Even if you have offered the same benefits for a while, highlighting any brief change in the way you are conducting them in the new environment can be an opportunity for more employee interest. (Image: Chris Nicholls)
As HR professionals are gearing up for benefits open enrollment this month, this year they will be faced with many more complexities. With a majority of employees still working remotely, health and wellness benefits are much more in demand by employees than in the past.
As someone who has helped many companies with their open enrollment process through modern technologies, here are some ways companies can overcome challenges facing benefits enrollment during COVID:
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Step 1: Review and revise your benefits
These are unprecedented times. Employees needs have changed – they want more telehealth programs, mental health options, voluntary benefits, digital coaching, employee assistance programs (EAPs) and virtual options. By not meeting employee benefit demands during this pandemic, they may think that your company doesn't care about their needs, which can lead to a negative impact on your talent management.
Step 2: Promote your benefits
Are you promoting your benefits in the way they need to be? Conduct an analysis of the benefits that have been in higher demand and don't miss an opportunity to further promote those (as well as any new benefits your company has decided to provide). Even if you have offered the same benefits for a while, highlighting any brief change in the way you are conducting them in the new environment can be an opportunity for more employee interest.
Additionally, it's important to make sure you are promoting the benefits enrollment process through all communication channels, whether that is through your intranet, mobile platform, company videos, e-newsletters and more. It is getting more difficult to capture employees' attention so make sure you target all relevant channels and promote your benefits thoroughly.
Step 3: Streamline your enrollment process
Now is the perfect opportunity to reevaluate how you traditionally conduct open enrollment. If you have always done electronic self-enrollment then maybe you do not have many changes to make, but if your company has traditionally conducted open enrollment in-person, in meetings, through paper forms or open enrollment events, it will look drastically different this year.
Since employees are working remotely and brokers are completing forms differently, employers need to prep and become well versed on how to make the open enrollment process seamless. As more and more resources become digital and mobile-friendly, companies should adjust and streamline the enrollment process to meet employees where they are – on their mobile devices.
During this period of open enrollment, it is important to realize that employees may have more questions and a harder time getting answers when they are not in their traditional work setting. They also may have additional anxieties. To be as effective as possible, employers should focus on providing information that is easy to access and remember.
For example, while mailing a benefits guide to an employee's house may have traditionally been useful, it might not be the best option for this year, as they are costly, and many employees no longer look at the physical copies. If you are providing your employees with tools make sure they are user-friendly and can be accessed easily regardless of location. These tools only work, however, when you can get your employees to truly engage with them and encourage them to stay up to date regarding any benefits communication throughout the year.
Additionally, since this change in workforce may not be temporary, it's important to find sustainable options. Your company might be able to get through the open enrollment process this year without any significant changes but finding an easily accessible and effective solution as employees continue to work in hybrid workforces will position your benefits open enrollment process for success. In the meantime, making sure your employees are aware of any significant changes and how to complete the open enrollment process easily, will better increase your chances of effective benefits engagement.
And as you know, benefits enrollment is just the start of your investment in your most important assets – your employees. Having tools to maximize your return on benefits investment is something you need to pay close attention to.
Dinesh Sheth is CEO of © 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
