Help Your Employees Make Well-Researched Decisions During Open Enrollment

Posted on September 17, 2020 in Insurance

Human resources professionals, benefits managers and executive management may long remember open enrollment 2021 as “the year we weren’t sure what to do.” How do we manage benefits enrollment if our employees are furloughed? Do we leave benefits status quo and encourage employees to just roll over their existing choices? Do we set up virtual benefits consultations? What’s the best way for employees to weigh their benefit options while they are simultaneously teaching their kids math and working from home?

Here are some tips from Delta Dental of Iowa and DeltaVision to start chipping away at those questions:

1. Let’s talk: Utilize a variety of platforms such as Zoom, FaceTime, YouTube, text messaging, company intranet, email and more to connect with employees in mediums that work for them.
2. Answer the obvious questions: Post a Frequently Asked Questions blog post or article on your company intranet or internal newsletter and keep it updated as questions roll in. Chances are good if one employee has a question about a particular benefit or terms of coverage, others will, too.
3. Focus on the controllable elements: Encourage your employees to review and recognize preventive health insurance benefits that provide a solid value proposition – such as dental and vision, annual wellness exams and coverage for any existing health matters. Committing to proactive and preventive health measures should ultimately saves money in the long run. And, studies show that employees using vision and dental benefits miss less work because they avoid emergency situations for themselves and their family members.
4. Family matters: For those employees with family members, encourage them to consider the peace of mind that comes with knowing what a little research into their benefits now will mean in the event of an emergency. The stress of a tooth knocked out in a skateboard collision or a lost contact during a basketball tournament will be minimized if you know how your benefits will help you resolve the problem.

Don’t let social distancing prevent you from being present to answer your employees’ questions about their benefits package. Communicating early and often with employees – especially if they are working from home – will minimize the last minute decision making process and provide you valuable feedback on common questions. Finally, help employees see the benefits of proactive and preventive health benefits that maximize their investment and minimize work disruptions. While nothing about 2020 has been normal, taking these steps may help normalize your employees’ benefits enrollment for 2021.

For more information on vision and dental benefits plans with Delta Dental of Iowa and DeltaVision, visit our website.