Weneed to help employees understand their related risks while helpingthem balance paying for needed protection against using the moneyfor less-essential expenditures. (Image: Shutterstock)

October is the heart of peak enrollment season. It's time to put asidebenefit strategy for executing tactics. Whether it is conductedonline, through personal contact with an enrollment professional orboth, the key challenge for us as benefit professionals is to helpemployees balance two intertwined questions: "What do I need?" and"What can I afford?"

Our job is to help employees understand how to get the most outof their enrollment options. We can accomplish this by helping themunderstand their related risks, while helping them balance payingfor needed protection against using the money for less-essentialexpenditures. How do we do that?

Related: 5 myths about enrollment that employers need toforget

Marty Traynor is anOmaha-based consultant in the benefits field.

We often see paradoxical results when employees are surveyedabout their communication preferences. They almost always say theywould like to see more communication about benefits. Paradoxically,they also have become very adept at ignoring anything that comesfrom the benefit management area of their employer or insurancecompany.

So, what breaks through the indifference and gets employees topay attention? Here are some ideas.

First, employees like case histories that help them understandhow people have used their benefits when something unforeseenhappens. Employees also like simple needs calculators that helpthem determine whether they need a particular benefit, and if theydo, how much they should buy. These calculators are especiallyuseful if at least some of the data is filled in for them inadvance. Employees like online resources from their insurers, andprinted educational material they can take home and discuss withappropriate family members or advisors.

But what about when benefit professionals are interacting withemployees in personal meetings? Most in-person tactics used echothe online resources. Enrollers tell personal anecdotes. Theyelicit stories to help illustrate how products are used. Theyencourage people to think about their needs, and often provideworkbooks that can be used to calculate lost income or increasedexpenses.

Establishing need is one key enrollment tactic; the other isconvincing employees that their voluntary benefit options areaffordable. Comparisons to everyday life illustrate how low thecost of adequate protection can be. For many employees, the cost ofdisability protection or life insurance can compare to a few cupsof coffee per week. The same concept generally applies to allvoluntary options.

Employees want the information described above. Even more, theywant the supporting process to be easy. But making it easy foremployees is challenging.

Employers are expanding benefit options to compete for talent.This also reflects increasing employee diversity. Employees arefaced with a growing array of things that seem to be "needs" ratherthan "wants." Benefit administration and enrollment systems areservicing more products, typically from multiple insurancecompanies. Enrollment training has to cover these systems as wellas products. We have to overcome these complicating factors.

Peak enrollment success, then, comes from succeeding in thetriple task of describing the value of the benefits we offer, thecost to purchase them, and making the process as easy as possiblefor employees.

Read more: 

• 10 tips to improve employee benefits communicationand enrollment
• High-tech vs. high-touch: the best ways to helpwith enrollment decisions
• Increasing enrollment starts with employeeengagement