How to Educate Employees on Benefits for Open Enrollment

How you might currently be doing this

In-person benefits meetings
Printed benefits guides or brochures
One-on-one sessions with HR or benefits administrators
Email communication with benefits information
Posting benefits information on bulletin boards
Group presentations or webinars
Employee benefits communication software with employee portals
Distributing video tutorials or walkthroughs

Why Use Team Engine Instead

Accessibility: While not all employees regularly check email or have access to it, 97% of U.S. adults own a mobile phone and can receive text messages.

Engagement: Text messaging offers a quick, conversational way for employees to get answers, speeding up the open enrollment process.

Convenience: Allowing employees to access information and tools at their own pace—perhaps at home with their family—is more convenient than in-person meetings. Employees can also text a hotline for quick answers.

Less Overwhelming: With Team Engine, you can distribute information gradually, avoiding overload when presenting everything at once.

Better Comprehension: Spreading benefits education out over time rather than cramming it into a single session or lengthy packet helps employees better absorb and understand the material.

Personalization: Team Engine lets you tailor messages and resources to specific employee groups, making the information more relevant and engaging.

Real-Time Updates: Instantly notify employees of any changes or important deadlines, ensuring they stay informed and up-to-date.

Easy Follow-Up: Easily track who has or hasn’t engaged with the information and send follow-up messages to ensure no one is left out.

How you can use Team Engine to do this

Plan an informational campaign to help your employees understand their options, see the value in their coverage, and make informed decisions. (See content ideas below.)
Sync your employee directory with your HRIS or payroll platform, OR set up your employee directory.
Create an announcement with the benefits information you wish to share. (See sample text provided in the copy-and-paste boxes.)some text
1. Optional: Attach a document to the text message, like an informational PDF.
2. Optional: Link to a webpage, such as to a blog post or news article.
Draft additional messages as needed for your non-English speaking employees.
Schedule the messages to send over time, or create the campaign as an automated workflow.

Ideas for Communication About Employee Benefits:

Employee Testimonial Videos: Share stories from employees who have benefited from using specific employer-sponsored benefits.
In-Person Info Meetings: Host in-person meeting where employees can ask questions about benefits and get real-time answers.
Cost Comparison Charts: Provide visual comparisons showing the potential cost savings of opting into various benefits versus out-of-pocket expenses without coverage.
Step-by-Step Enrollment Guides: Create easy-to-follow guides as PDFs or short videos (or both!) that walk employees through the enrollment process.
Benefits Overview Infographics: Design simple, visually engaging infographics that outline the key benefits offered and their advantages.
Storytelling Emails: Send out periodic emails with relatable stories of employees who have used their benefits to improve their lives. Be sure to get the employees’ approval to use their story, and keep their identity anonymous unless they want to be identified.
Printed Home Mailers: Send informational packets to employees' homes, so family members can also review the benefits.
Cost Savings Calculator: Develop an online tool that allows employees to input their circumstances and see potential cost savings from different benefits options.
Dollar and Cents Breakdown Sheets: Create documents that translate benefits into financial terms, highlighting long-term savings and cost avoidance.
FAQ Sheets: Compile a list of common questions you get every year at open enrollment along with detailed answers that address typical concerns and misconceptions.
Interactive Decision Trees: Create digital tools that guide employees through choosing the best benefits based on their personal situations.
Benefit Myth-Busting Series: Release content that debunks common myths or misconceptions about certain benefits, clarifying their true value.
‍Real-Life Scenarios: Present hypothetical situations where having or not having certain benefits would significantly impact an employee’s financial and health outcomes.

Benefits Comparison

Enrollment Guide

Benefits Decision Tree

How you can use Team Engine to do this

Plan an informational campaign to help your employees understand their options, see the value in their coverage, and make informed decisions. (See content ideas below.)
Sync your employee directory with your HRIS or payroll platform, OR set up your employee directory.
Create an announcement with the benefits information you wish to share. (See sample text provided in the copy-and-paste boxes.)some text
1. Optional: Attach a document to the text message, like an informational PDF.
2. Optional: Link to a webpage, such as to a blog post or news article.
Draft additional messages as needed for your non-English speaking employees.
Schedule the messages to send over time, or create the campaign as an automated workflow.

Ideas for Communication About Employee Benefits:

Employee Testimonial Videos: Share stories from employees who have benefited from using specific employer-sponsored benefits.
In-Person Info Meetings: Host in-person meeting where employees can ask questions about benefits and get real-time answers.
Cost Comparison Charts: Provide visual comparisons showing the potential cost savings of opting into various benefits versus out-of-pocket expenses without coverage.
Step-by-Step Enrollment Guides: Create easy-to-follow guides as PDFs or short videos (or both!) that walk employees through the enrollment process.
Benefits Overview Infographics: Design simple, visually engaging infographics that outline the key benefits offered and their advantages.
Storytelling Emails: Send out periodic emails with relatable stories of employees who have used their benefits to improve their lives. Be sure to get the employees’ approval to use their story, and keep their identity anonymous unless they want to be identified.
Printed Home Mailers: Send informational packets to employees' homes, so family members can also review the benefits.
Cost Savings Calculator: Develop an online tool that allows employees to input their circumstances and see potential cost savings from different benefits options.
Dollar and Cents Breakdown Sheets: Create documents that translate benefits into financial terms, highlighting long-term savings and cost avoidance.
FAQ Sheets: Compile a list of common questions you get every year at open enrollment along with detailed answers that address typical concerns and misconceptions.
Interactive Decision Trees: Create digital tools that guide employees through choosing the best benefits based on their personal situations.
Benefit Myth-Busting Series: Release content that debunks common myths or misconceptions about certain benefits, clarifying their true value.
‍Real-Life Scenarios: Present hypothetical situations where having or not having certain benefits would significantly impact an employee’s financial and health outcomes.