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Handy Open Enrollment Jargon Cheat Sheet for You

Michele McGovern
By: Michele McGovern
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About the Author

Michele McGovern writes. A lot. These days, she covers HR, digging deep into company culture, DEI, leadership, management and the everchanging world of work. In the years between getting a BA in journalism from a state school and writing about HR, she wrote about big-city crime for a wire service and small-town life for local newspapers. She’s a mediocre mom, decent wife, wannabe athlete and consummate pursuer of fun - on land, snow and water. Find her on LinkedIn @michele-mcgovern-writer.

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Last Updated: November 28, 2025
1 minute engagement

Open enrollment can be a hectic time of year for HR pros and the employees you help.

Add open enrollment jargon to the mix, and you can ensure confusion will flourish.

Clarifying Open Enrollment Jargon

So we’re equipping our readers — and your employees — with a handy jargon cheat sheet to get through benefits season. We took a cue and some details from our friends at WorkLife News to build the chart.

You can pass this along to employees and post it in communal areas where employees might be finishing their paperwork before the end of your enrollment period.

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