A common complaint from senior management is that thousands of dollars are spent on open enrollment communications materials but only a small minority of employees actually change their benefit elections. Or, an equally common remark is that no one ever reads the materials anyway, i.e., anecdotally.

One thing to remember, open enrollment is about more than merely enrolling in benefits for the upcoming year. It is an opportunity to send as well as reinforce the organization’s messages around its culture, values, and engagement. And guess what, those warm and fussy issues help organizations attract and retain talent. And depending on what culture, values, and engagement messages are sent determines what kind of talent the organization will attract and retain. Believe it or not, even today, most employees, just like customers, have a choice of where they work. It may not be an easy choice, or a readily available choice, nevertheless they have a choice. And by the way, do you want an employee who has no choice and is working for you because you were their last choice, their last resort?

Open enrollment is often about a new round of benefit cost increases, especially health care. Unfortunately that is generally the case. And the organization’s message has to address such issues and how the organization frames unpleasant information will influence how the workforce perceives the organization and its management. Honestly is still the best policy. By that I mean be upfront, open, and transparent. Whether the preferred communications channel is high or low tech, most audiences know when they are being respected and when they are being mislead. If it is an issue with sales, cost, materials, competition or customer service, your workers know what is happening within your organization. The relationship you have with your employees is the same kind of relationship you have with others. If that relationship is not built on trust, the best benefits and the best communications plan will not get you very far.