Four Strategies to Avoid Open-Enrollment Snags

The open-enrollment period for your company’s health care plan is the pivotal period that gets your employees’ benefits in place for the coming year. the consequences of choosing the wrong plan — or missing open enrollment entirely — could be financially devastating.

An October 2018 TIME article says the six most costly open-enrollment mistakes are missing the open-enrollment deadline, defaulting to last year’s plan, over- or under-insuring, passing up tax-free savings, assuming all employees should be on the same plan and ignoring add-ons such as dental coverage, disability insurance, life insurance and even pet insurance.

Here are four tips to help make sure your HR department has the ideal tools and proper organization to make open enrollment go smoothly.

1. Educate employees early

During open enrollment, your employees re-evaluate their choices about benefits and possibly make changes. Your HR department should provide employees with the benefits information they need as early as possible before the open-enrollment period. A comprehensive FAQ guide should provide answers to the most common and important questions employees will have when making decisions about coverage:

• Clarification of health plan terminology
• Benefits that are changing
• New benefits that are available
• Advantages and disadvantages of different options

Give your HR staff the resources they need to distribute this information in a variety of formats, including brochures, videos, an online platform and informational talks or benefits fairs.

2. Invest in software

Managing your open-enrollment process with paper forms can be stressful, inefficient and costly, compared with digital technology. Benefits-management software can automate your processes while reducing or eliminating human error. Taking your benefits enrollment online not only gives your employees easy access to the information they need; it also allows your team to gather data to help you analyze the ROI on your benefits program.

3. Offer personalized guidance

Every employee has a unique situation, and it can change from year to year. Offering individual guidance to employees about their benefits decisions will help ensure that they recognize the value of the benefits you provide them. At Superior Benefits, Inc., we will work with your HR department to help your employees make health-care decisions based on personal factors like these:

• How benefits changes will impact them and their compensation
• Which benefits are best suited to their various life stages

4. Get expert help

As your benefits broker, Superior Benefits, Inc., can provide you with a number of products and resources:

• Tips for more effective benefits descriptions
• Brochures, posters and digital educational resources
• Strategic planning
• An online benefits portal for employees
• Digital tools for managing enrollment

We will design a portal that is tailored to your company’s needs. This will streamline your HR department’s management of your company’s benefits program. Simply add an employee’s information to the site, and your HR department’s work is 95 percent done. All employees will receive personalized welcome emails explaining how to enroll for their benefits electronically.

Superior Benefits has helped many companies save costs and hassles — and avoid open-enrollment snags.

Feeding Tampa Bay

Joe Stagliano and his CEO Council Of Tampa Bay members were proud to be a part of this Feeding Tampa Bay group volunteer event!

Crisis Center Of Tampa Bay

Superior Benefits is proud to be a sponsor to this amazing organization! The CRISIS CENTER OT TAMPA BAY is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year as the community’s gateway to help.

Tampa Bay Emerging Leaders raised $16,000 for the Florida Sherriffs Youth Ranch

Tampa Bay Emerging Leaders raised $16,000 for the Florida Sherriffs Youth Ranch providing neglected children with a stable home. Kids are cared for by “Cottage parents” who help the children develop a strong work ethic, sense of responsibility and respect.

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We are a National Employee Benefits Consulting firm because we go beyond the expected. Minimizing your business healthcare budget while maximizing your benefits is our top priority.