3 Reasons Employees Struggle With Open Enrollment and 6 Ways to Help

As open enrollment season looms, HR departments will want to prepare to help employees before it even starts. They’ll have questions, and you want to give them the information they need to make the best decisions about their benefits. 

In fact, according to data from MetLife, more than three-quarters of workers who understand their benefits are happy, and more than 80% believe their benefits give them a greater sense of overall stability. 

To help employees this open enrollment season, here are some of the biggest barriers to a successful open enrollment season, along with ways HR can help break them down. 

What’s Hindering Open Enrollment?

MetLife’s research found that employees who take the time to understand their benefits and engage in conversations about them have a greater comprehension of their benefits – leading to more informed decisions, reduced anxiety, and improved happiness.

However, there are some significant barriers that MetLife’s research found that get in the way of a successful open enrollment season for employees. 

• Education: 62% of employees say understanding how to use their benefits would give them a greater sense of overall stability. Meanwhile, 50% say having a better understanding of their benefits would make them more loyal, meaning if you provide benefits education, it’s a win for employees and the business. 
• Procrastination: Most years, about 30% of employees procrastinated when selecting their benefits, and nearly 40% wish they’d had more time to make the right choices. What’s more, one in six employees regrets their benefits elections from previous years, signaling a need for better preparation and planning to avoid procrastination.
• Consultation: Nearly half of employees (44%) didn’t consult others before enrolling in benefits in previous years, and this group was also less likely to fully understand their benefits and more likely to worry about unexpected health and financial issues.

“Employee benefits play a massive role in employees’ lives both at and outside of work — and a big part of this is not just the benefits themselves, but also the awareness of how they are used,” Jamie Madden, senior vice president of workforce engagement and benefits connectivity at MetLife said. “Understanding benefits leads to more informed open enrollment decisions, better utilization, and a happier, more stable and generally more satisfied workforce.”

How HR Can Help Employees With Open Enrollment

Benefits education is more important than ever, as Job Hugging is a huge trend: Employees are staying put. They’re more intentional about their benefits selection, and it’ll be important for employers to use it as a tool to help maintain job satisfaction. 

“It’s critical that employers take steps to empower their employees to make more confident open enrollment decisions and ultimately, have a happier experience at work,” said Madden.

Here’s how HR can help bridge the gaps to make open enrollment season easier this year:

• Keep the conversation going. Communicate benefits news year-round to ensure employees are prepared when open enrollment season rolls around
• Vary outreach. Use multiple channels and communication strategies so all employees get the information they need
• Emphasize timeliness. Set clear deadlines early to avoid procrastination
• Make it easy to identify. Share resources that make benefits easier to understand, such as plan comparisons or scenarios
• Start education early. Hold education or consultation sessions during the season for employees to ask questions, and
• Share success stories. Tell employees how their colleagues — without naming them — have used benefits in the past year and the positive outcomes they’ve experienced. Don’t just give numbers, though. Assuming employees allow you to share their stories anonymously, talk about how benefits made things better for them, their family members and quality of life. Stories do a better job of showing employees what they have to gain by enrolling and engaging.