Gaining An Advantage With Health During Open Enrollment.

Keep employees interested in all of your HR and benefits programs throughout the year by continuing targeted, individualized messages.

 

The workforce today has changed during the last two years. The “Great Resignation,” the “Great Regret,” and now recession worries are all consequences of COVID and its impact on workers. At the same time, a new generation of employees (Gen Z) has entered the workforce and brought with them new expectations focused on broader welfare. These expectations include more workplace flexibility, a work experience supported by technology, and a focus on work-life balance. We discovered that all employees surveyed for the 2022 International Workforce and Wellbeing Mindset Study had similar expectations:

• 54% of employees said they wouldn’t consider taking a job that offered less freedom than their current one.
• Only 54% of workers believe that their use of technology at work is comparable to their use of technology outside of work, and 39% of workers are dissatisfied with their workplace technology.
• Employees say they need to improve their work-life balance 55% of the time, and 50% think that offering wellbeing perks makes organizations more appealing.

 

Employees now view all aspects of working for a company as “benefits,” not just insurance or retirement schemes. For instance, according to the same study, 74% of respondents would value recommendations for financial wellbeing, 70% would value individualized health management, and 74% would value mental health care.

However, both businesses and employees still struggle with affordability. Employers are investigating innovative approaches to control the cost of health insurance, such as local vs national plans, new health plan designs that mix low deductibles with concierge assistance to locate the best care at in-network providers, and health navigation tools. Many people are adding optional benefits like critical sickness, hospital indemnity, and personal accident insurance to fill in the coverage gaps. Others provide cash for Lifestyle Accounts that let staff members buy goods and services that support their wellness objectives (e.g., fitness memberships, charitable contributions, debt reduction).

Employers provide a wide variety of HR and benefits programs with the aim of enhancing employees’ health and wellness. Employees can take advantage of open enrollment as a terrific time to take use of their benefits, participate in the appropriate programs, and begin the journey toward greater wellbeing.

The following three suggestions can help you have a successful open enrollment that lasts the entire year.

Demonstrate the worth

While most workers are unaware of everything their companies have to offer, they still see the complete job experience as a value. According to our survey, only 27% of employees feel that their total compensation adequately meets their/their families’ needs, while 53% of employees have a good comprehension of their total compensation. 86% of employees felt compelled to use the resources available to them after employers discussed total rewards with them.

Consider structuring your open enrollment communication strategy through the perspective of total rewards to demonstrate the complete benefit to employees as you develop it. In order to determine what you have and how it will meet employee demands, start by analyzing your HR and benefits programs. During open enrollment, certain should receive priority billing, such as the medical plan and medical supplement plans. As employees use benefits throughout the year, other ones are more significant and should be highlighted. These might be offered by your medical plan, EAP, a specialist provider, or both. They include telehealth, mental health benefits, and financial wellbeing help. By adopting a year-round communication plan, you can concentrate on the issues that are most crucial to your workforce at any given time. Employees are also more likely to respond to communications that are brief, precise, and timely.

Utilize all of your available communication channels to the fullest, and think about adding a few new ones, to aid in communication throughout the year. Personalized health messages are interesting to almost 60% of workers. Employees encounter personalization every day in the form of automated medicine reminders, turn-by-turn driving directions from navigation applications, and “especially for you” movie or TV program selections from streaming services. So, consider how you might give employees a more personalized experience. Sharing examples of “people like me” or employee recommendations are simple strategies. To tailor the emails and consistently reach employees throughout the year, you might also be able to make use of the messaging features of your current HR system, benefits administrator, health plan, or wellness vendor.

 

Aid them in optimizing

Even the most benefit-savvy employees find it difficult to perceive the value in all the available perks and programs, so open enrollment gives them the chance to perform an annual “benefits checkup.” They require assistance in making the most of their insurance during open enrollment and utilizing their benefits all year long. To address the needs of all employees, a mix of high tech and high touch support may be necessary.

According to the report, more than 75% of workers prefer digital tools that aid in benefit decision-making. These included tools for finding providers, comparing plans, and modeling total plan costs. Almost 80% of people prefer guided enrollment processes that suggest the health plan (with HSA or FSA contribution) and voluntary features that cater to their requirements and those of their families.

Employers are increasingly providing benefits counseling services, which give employees individualized help during open enrollment. Counselors spend time during planned sessions learning about the needs of the employee and their family, educating them about the range of benefits, making recommendations, and enrolling them in insurance. As part of the onboarding procedure or when greeting groups of employees as a result of M&A activity, these counseling services could also be accessible to new hires.

 

Increase the impact

The beginning of continued contact doesn’t mark the conclusion of open enrollment. Start by concentrating on the most crucial post-enrollment actions:

• Provide employees with information on important plan provisions to enable them to make informed decisions. Include answers to questions like what the deductible is, which preventive care services are covered without a deductible, and whether maintenance medication refills can be ordered via mail order.
• To choose a primary care physician, pediatrician, or specialist, promote the use of provider search tools or professional assistance.
• Encourage involvement in wellness initiatives to earn rewards and enhance overall wellbeing.
• Target outreach to people who potentially profit from chronic care management programs, such as diabetic management, support for digital MSK, or support for hypertension

To maintain employee engagement in all of your HR and benefits programs, keep sending targeted, tailored emails throughout the year.

 

Make this open enrollment a success by educating your staff on how their benefits can form a crucial cornerstone of the overall employee experience. Incorporate total incentives into your communication plan to provide employees a complete picture of compensation and perks. Help employees maximize their core and optional benefits to meet their needs and the needs of their families by providing tools and professional support. After registration and throughout the year, send targeted, individualized messages to encourage employees to use their benefits wisely and participate actively in initiatives that will enhance their health.

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.benefitspro.com/2022/10/13/winning-with-wellbeing-during-open-enrollment/