Here’s How to Step Up Your Game
By now, you’ve probably nailed down your 2025 benefits design and have a good idea of what needs to be communicated during annual enrollment (AE). This AE won’t be like other years, though. You’ll be sending your benefits messages to employees against an extraordinary backdrop of inflation, rising health care costs, a presidential election, a lingering mental health crisis, and general workplace malaise.
It’s enough to make a communicator want to sit this AE out – but don’t despair! In Part 2 of our series on getting ready for AE, we share some tips to help you fine-tune your message.
1. Take a pulse check
Conduct virtual focus groups, send out a pulse survey, post a poll to your employee portal, or ask HR business partners for their take. The goal is to zero in on a few communication channels you know employees will pay attention to.
2. Apply a marketing approach
After all, you are selling a product. Keep your messages simple, use consistent branding, and create an emotional connection. Personalize communications wherever possible. These principles are especially important for engaging your youngest workers (hello, Gen Z).
3. Communicate early and often
This fall, you’ll be competing for attention with a historic presidential election. Start sending messages early and understand that employees may be distracted and need more than the usual nudges to complete enrollment.
4. Be transparent about cost increases
Recent data from Aon showed health care costs are predicted to increase at a rate of four times general inflation, nearly three times wage increases, and more than double the rate of retirement plan contributions! Not good news when employees are already feeling the pinch of inflation and high interest rates. Our advice is to communicate transparently about these increases, model how they will affect people in different medical plans and tiers (e.g., employee only, employee + family), and share ways employees can optimize their benefits.
5. Let your communications show you care
Employees increasingly expect organizations to care about their well-being both inside and outside of work. But shockingly, just 21% of employees feel strongly their organization does care about them. MetLife found that 50% of employees would feel more cared for if their employer improved its benefits communication.
Annual enrollment is a great opportunity to showcase things like leave benefits, caregiving support, mental health resources, and flexible work arrangements. Of course, all these benefits must also be accompanied by a healthy workplace culture, the topic of our recent blog “Walk the Talk on Well-Being.”
6. Use AI to your advantage
Generative AI can be a huge help when it comes to decision support—think virtual benefits assistants that can simplify decisions and give employees answers to frequently asked questions. One caution: Using AI to generate benefits content could be a mistake. AI is still prone to errors and can sound robotic during a time when authenticity and human connection is prized.
7. Lean into storytelling and testimonials
Annual enrollment gives you the chance to shine a spotlight on your benefits. One of the most effective ways is through storytelling and employee testimonials. Researchers recently found that employees were more likely to use mental health benefits after reading a story about a co-worker who benefited from them. Leverage a mix of channels for testimonials, including your employee portal, digital displays, and workplace social media.
8. Make it easy for employees to get the information they need
Benefits weaves a complex web these days. Large employers offer a dizzying array of health and wellness benefits, many with their own websites, log-in processes, and apps. Simplify the experience for employees by consolidating information on a single microsite that can be accessed by spouses and partners at home, too.
On your employee portal, organize benefits by life event. Use FAQs and drop-down menus. And make sure to get a handle on vendor communications. Employees get annoyed when they receive direct mail and email from vendors without any context or corporate branding.
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Annual enrollment has always been a great opportunity to showcase your benefits. But today, excellent benefits communication is more than a nice-to-have. It’s essential for making sure employees know you’re listening, you care, and you’re working to improve the employee experience.
Need a hand creating an annual enrollment communication plan that engages your employees and helps them understand and appreciate their benefits? Contact us.
