At WordsFresh, we know the open enrollment season can be a whirlwind of moving parts, tight timelines and, let’s be honest, a fair amount of stress.
That’s why we hosted a special webinar to share what we’ve learned from years of experience helping organizations across industries make open enrollment meaningful and successful.
If you missed the live session, no worries. We’ve captured the key takeaways right here.
The Problem: Great Benefits, Missed Opportunities
Let’s start with a truth bomb: 80% of HR leaders say their employees never read their materials. Ouch. That means your company isn’t getting the full return on the significant investment made in benefits.
Rebecca Reeves, our Director of Client Success, framed it well: “Your benefits guide might be the most expensive document that people never read.”
The takeaway? It’s not about your employees’ intelligence. It’s about communication. It’s up to all of us to make it better.
Three Proven Practices to Supercharge Open Enrollment
So, what can you do to change the game this year? Here are three of our favorite ways to help clients level up their benefit communications.
- Develop a Multi-Purpose Strategy
A good strategy hits a single goal. A smart strategy does more than one thing.
What can open enrollment do to help you do better with less? Whether it’s building your employer brand, tying into a broader business initiative or furthering your total rewards identity, open enrollment is an opportunity.
And here’s a career bonus: Our clients who have a multi-purpose-strategy mindset are really demonstrating their own personal leadership at their companies. And they’re getting noticed.
- Clarify and Streamline Based on Strategy
Your strategy helps you create one, unified story. Your story is a focused message that unifies all your materials.
Another way to think about it: Your story is the tip of the communication spear. No one hits a target with the broad side of a spear. You need that sharp point to land. Only then have you earned the opportunity to deliver subsequent messages.
Deliver one central message. Or zero. There’s no other option.
- Make Benefits Approachable and Human
Benefits are personal. They affect our health, our families, our lives. Yet too often, the materials come off as cold or confusing.
If it sounds like HR-speak or, worse, insurance-company-speak, readers will feel the chill. They zone out and adopt a skeptical or even defensive stance. They may not look close enough to make the selections that would benefit them most.
So how do you keep it human? Highlight real (anonymized or composite) employee stories and emphasize the “benefit of the benefit”— what’s in it for them?
And of course, use simple, clear language in every piece of your communications, across all channels. Let’s warm it up in here.
Case Studies That Bring It to Life
From restaurant chains to hospitals to manufacturing companies, our clients are putting these practices into play. Here are just a few highlights:
– A quick-service restaurant company adopted a food-themed core message, tying their Total Rewards brand to their culture in a way that was both human and on-brand.
– A university hospital transformed a dense guide into a compelling, easy-to-navigate resource with the inspiring, talent-retention message “Powering U for Life.”
– A manufacturing company emerging from an acquisition used open enrollment communications as the first point of contact between the new corporate owner and legacy employees.
Final Thought: It’s Never Too Early to Start
Whether you’ve already begun planning or haven’t yet nailed down your strategy, remember you don’t need to have it all figured out to start a conversation.
If you’re ready to supercharge open enrollment—or just want to talk through a few ideas—we’re here.
Let’s make this your best year yet.
Want the editable timeline template or our “7 Proven Steps” guide? Click here.
At WordsFresh, we know the open enrollment season can be a whirlwind of moving parts, tight timelines and, let’s be honest, a fair amount of stress.
That’s why we hosted a special webinar to share what we’ve learned from years of experience helping organizations across industries make open enrollment meaningful and successful.
If you missed the live session, no worries. We’ve captured the key takeaways right here.
The Problem: Great Benefits, Missed Opportunities
Let’s start with a truth bomb: 80% of HR leaders say their employees never read their materials. Ouch. That means your company isn’t getting the full return on the significant investment made in benefits.
Rebecca Reeves, our Director of Client Success, framed it well: “Your benefits guide might be the most expensive document that people never read.”
The takeaway? It’s not about your employees’ intelligence. It’s about communication. It’s up to all of us to make it better.
Three Proven Practices to Supercharge Open Enrollment
So, what can you do to change the game this year? Here are three of our favorite ways to help clients level up their benefit communications.
- Develop a Multi-Purpose Strategy
A good strategy hits a single goal. A smart strategy does more than one thing.
What can open enrollment do to help you do better with less? Whether it’s building your employer brand, tying into a broader business initiative or furthering your total rewards identity, open enrollment is an opportunity.
And here’s a career bonus: Our clients who have a multi-purpose-strategy mindset are really demonstrating their own personal leadership at their companies. And they’re getting noticed.
- Clarify and Streamline Based on Strategy
Your strategy helps you create one, unified story. Your story is a focused message that unifies all your materials.
Another way to think about it: Your story is the tip of the communication spear. No one hits a target with the broad side of a spear. You need that sharp point to land. Only then have you earned the opportunity to deliver subsequent messages.
Deliver one central message. Or zero. There’s no other option.
- Make Benefits Approachable and Human
Benefits are personal. They affect our health, our families, our lives. Yet too often, the materials come off as cold or confusing.
If it sounds like HR-speak or, worse, insurance-company-speak, readers will feel the chill. They zone out and adopt a skeptical or even defensive stance. They may not look close enough to make the selections that would benefit them most.
So how do you keep it human? Highlight real (anonymized or composite) employee stories and emphasize the “benefit of the benefit”— what’s in it for them?
And of course, use simple, clear language in every piece of your communications, across all channels. Let’s warm it up in here.
Case Studies That Bring It to Life
From restaurant chains to hospitals to manufacturing companies, our clients are putting these practices into play. Here are just a few highlights:
– A quick-service restaurant company adopted a food-themed core message, tying their Total Rewards brand to their culture in a way that was both human and on-brand.
– A university hospital transformed a dense guide into a compelling, easy-to-navigate resource with the inspiring, talent-retention message “Powering U for Life.”
– A manufacturing company emerging from an acquisition used open enrollment communications as the first point of contact between the new corporate owner and legacy employees.
Final Thought: It’s Never Too Early to Start
Whether you’ve already begun planning or haven’t yet nailed down your strategy, remember you don’t need to have it all figured out to start a conversation.
If you’re ready to supercharge open enrollment—or just want to talk through a few ideas—we’re here.
Let’s make this your best year yet.
Want the editable timeline template or our “7 Proven Steps” guide? Click here.
SUBSCRIBE TO
Three fresh ideas (and a meme)
Love what you just read? There’s more! Sign up for our monthly newsletter for even more thought-provoking ideas (and reasons to LOL).
