1. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel—especially all on your own. Enrollment season is surely not the time to be a lone wolf and try to create an entire benefits communication campaign from scratch. There are volumes of great (free!) resources available that you can tailor to your company’s specific programs. Use them to your advantage to help you check all the boxes and make enrollment go off without a hitch! Here are some of what we think are enrollment communication’s greatest hits.
2. Let health care reform be your friend, not your foe. We know compliance and administration for the Affordable Care Act is no easy feat, but ACA isn’t your enemy. On the contrary, the law can be a great launching pad for promoting your benefits, and helping employees better understand health plans and improve health literacy.
3. Talk to your people like people—or reap the wrath of Twitter. Read these tweets of what real people have to say about open enrollment for a laugh … and a reality check. Could your company be one that these folks are talking about? There’s no avoiding SPDs of course, but let plain language rule the day with your core enrollment communications.
4. It’s never too late (or too early) to use technology for benefits communication. In as little as five years time, most employees expect to enroll on their smartphones—they’re certainly ready for enrollment information online. Use our Master Class session on online communication for tips to get you started.
5. Remember to laugh. When the stress starts to be too much, don’t forget that laughter can be the best medicine.