Practical Strategies + FREE Toolkit for Open Enrollment Communication

There’s a lot packed into Open Enrollment communication. There are important details to share, deadlines to meet, and decisions employees need to make. But in addition to managing the complexity, you also want employees to understand what they receive and the actions they need to take.

It’s exactly what our FREE Open Enrollment Toolkit is built to support. It helps you shape Open Enrollment messaging and reinforce it across multiple channels and formats.

Open Enrollment Communication That Works

Nearly half of employees spend less than 20 minutes reviewing their benefits during Open Enrollment, according to Voya research. That limited window makes it even more crucial for communication to help key information stand out and support timely action.

Here are several practices that support effective communication during this busy time of year:

Organize Details Around What People Need to Know First

Open Enrollment requires sharing a lot of detailed information, often in a short window of time. The way you structure that information determines whether employees absorb it or overlook it. Therefore, start with the essentials. Present what employees need to know first, then guide them to additional details.

Sequencing also plays a key role. The toolkit’s content calendar helps you plan when to introduce information, when to revisit it, and how to build understanding over time.

Design for Engagement

Open Enrollment is a time when employees are making decisions that affect their daily lives. They want information that feels steady and understandable. Short explanations, consistent messaging, and familiar formats all help people stay with the content.

Our explainer videos and the visual badges in our toolkit support this approach. They break down key topics into smaller pieces that employees can revisit as needed.

Use Language Employees Recognize

Straightforward language helps employees move through information without stopping to interpret unfamiliar terms. Emails, posters, and reminders that use a similar tone and familiar terminology make information easier to recognize and retain.

Language consistency across communication pieces becomes especially important when employees are comparing options or revisiting information later in the process. It reduces the effort required to re-engage and helps employees make decisions more efficiently.

Make It Easy for Employees to Act

Open Enrollment requires employees to make benefit choices within a set timeframe, so communication should guide their actions at every stage. Clear direction helps them understand where to go, what to do, and when to do it without unnecessary effort.

That direction needs to carry across every communication piece. Keep emails, reminders, and printed materials consistently pointing to the same next step, so employees know exactly how to move forward.

Keep Employees Involved

Employees are more likely to stay engaged when messages have visual appeal and invite participation throughout the process.

Each touchpoint plays a role, from introducing key information to reinforcing deadlines and prompting action. Elements like infographics, short quizzes, and surveys support an experience that employees will want to revisit.

Bring It All Together During Open Enrollment

The benefits enrollment period is time-bound and information-heavy, often reaching employees across locations, roles, and work schedules. Employees need to understand their options and take action within a defined window, and effective communication supports both.

Our FREE Open Enrollment Toolkit helps you shape communication from the start and carry it through the entire enrollment period, so messaging remains consistent and actionable.

The toolkit isn’t a replacement for strategy, but it can make strong communication easier to plan and execute.

The toolkit includes:

• A content calendar with built-in Open Enrollment reminders
• Goal-setting worksheets to keep communication on track
• A video and visual badges to reinforce enrollment messaging
• A ready-to-personalize Open Enrollment poster for high-traffic areas
• Practical tips for engaging employees and reducing repeat questions
• Post-Open Enrollment survey to gauge employee satisfaction with the enrollment experience

To learn more about how to strengthen your Open Enrollment communication, contact our team at hello@commpart.com.