In recent years, the needs of employees have shifted and employers are struggling to keep up. Inflation, massive demographic changes, and fallout from a global pandemic have forced workplaces to rethink their benefits offerings, adding further complexity to the open enrollment process.
What is open enrollment?
First, a refresher. Open enrollment is an annual period—typically 2 to 6 weeks in the fall—when employees can add, drop, or make changes to their benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
It’s best to give employees as much time as possible to prepare for open enrollment before cutoff deadlines. Beyond that, it’s important to educate them about their options and any costs associated with them.
Remember, while open enrollment can be hectic, it also represents an opportunity to showcase your benefits and ensure employees are getting the most out of them. After all, 60% of employees say benefits play a key role in determining whether they stay with an employer.
Tips to a flawless open enrollment season
If you’re looking to keep open enrollment low key this season, here are some tips to get you started.
Develop a year-round plan: Open enrollment only occurs once a year but you should always be thinking about it. Dig into historic data to determine benefits adoption and run surveys to identify potential gaps in your offerings. Your program and what you offer during open enrollment should always be shifting to reflect employee needs.
Keep it simple: Here, communication is key. Avoid jargon and be clear about the value your benefits provide and what they’ll end up costing—if anything. Recognize that different employees respond differently across your comms channels. Be sure to meet people where they are most comfortable.
Check your rearview: Retro last year’s open enrollment. What worked? What didn’t? Make sure you’re improving on what you’ve already done and making measurable progress.
Prepare for employee questions: You need to be able to field all employee questions. To make life easier, consider building an open enrollment FAQ or running a webinar where you break down your options.
Top fringe benefits for 2025
Now, for the good stuff. Here’s a specially curated list of fringe benefits that pack a real punch.
- Flexible work arrangements: Flex work, whether it’s flexible hours, telecommuting, or commuter benefits has been written about ad nauseam since the pandemic and with good reason. If you have the infrastructure to support any of these benefits, it’s a no-brainer.
- Childcare and elderly care: On-site daycare support, extended parental leave and subsidies to help with childcare expenses all go a long way to make your team feeling supported.
- Earned wage access: Millions of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and the financial stress is impacting the workplace. With earned wage access, you can empower employees with early access to their earned wages whenever they need it. Best part: it’s completely free for employers and you don’t have to lift a finger.
- Unlimited PTO: PTO is a great way to help employees in their quest for work-life balance. Many businesses are beginning to embrace the four-day work week while others are adopting unlimited PTO policies. This can be a great recruiting tool but note that there are cons like the ability to track the usage.
- Employee discounts: When you aren’t in a position to offer salary increases that match the rising cost of living, discounts on products or services that your employees use can be a great addition to your benefits program. These discounts generally help improve satisfaction and can relieve financial stress in the form of discounted grocery, prescription, or other necessary products.
It’s true, open enrollment can feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to. By giving yourself time to prepare for it, taking feedback from employees, and looking at hassle-free voluntary benefits to enrich your program, you can create an experience that is the envy of your competitors.