It's that time of year for many of us. Open enrollment, aka hell month, is almost upon us.
I'll pass on to you a piece of advice I've picked up over the years. Those of you who have gone through many open enrollments will have also learned it. But for any novices who might be reading, this is something you just need to accept, frustrating as it may be. No matter how much effort you put into making sure that every single employee knows what to do, how to do it, and what benefits they ended up electing, there will always be some who will break down your door or wear out the charge in your telephone insisting, "You never told me that I did/didn't have (something)!"
You can send out mass e-mails giving the instructions. You can plaster the building, plant, or campus with notices. You can turn yourself inside out with benefit fairs, even with representatives from every plan present to explain to your employees what is and is not covered. You can send each individual employee a personalized letter explaining to them what they have elected and giving them a contact person in the event that what they ended up with isn't what they wanted. You can do everything you can think of short of fireworks and dancing girls, and it won't change the conviction on the part of some employees that "no one told me."
This is going to happen. It's a fact of life. There is no possible way to prevent it. Believe me, I've tried. So rather than trying to avoid it, instead, prepare in advance for it.
Talk to your carriers ahead of time. How far into January are they prepared to allow changes? Or will they only accept changes that are reported/requested before January 1? Know in advance what you can and cannot do, and prepare your literature accordingly. Are you prepared to provide a little wiggle room on the limits of Section 125, or do you need to stick exactly to the letter?
Make sure you keep accurate and detailed records of what went out and when so that you have backup to show the inevitable complaining employees. If humanly possible, I recommend having personalized letters sent to each employee explaining to them what benefits they elected; what, if any, changes can still be made and by what dates; and providing a specific contact person or persons. Do they speak to anyone in Benefits? Can they take their choice of Kayla, Jennie, or Stu? Or must all changes be approved by Maureen? Provide phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
There's no way to make open enrollment easy, but there are ways to make it easier. If you have additional suggestions, post them below or e-mail them to me, and I'll do a follow-up blog in a couple of weeks.
Good luck!
Catherine Bannon is an HR consultant in Marshfield, MA (catherine.bannon@gmail.com). Bannon worked for 10 years in HR management before starting her consulting practice.
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