Over the past several years, employers and insurance providershave transitioned from paper-based enrollment processes to digitalplatforms. The benefits are abundant: higher level ofpersonalization; easier and more timely access to benefits; and amore streamlined, efficient and controllable process. You get it.Yet along the way, we started missing a level of engagement seenduring the “old days” of face-to-face meetings and paper-basedenrollment. While voluntary benefits aren't as well-known as coreinsurance benefits like medical and dental, we see a clear need forbetter communications, education and overallengagement. Before we delve into the five ways in which employerscan better educate employees on voluntary benefits, let's spend alittle time exploring this evolution.

The ways of the past

For many years, enrollment for voluntary benefits such ascritical illness and accident insurance, as well as core insuranceofferings, was conducted primarily via a face-to-face enrollmentsession.  This process involved a licensed and appointedenroller or agent using an enrollment technology specially tailoredto the carrier's benefits plans or via paper form.  

As enrollment technology platforms became more accessible,employers moved away from using paper enrollment for their corebenefits. This appealed to many employers. Why, you ask?

• Provided a more streamlined process for enrolling in medicalbenefits

• Expedited the loading of enrollment data into carriersystems

• Offered employers more control over the enrollment process

With the move to enrollment platforms, the case for havingonsite enrollers weakened dramatically.   Brokersand enrollment firms went on a search for new “hooks”: dependentaudits, beneficiary designation, and cleanup of demographicdata.  But it was clear the manner in which we processedvoluntary benefits needed to change. We as an industry needed tochange with it, too.  Enrollments where the majority ofemployees were required to meet with an enroller to enroll in theirbenefits were the way of the past.

While there are many benefits to moving to a self-enrollmentplatform, voluntary benefits enrollment has suffered. Althoughvoluntary benefits were growing in popularity, many employees werestill not comfortable with the way the plans worked. Without a real understanding of the voluntary plans and how theplans can help them and their families, many employees will bypassthe plans and participation will suffer.

How can we address this? I recommend the following five actions:

• Define voluntary benefits for employees through bettercommunications:  I, and many others in theindustry, struggle with the term “voluntary benefits.”  What exactly does the term mean? Prior to ACA passage, weren't all benefits voluntary? To lump in a critical insurance policy, which can providemuch needed dollars to an employee in the case of a diagnosis ofcancer, with an identity theft policy or legal policy in some waysdiminishes the value that these policies provide.  Perhapsthe term “supplemental benefits” or simply calling the benefits bytheir names would be the more appropriate way to moveforward.  However, more important than what to callpolicies is describing the benefits in ways that employees canunderstand and using terms that establish links between thebenefits and the employees' out-of-pocket costs. Finally, terms anddefinitions should be easy enough so that even when an employee isreading on a screen, without an enroller present, they canunderstand the way the plans work and the value they canprovide. 

• Integrate voluntary benefits programs into existingonline platforms: Asconvenient as online benefitsplatforms are, if employees are redirected to other websites, itfurther complicates an already complex process, making folks lessinclined to learn more about voluntary benefits. When the benefitsare presented in the same environment as their medical and dentalbenefits, employees are more likely to take the time to reviewwhether these plans may be right for them. The position of theplans also affects how employees view the benefits. Often, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity plans areplaced at the bottom of the election screen, next to legal plansand pet insurance. Consider placing these benefits closer to themedical plans where employees are more likely to make theconnection. 

• Face-to-face sessions:  Don't throwthe baby out with the bath water!  While face-to-facesessions may not be the most efficient way to enroll in voluntarybenefits, there is no doubt that it is one of the strongestcommunication tools we have at our disposal. For an employee, beingable to ask specific questions in a confidential setting andgetting answers in real time is priceless.  Face-to-facemeetings are not just beneficial for improving participation in VBplans. Talking about one's health, family medical expenses oridentity theft is deeply personal. As such, offering trustedadvisors who are mindful of these sensitivities and showing empathycan go a long way toward better employee engagement. Face-to-facesessions can take on various forms including in-person meetings andvideo conferences.  Consider using face-to-face enrollmentfor an initial enrollment and on an as needed basis. 

• Know the players: When a program is firstimplemented, we usually spend a lot of time educating the HR andbenefits staff about the importance of the voluntary benefitprogram.   Once the program is rolling, there isa tendency to step away and let the program run itself. However, we've noticed that participation in a plan is directlyimpacted by the people responsible for educating employees on theplans.  When there is turnover in said position, it isvery likely that some of the education about the benefits of thevoluntary program did not transfer over.  People typicallycome into a benefits position with an already formed opinion ofvoluntary benefits.  If they happen to have a bad view ofvoluntary benefits or if they are simply not used to the benefitsand don't understand why they are important, they are less likelyto take the time to explain to new hires and other people who maybe looking for information.  Therefore, it is important toknow who your educators are and make sure they understand the valueof the voluntary benefits program. 

• Encourage consumer education. We cantalk about ways to improve employee engagement and understanding ofvoluntary benefits, but if they don't take the time to educatethemselves, our efforts will be largely wasted. But, if we build onthe aforementioned items and increase employee understanding, we'lllikely see better informed health care consumers.

There you have it. While these recommendations are not a panaceafor addressing all challenges associated with voluntary benefits,they should help with help with education and engagementefforts.