Three Keys to Your Benefits Program

Program Design, Enrollment, and Education

In today’s complex and ever-changing healthcare landscape, working as a benefits manager is no easy assignment. Your employees want you to have all the answers and resources they need to understand a range of benefit plans and then explain it in even simpler terms.

Whether you’re in the middle of this year’s benefits planning or already looking ahead to next year’s, it’s always a good idea to revisit your strategy. Are you on the same page as your company’s long-term objectives? Are you in a good position to succeed? We’ve compiled our top three suggestions for creating a huge impression in 2022 and beyond.

Businesses in every industry are providing a plethora of advantages to their employees. Companies must know what benefits will work, from health plans to life insurance.

Have you ever wondered if your employee benefits program is set up the way you want it to be? We have found there are three keys to delivering an effective employee benefits program. This includes program design, enrollment, and education.

Program Design

We recommend a five-step benefits design process that includes identifying benefits objectives, completing a needs assessment, designing the benefits plan, and developing a communication strategy.

Needs Assessment 

Identifying the program’s goals is a critical first step in establishing an employee benefits program. This will serve as a general guideline for determining the benefits program’s selection and design.  

In most cases, this approach does not result in a list of specific benefits supplied, but rather in a summary of the organization’s goals of providing benefits that meet both employer and employee demands. Determining the budget available for spending on benefits is also critical, as most firms are limited in their ability to provide benefits to their employees.

Plan Design

Following the completion of the requirements assessment and gap analysis, the employer will need to create a new benefits plan design. Employers can begin to construct benefit offerings in order of importance using the data gathered from all resources in Step 2. 

Here are some of the possible plan options you might consider.

Program Communication 

The communication strategy is a critical component to the benefits planning and management. Creating knowledge and appreciation of new or current benefits, as well as enhancing employee financial security, should be among the goals of good benefits communication. This might include providing a thorough grasp of the benefits available and encouraging people to make good use of their advantages.

Enrollment

The term “enrollment” refers to a once-a-year enrollment session. Employees can enroll in new benefits, confirm existing coverage, or make modifications during open enrollment. 

Benefits enrollment periods can be stressful for employees and add to the workload of a human resources department. As a manager, you should think about the following best practices to ensure a successful enrollment period for your company:

• Employees should be able to research plans with ease.
• Your broker and provider should be a resource to you and your employees.
• Make a technology choice and train employees on how to access it.
• Allow enough time for employees to review and enroll.

Education

As stated above, communication is very important in the overall employee benefits implementation process. Here are four ways to improve your benefits education.

Be willing to over-communicate with your employees

Using a variety of direct communication methods boosts employee engagement and retention of information about their benefits.

Talk about benefits outside the enrollment period 

Benefits should be communicated to employees in a way that matches the seasons and life events that occur throughout the year. Have information on doctor appointments and daycare ready for employees who are preparing to start a family, for example.

Provide training

Employees tend to be concerned about calculating out-of-pocket expenditures, the terms like in-network, out of network, understanding out-of-pocket expenses and deducible applications.

Employees want to make better decisions about their benefits; therefore, HR benefits education will be welcomed when it comes time to select a plan and later when they need to use their benefits. Employers can enhance plan participation by educating employees at every opportunity.

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