COVID has changed much in the realm of employee benefits, especially as it pertains to open enrollment. As if open enrollment wasn’t already complex enough, there are many companies that will be forced to conduct online open enrollment for the first time.

As we think about the challenges employers are facing today, whether it’s recruiting, rehiring or retaining employees, benefits communication plays a crucial role in an employer’s ability to create a positive employee experience.

Changed Employee Expectations

Employers should communicate more often during times of uncertainty even if you don’t have all of the answers; employees are expecting it. According to Edelman’s latest trust survey, 63% of people want daily updates from their employer. Their survey also revealed that employees believe the most credible source for information about COVID-19 is from their employers – more so than government and other media outlets.

Two additional, intertwined employee communication expectations are enhanced digital cloud-based tools (e.g., video teleconferencing, instant messaging apps) and an increased acceptance of remote work. Even as the economy reopens, there will still be limitations on in-person interactions. That means the demand for digital communications solutions isn’t going away.

Why Go Digital?

The advantages are plentiful, including:

• Reach and inform all employees, no matter the location. This is especially critical in an increasingly remote working environment.
• Employees take full ownership of their benefits package. In a virtual environment, employees can watch the presentations they need, and not waste time with those they don’t. They can download relevant information and easily involve their dependents.
• Convenience and comfort from home. A virtual benefits fair and other digital options allow employees to better absorb the provided information, as they are not concerned with being exposed to COVID-19.
• Heightened levels of engagement. A study facilitated by 6Connex showed that virtual benefits fairs often lead to 15 to 30 minutes of additional employee engagement beyond traditional in-person fairs. Increased engagement can lead to better benefits decisions, as well as an improved perception of the value of the benefits they are being offered.
• Employers get immediate feedback. Data is readily available regarding what resources employees visited most, what presentation had the highest attendance and much more – all of which can help guide future communications.
• Eliminates fixed cost. It’s much less expensive to host an online open enrollment! Digital benefits communications are cost-effective in many ways – no or minimal need for travel, printing, venue rental, time spent organizing an in-person benefits fair, etc.

Our in-depth employee benefits benchmark report provides hundreds of data points and insights to help you manage change in the health care market.

Developing an Effective Plan

When developing a digital benefits communication plan during turbulent times such as these, it’s important to remember these best practices:

• Develop a regular cadence and format for your messages. Everyone is being bombarded with information on the news, through social media and a constant influx of emails, so sending your benefits communications on a set day(s) of the week when employees are expecting them is beneficial.
• Think holistically about the whole person. Communications should address all five pillars of total wellbeing – purpose, social, community, financial, and physical and emotional. Your messages could be organized into these categories, covering the offered benefits that support each one.
• Use a variety of channels. Determine what is/are the best way(s) to reach each different audience you have within your organization. Connect employees to their benefits through personalized messages sent via email, benefits portal, text messaging, push notifications, etc. Also think about leveraging your company’s social platforms, videos and webinar tools.

Content Is Key

Once you’ve established your communications plan it’s time to think about WHAT you will communicate. You likely won’t have time to go over every detail of every benefit, so what are the key things that employees need and want to know? These typically include how to enroll, medical changes, pharmacy changes, dental plans and voluntary benefits. Also, prioritize the more complex information that may be confusing for employees.

To maximize your benefits investment and ensure your employees are taking full advantage, make sure to conduct an inventory of your benefits and communicate information about them in these three main categories:

1. Health – It’s the peace of mind that having health insurance provides that employees care about most right now. Employees want to know how your health plan covers preventive care, COVID-19 testing and treatment, virtual doctor visits, and any changes that you’re making in response to the pandemic.
2. Wealth – Even if your organization is doing well financially, that’s probably not the case for all of your employees and their families; they’re likely worried about their personal financial security. If you offer benefits that help employees navigate these challenges, such as 401K retirement savings, short-term loan benefits, financial wellness solutions and student loan refinancing solutions, make sure to showcase them.
3. Lifestyle – Often, these are voluntary benefits and can get lost in the shuffle of communications; however, these benefits have proven to be extremely valuable, so don’t let that happen. Amid COVID-19, you might consider rolling out a new set of voluntary benefits or some new programs. These are often designed to support a specific area of wellbeing or mental health.

Are your health care offerings competitive? Check out this report to find out.

Communication Channels

You’re likely already using email to spread the word about benefits and open enrollment. But since you won’t be able to also conduct in-person meetings, email will carry more weight than usual. Breaking up your messages into multiple emails will make it easier to share information in digestible pieces and will provide employees with much-needed reminders to take action along the way.

To reinforce your email communication plan, also leverage tools such as:

• FAQs on Intranet
• Interactive Benefits Guide 
• Virtual Office Hours 
• Benefits Webinar or Video Conference
• Educational Videos 
• Intranet Ads
• Text Messaging Campaigns 
• Virtual Benefits Fair/Town Hall

Key Takeaway

Our experiences during this pandemic have forever changed our expectations and ways of doing things in all aspects of life and work, and that includes how employees expect to receive benefits communications and how employers must revisit their communication plans to adapt. Taking a digital approach that focuses on quality content via multiple channels at appropriate intervals will enable employers to make this year’s open enrollment a successful one despite challenges presented by COVID-19.