Now is the time of year that many employers and benefit managers are faced with open enrollments. Some look toward this with dread. After the assualt of the annual increase that most health plans experience, HR staff are now faced with employee meetings and mountains of paper work. It’s like insult to injury. However, if it’s done right, it can become your diamond in the rough.
I know a HR professional who actually looks forward to open enrollments. She enjoys reconnecting and communicating to employees about how generous their employer is. Not only did she appreciate the social aspect of the event but it was a chance to reaffirm the reason why she worked there to begin with. This approach is not only the right one to take, it’s the one that can make a huge difference in the success of any company.
A recent study commissioned by Unum suggests that many employers are missing the mark when it comes to enrollment communication. Data from the 2010 enrollment season show that nearly a third of workers said the benefit education materials from their employer was inadequate and only about half of employees said they received printed materials about their benefits. Slightly more than a third of poll respondents said their company sponsored some kind of Q&A session about their benefits. Finally, the study made a correlation between employees who felt their benefit education was excellent or very good, and the higher perception of the employer.
To get the most out of enrollment, make sure you plan accordingly. Give employees three or four weeks advanced notice that the benefit meetings will occur. Consider 1-1 meetings, if possible. Use electronic enrollment or communication as a supportive tool, not a primary method of outreach. Use it as a time to distribute required employee notices.
Mary Bauman of the law firm Miller Johnson recently highlighted a number of notices that should be considered for an enrollment packet:
Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act: This is an annual notice that can be issued as part of a summary plan description (SPD), as long as the SPD is reissued each year.
HIPAA: This notice, to be distributed every three years, explains an employee's health information privacy rights.
CHIPRA: (Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act). Employees have the right to enroll in an employer's health plan if the participant becomes eligible for a state premium assistance subsidy under Medicaid or the CHIP.
PPACA Grandfathered Status: Employers with plans that are exempt from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because they are grandfathered must notify participants of that exemption and must include contact information for questions.
I know a HR professional who actually looks forward to open enrollments. She enjoys reconnecting and communicating to employees about how generous their employer is. Not only did she appreciate the social aspect of the event but it was a chance to reaffirm the reason why she worked there to begin with. This approach is not only the right one to take, it’s the one that can make a huge difference in the success of any company.
A recent study commissioned by Unum suggests that many employers are missing the mark when it comes to enrollment communication. Data from the 2010 enrollment season show that nearly a third of workers said the benefit education materials from their employer was inadequate and only about half of employees said they received printed materials about their benefits. Slightly more than a third of poll respondents said their company sponsored some kind of Q&A session about their benefits. Finally, the study made a correlation between employees who felt their benefit education was excellent or very good, and the higher perception of the employer.
To get the most out of enrollment, make sure you plan accordingly. Give employees three or four weeks advanced notice that the benefit meetings will occur. Consider 1-1 meetings, if possible. Use electronic enrollment or communication as a supportive tool, not a primary method of outreach. Use it as a time to distribute required employee notices.
Mary Bauman of the law firm Miller Johnson recently highlighted a number of notices that should be considered for an enrollment packet:
Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act: This is an annual notice that can be issued as part of a summary plan description (SPD), as long as the SPD is reissued each year.
HIPAA: This notice, to be distributed every three years, explains an employee's health information privacy rights.
CHIPRA: (Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act). Employees have the right to enroll in an employer's health plan if the participant becomes eligible for a state premium assistance subsidy under Medicaid or the CHIP.
PPACA Grandfathered Status: Employers with plans that are exempt from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because they are grandfathered must notify participants of that exemption and must include contact information for questions.
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