It's a new era for employee benefits.

With health care reform forcing HR to navigate so many changes,many are thinking critically about how to stay in the black whilestill providing quality employee benefits.

Many employers are considering cost-saving measures. One tacticmight be to switch from an employer-paid long-term disability planto one offered on a voluntary basis. This might be seen as awin-win situation for employers, as they're providing a competitivebenefits package but at little-to-no expense to them.

However, employers considering a greater emphasis on voluntaryplans must find ways to educate employees about why they needcoverage. If employees don't understand voluntary options, thatoften translates into lower enrollment. In the long run, this canhurt both employees and employers financially.

One smart enrollment strategy includes reaching out tomillennials, who might not understand the need for LTD coverage.Reaching this group requires a fresh and engaging approach. Becausemillennials are accustomed to instant technology access andinformation right at their fingertips, employers should consider avariety of new online educational tactics to boost enrollment.

The importance of a benefits safety net

Many HR managers might not consider one side effect of shiftingemployer-sponsored LTD coverage to employees: They can choose notto elect coverage and face the prospect of working through adisabling illness or injury. Employees who lack coverage couldactually hurt productivity and increase an employer's health carecosts.

Consider the possibilities for an employee who becomes disabledand does not have voluntary LTD coverage:

• He or she can take a leave of absence from work and submit aSocial Security Disability Insurance claim. The chances ofreceiving SSDI benefits are low, however, as 65 percent of initialclaims were denied in 2012, according to Social SecurityAdministration data.

• He or she can continue working through the illness or injury aslong as possible.

With such low approval for SSDI claims, many employees withoutdisability coverage choose to stay at work and work through theirillness or injury because they don't have an income-replacementsafety net. This phenomenon, called presenteeism, is productivityloss associated with employees working through medical conditions.This can cause a major drain on an employer's bottom line. Thereare many ways presenteeism can hurt a workplace:

• Employees working slower than normal

• Employers needing to find replacement employees

• Employers needing to train new employees on job functions

• Changes in product or service quality

• Overtime for other employees

Young employees need protection

While many employers might view presenteeism as something thataffects older employees, young workers also are at risk. One infour of today's 20-year-olds will become disabled before theyretire, according to the Social Security Administration. InDecember 2012, more than 2.5 million disabled workers were in their20s, 30s and 40s, based on Pew Research numbers.

Disability benefits help protect the income of employeessuffering from disabling conditions. The millennial generation, onethat has been subjected to the pressures of an uncertain economyand a lackluster working environment in recent years, is vulnerableto the risks disability insurance protects against.

The median wealth of households headed by adults younger than 35had 68 percent less wealth than households of their same-agecounterparts had in 1984, according to the Pew Research Center.This decrease in income makes it seem unlikely that they would havethe savings to help them withstand interruptions in their householdincomes.

They also have a lot at stake: Millennials today tend to havemore to protect than those in the same age range did 30 years ago.In fact, in 2009, 38 percent of adults under age 35 owned their ownhomes, compared with 4 percent of the same age group in 1984. Inaddition, 17 percent of this same group has an IRA compared with 1percent in 1984.

A two-part strategy for voluntary benefits success

These statistics highlight the crucial need for employers tofind opportunities to educate employees about their benefits needs.A benefits offering is only as strong as its enrollment strategy.By ensuring voluntary benefits are backed by a strong educationalcampaign and supported through online enrollment, employers canhelp increase participation and decrease costs elsewhere.

By harnessing the millennial generation's demand for instantinformation and educational training, employers can bridge theinformation gap and educate millennial employees on the importanceof voluntary LTD insurance. Here are two types of communicationsinitiatives that can assist HR managers and encourageenrollment:

No. 1: Educate millennials online

Especially for employers with young employee populations, it'simportant to find fresh, engaging ways to educate and assistemployees about their benefits needs. The millennial generationdemands instant technology access and information right at theirfingertips. Using an online educational module is an opportunity toinform them of the need for coverage and, in turn, encourageenrollment.

Insurance carriers and industry groups have communication andeducation resources that demonstrate the value and potential of thecoverage employers are providing to their workforce. Considerpassing along tools such as the Council for Disability Awareness'Personal Disability Quotient calculator and Earnable IncomeQuotient tools to help employees understand the financial impact ofa disabling illness or injury.

No. 2: Paperless enrollment—and benefitsadministration

Once employees are aware of the need for disability insurance,employers can go a step further to better engage millennials in thevoluntary market. Online modules can help employees understand thedisability benefits available to them and complete onlineenrollment. These modules offer employees a go-to benefits resourcethat can help them overcome enrollment barriers by streamlining theprocess.

Many modules can be customized for an employer to includespecific employer benefits and features. They also can helpemployees learn the basics of how their unique policies work,including how to estimate their needs, select appropriate coverageand, ultimately, enroll. Online modules give employees anopportunity to take full advantage of their benefits and understandhow their coverage meets their needs.

Encouraging online enrollment also can benefit an HR department.This process streamlines the paperwork for benefits administrators.Employees can update their medical information and beneficiarydesignations and make life updates (such as marriages, divorces,children, etc.) to their benefits profile—reducing the amount oftime HR spends sending updates to the carrier.

Preparing millennials for the future

Implementing an online educational module and enrollmentplatform can protect employees, especially those in the millennialgeneration, from the financial risks of serious illness orinjuries. Educating them, in a manner in which they are accustomedto learning, on the need for voluntary disability insurance alsocan lessen the risk of the financial impacts of a disability,better preparing them for the future.