Get more out of your voluntary open enrollment

For most people, voluntary open enrollment is all about selecting benefits coverage for the year. But there are additional programs and incentives that your employer may offer that you can also learn about during a voluntary enrollment with a benefits counselor. For example, your employer may offer a wellness program to help keep you maintain your physical and mental wellness. 



Many companies invest heavily in health and wellness programs for their employees. It’s hard to find time to maintain your health and well-being, but with a wellness program, you have a built in support to do it at work. A wellness program can be just one of the many reasons to make sure you’re taking advantage of your company’s voluntary benefits enrollment. Without it, you may be losing out on a chance to get up to speed on your company’s wellness program and take advantage of perks like these:  

1.    Increase your productivity and focus
Think about the last time you had a big lunch and then sat at your desk for hours. Did you feel awake and motivated to power through your afternoon tasks? Probably not. Studies have shown that regular exercise and healthy eating habits can improve your focus and help boost your productivity at work. When you move your body, your blood circulates to your brain making you more alert. And when you eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods, your digestive system repays you by giving you the energy to tackle the day. Health and wellness programs promote positive exercise and eating habits, so you can feel alert and be productive at work.

2.    Financial Incentives
Many health and wellness programs offer financial incentives to participants. In fact, 40 percent of the average employer’s budget for wellness programs was allocated to growing financial incentives in 2019. And these incentives aren’t small. You could earn or save over $750 by participating in your employer’s program. Incentives may include funding your healthcare account, reducing your health coverage premiums, covering a gym membership or offering a bonus.¹

3.    Improve or maintain your health and well-being
The overall goal of participating in an employer’s health and wellness program is to improve your health and well-being while also increasing your work satisfaction. While physical health is still the main focus, employers have started expanding their programs to include mental, emotional and financial health. So whether you want to improve your fitness or reduce stress levels, these programs can offer help wherever you need it.

4.    Stay accountable
Whether you already live a healthy lifestyle or you want improve your habits, staying accountable can be a big challenge. We all have times in our lives where we get busy and off track. Joining a health and wellness program helps establish a solid end goal, a regular schedule, and connects you with friends and colleagues championing your progress and motivating you to keep going.

5.    Learn new ways to live a healthier lifestyle
Many of these programs offer different challenges and activities to keep employees engaged. Participating in a healthy eating challenge can help you learn how to make better food choices and teach you new information about nutrition. Joining an exercise class or having access to a personal trainer, teaches you more ways to reach your fitness goals with different exercises and activities that you can use on your own once the program ends.

It wasn’t all that long ago that health and wellness programs were relatively unheard of in the workplace, but today they are more and more common. If you are lucky enough to have access to one of these programs, your voluntary benefits enrollment may be a great place to learn more about what’s offered. 

¹Healthpayer Intelligence. Large employers to average $3.6M on wellness programs in 2019. 2019.