Creating a benefits plan touchpoints checklist

When open enrollment period nears its end that doesn’t mean your focus on enrollment should as well.

By putting employees the heart of a benefits plan, you, as brokers and employee benefits decision makers, are uniquely positioned to help ensure employee engagement is an iterative, ongoing process – one that enables employers to recruit and keep talent while protecting the bottom line.

To engaged employees (and their employers) go the spoils
Putting employees at the heart of everything you do pays dividends for both the employee and employer. Trustmark’s own research found that health, wellbeing, and fitness program participants have a highly favorable perception of their employer. Among these employee participants, 70 percent reported that their program offering means their employer cares about them. And participants also indicated they are likelier than non-participants to stay with their employer, refer someone to the company, and be more productive.

Beyond benefits communications “why” and “how”
But 69 percent of these employees also said lack of information was the biggest barrier to participation in these programs. All the more reason why it’s crucial to help employees become more knowledgeable about their benefits plan. Beyond the benefits communications “why” and “how,” companies need to establish a “when” — a steady communication cadence marked by multiple touchpoints and channels. Here’s a checklist for you to consider:

• 4-5 weeks before the start of enrollment — Companies should have their enrollment timeline set in terms of the communication they want to use and the predetermined messaging to drive the specific desired employee behavior (whether virtually or in-person, seeing an enrollment specialist or benefits counselor, attending a meeting, scheduling a call, etc.)
• 3 weeks before the start of enrollment — Given the large numbers of employees working from home and other remote locations, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, consider providing materials in more than one format to reinforce awareness that will lead to engagement and ultimately, action. Display materials like table tents, desk drops, and brochures are an effective way to supplement digital channels and can easily be mailed to employees.
• 1-2 weeks before the start of enrollment — This is a good time for companies to follow up with an email reminder of the upcoming enrollment and again with a series of collateral pieces, always strongly indicating the action an employee should take next.
• Enrollment kickoff — At this point companies should send an email notice that enrollment has started and, if available, provide some more detailed information that will be helpful to employees when undertaking the enrollment process.

Read our white paper, Through Engagement to Action: A Wellbeing Roadmap
Learn more about how putting employees at the heart of everything you do can lead to sustainable, healthier, and financially sound behaviors, resulting in improved employee wellbeing and employer bottom line.

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