OPEN ENROLLMENT
Congratulations . You managed to survive open enrollment season . As we usher in a new year and you get to breathe a sigh of relief after overcoming arguably the most stressful time of year for HR teams , it ’ s important for businesses to take stock of what did and didn ’ t work with their open enrollment efforts .
After investing a lot of time , money , and energy into open enrollment , make sure that employees are engaged with their benefits and that the benefit offerings cater to employee needs . Use a post-open enrollment survey to get concrete feedback about how much employees engage with their benefits and how they can improve in the upcoming open enrollment period .
TIPS FOR CRAFTING YOUR POST-OPEN ENROLLMENT SURVEY
CHOOSE THE RIGHT TOOL
There are a lot of survey tools available today , but not all of them are created equal . Some tools allow users to show different question types like checkboxes , forms , and multiple-choice questions ; others might have limitations on the types of questions users can put in a survey .
Picking a survey platform that includes a library of templates might also be helpful . Additionally , think about how easy the survey tool makes it to export results for analysis . Using the right tool can make a big difference in the quality of the information you can get so that you can put the survey results to good use .
COMMUNICATE THE PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY
We live in an age where attention is in high demand but available in limited quantities . When sending out the postopen enrollment survey to employees , be sure to communicate the importance and purpose of the survey by making it about the employee . Consider saying something along these lines : “ We want to improve the benefits available to you and make open enrollment easier in the upcoming year . Let us know how we can improve by completing this short survey .”
MAKE THE SURVEY ANONYMOUS
Getting honest opinions from employees might be difficult if they need to identify who they are , which is why you shouldn ’ t require employees to share their names when completing the post-open enrollment survey . Allowing participants to remain anonymous can garner more honest responses because employees will likely feel that they can be genuine without fear of repercussions .
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
To keep participants ’ attention and get as much information as possible , make sure the survey is short and ask straightforward questions . Limit the number of questions by deciding what information you need to know versus what ’ s nice to know . Include some openended questions for answers that require more nuance , but don ’ t ask too many of them . Also , make sure you ask the most important questions at the beginning of the survey and not at the end of it .
MAKE SURE THE SURVEY IS MOBILE FRIENDLY
Many people access information on their mobile devices , which is why it ’ s important that your survey is mobile friendly . Make sure that the survey works in mobile formats so that employees can complete it on their computers or while they ’ re on the go .
INCENTIVIZE PARTICIPATION
Because people are busy and filling out a survey is a favor you ’ re asking of them , incentivizing participation with a small reward can increase the number of participants . Not everyone has to receive a price for participating , but something like a raffle for one winner with a prize that would appeal to most people could be a way to increase employee survey participation .
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Don ’ t wait too long to send out a postopen enrollment survey . The longer you wait , the less likely employees are to participate . Furthermore , as time passes , people ’ s recollection of events becomes less reliable , which impacts the accuracy of information you ’ ll receive .
Tailoring the open enrollment experience and benefits offerings have the potential to attract and retain talent , while inadequate employee benefits can keep top candidates from joining your team and make valued employees look for opportunities elsewhere . Once you ’ ve gotten responses to the survey , take a deep dive into the data with your benefits team and find ways to apply the information to make open enrollment even more successful in the coming year . +
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only . BRP Group , Inc . and its affiliates do not provide tax , legal , or accounting advice . Please consult with your own tax , legal , or accounting professionals before engaging in any transaction .
BY : BARRY E . FIELDS , PARTNER , EMPLOYEE BENEFITS JGS INSURANCE , A BALDWIN RISK PARTNER
Barry Fields has over 30 years of employee benefits experience advising clients in a wide range of industries , professional and industrial , public and private , throughout the United States and worldwide .
Barry specializes in providing full-service benefits consulting to clients including program design , compliance , plan funding , underwriting , wellness programs , employee communications , benefits administration , employee advocacy and the use of effective strategies in benefits management .
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