Speaking with employees about their benefits is an extremely important task for HR departments around the world. While staff all know how vital it is that they understand the benefits that are available through their organization, it's not unusual to see eyes glazing over in confusion (or boredom!) when you begin these conversations. This might make you want to back down on the educational tools and information that you make available during the months leading up to open enrollment -- but don't give in to the temptation! Without adequate details about their benefits, employees are going to require a lot more time from your team in problem-solving any issues that they have during the all-too-short open enrollment period. Here are three key ways to identify when your staff may need a little extra help before they start making the best choices around their benefits.
1. Directors and Senior Leadership are Confused
Your directors and senior managers are often the first line of defense against problems with open enrollment. Staff are often more likely to speak with peers and their direct supervisors before taking questions to HR. If these individuals in a leadership position are unable to answer questions adequately, you've got a problem. Early training and additional workshops with key leaders can often help spread accurate information -- as opposed to rumors and conjecture -- around your essential employee benefits.
2. Questions from Staff Multiply
Is your staff becoming overwhelmed with questions and bombarded from every direction when they venture out of their office? If your HR professionals are doing the equivalent of hiding in their offices to avoid the deluge of questions, it might be time to take some stronger measures to help employees understand their benefits. This confusion is not unusual, particularly with complex benefits packages or in situations where you have a large number of employees. It may not always be possible to create one-on-one time for staff members with an employee benefits professional, but you can aggregate questions that are asked on a regular basis and create a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that you can distribute to staff members. If you maintain this type of document into the future, over time you will have an extremely valuable resource that can be used to point staff members to as your first line of defense.
3. Lack of Questions Around a New Benefit
Conversely, if your staff members aren't asking any questions at all, it may be time to put on your problem-solving hat! There is a happy medium in the number of questions you should be receiving, and if staff members have completely given up on understanding what's going on, they might stop asking questions altogether. This is a serious sign that needs to be addressed quickly so employees can confidently enter the open enrollment season and get ready for a great year. You might also find that staff members are not going directly to HR staff, but are asking questions of their peers. Having all individuals receive the same information and training about the available benefits helps ensure that your staff are becoming more active users of their benefits, and that means understanding how to save money for themselves -- and the business -- by being good consumers of their healthcare and related benefits.
You shouldn't have to wrangle the questions that come up around employee benefits alone! The team at Eureka Insurance Solutions is here to walk with you each step of the journey, providing you with valuable insight and problem-solving tools that will help ensure that your annual enrollment benefits period is a success. Contact our friendly and knowledgeable team at 916-742-7842 for more information. We offer a wide range of educational tools that can help keep your staff up-to-date on the latest changes in employee benefits, such as our new PDF download: A Practical Guide to Finding Help with Employee Benefits.