Is your team prepared for an entirely virtual Human Resources workspace? How about rolling out the most important event on the calendar, entirely online? 2020 Open Enrollment is going to be virtual for most companies. But don’t worry — there’s tech for that.
Online Benefits Enrollment is Here
So much of the HR experience is traditionally hands-on and in-person. As COVID-19 continues to keep our offices empty and our workforces remote, it’s becoming clear that 2020 will be the year of many virtual firsts. For your business, this might be the first year of the all-virtual Open Enrollment. For your employees, this could mean a difficult change from the hands-on help they’re used to. How can you make the education, decisions, and shopping process of benefits enrollment easier for your employees?
Going online might be the requirement of 2020, but making online benefits enrollment work for your team is the challenge. Let’s talk about benefits administration platforms, and how they can make your first (or second, or third) Open Enrollment go smoothly for both you and your employees.
Making Benefits Decisions Easier
One of the most important aspects of benefits enrollment is simply figuring out what the right benefits plan is for each individual. Everyone has their own unique answer… but there’s a formula to get to it, which employees probably won’t find on their own. Save them a lot of time, study, confusion and frustration, by choosing a benefits administration platform which integrates decision support.
An interactive decision support tool prompts employees to answer the right questions, then shows them the plan that suits their needs.
Employees might be asked about how much healthcare they sought in the past year, how much they expect to seek in the coming year, if they are anticipating any life changes such as a new child, or if they’re managing any ongoing medical conditions. Their personal medical needs, plus their risk tolerance, all factor into finding the right plan — and the decision support tool gets them there.
Taking Benefits Shopping Online
Once employees have decided which plans are right for them, a benefits platform should offer a simple, user-friendly online shopping experience which feels much like any other e-commerce website. With helpful touches like showcasing any available employer credits and incentives, personal and family profiles, and a shopping cart showing per-paycheck costs for each benefit, employees will have a clear picture of what’s available, what they’re purchasing, and what it will cost them throughout the process.
Start Early for Open Enrollment
Adding new technology platforms to your benefits administration will make your HR life easier — and your employees’ interactions better! — but don’t put off making decisions until Open Enrollment is knocking on your door. Loop in your IT partners about your needs and start the ball rolling as soon as possible. That way, your team won’t miss out on any of the perks and features of a benefits administration platform, from built-in communication support, to robust reporting and documentation features.
Taking 2020 Open Enrollment totally virtual might sound like a huge challenge, but the technology exists to make this experience not just painless, but better than ever.
WBD’s open enrollment platform includes online benefit shopping that supports the entire decision and shopping process for employees. Using it to shop means your employees can create and edit a family profile, add beneficiaries for life and voluntary benefits, view available employer credits or incentives, and use a shopping cart that shows per paycheck costs for each benefit.
The shopping and enrollment process includes support along the way, including video and banners to emphasize important messages, auto-messaging for follow-up actions, easy options to complete Evidence of Insurability, access to 1095C forms, and a benefit confirmation statement. Employees know what they’re getting, how to work with it, and what it will cost them in a personalized shopping experience.
Use the WBD Open Enrollment platform alongside the Supersite for added functions. WBD’s Supersite program offers companies of all size a simple, yet feature-packed, benefits administration platform. Take a look at what we do and contact us to learn how we can make your 2020 Open Enrollment an online breeze!