If you’re responsible for employee benefits communication, you understand the challenges and time constraints involved. From making plan and scope decisions to managing schedules and logistics, it can be difficult to have everything ready in time for Open Enrollment. However, with careful planning and effort, you can define your goals and get a head start on a successful benefits year.

Start at the Finish Line

Start your benefits communication planning by picturing the end result. Knowing when materials are needed and what you wish to accomplish will make it easier to decide where and when to begin. Let’s focus on four decisions that will pave the way to a successful benefits communication campaign:

1. Frequency
2. Timing
3. Theme
4. Focus

Frequency

How often do you talk to your employees about benefits? Does it align with the needs of the employees? Each company has its own frequency. Some prefer to send monthly or quarterly communications, while others concentrate solely on Open Enrollment materials. Even a slight increase in frequency can help employees feel in the know about their benefits, which leads to well-informed decisions and higher program utilization. Decide when, and how often, you want to communicate the benefits program with your employees, so you deliver important information when it’s needed.

Timing

Timing is one of the most important considerations when establishing your benefits communication goals. Consider the schedule of events, benefit deadlines, and important decision-making needs, then plan your materials and due dates accordingly. Once you have your goals in mind, you can ensure you finish ahead of time, every time. To determine when to start, ask yourself a few questions:

• When will Open Enrollment take place?
• When should employees receive the communication materials?
• Will you have benefits decisions before work begins on your benefits deliverables?
• How much time will each piece take to produce?

Determining the answers now saves time and stress later. Keep in mind that some projects take longer to create than others. For example, developing a comprehensive benefits guide or benefits hub will take several weeks longer than a flyer or postcard. Allow yourself the time you need for a smooth experience.

Theme

Incorporating a theme is an engaging and cohesive way to communicate benefits within a document or throughout a campaign. Add a touch of whimsey with an “under the sea” or “choose your own adventure” theme by incorporating taglines and imagery to delight readers. You can also incorporate standalone themes into newsletters, posters, postcards, and flyers, such as “national health months” or “pillars of wellness” and more.

When you can capture an employee’s attention, you have a better chance of communicating important messages. Take a moment to think about what you want to promote to your employees. Here are some questions you can answer to get you started:

• What aspects of the benefits are confusing to employees?
• Are any of our benefits underutilized?
• Is anything relevant happening in the company or the world that we can tie into an overarching theme?
• Are there any themes or principles our company prides itself on?

Focus

Once you have a theme in mind, the next step is to narrow the focus. Too much information can have the unintended effect of making benefit documents difficult to understand. Select the details that are most important to your employees. Then, structure the content in a way that incorporates hierarchy, reduces unnecessary content, and embraces white space. This way, you’ll ensure employees know what they need to know, when they need to know it.

End Where You Begin

Once the hecticness of Open Enrollment is finished, it’s time to start planning for the next year. Take time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t so you can make decisions that lead to improvements next year. Put processes in place now to keep your goals in sight and make next year’s Open Enrollment an even greater success.

The Takeaway

Investing time and effort into creating clear and achievable goals puts you in a good position to address the needs of your workforce. With a well-planned benefits communication campaign, you’ll stay organized, foster team unity, and prepare your employees effectively.

Looking for more goal-setting ideas? Sign up for our free Open Enrollment Toolkit above!