THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PLAYBOOK
FOR HR PROFESSIONALS
A practical guide for HR teams to plan, communicate, and execute a smoother open enrollment.
A practical guide for HR professionals to plan, communicate, and execute a smoother open enrollment.
Open enrollment doesn't have to mean answering the same questions over and over, chasing employees for elections, or scrambling to communicate everything at the last minute.
The best open enrollments start well before employees are asked to make their elections.
This playbook walks you through what to think about before, during, and after open enrollment, with practical tips to help your HR team communicate more clearly, engage employees, and make the process easier for everyone.
Start Earlier Than You Think
Your Open Enrollment Timeline
A successful open enrollment is less about what happens during enrollment and more about what happens before it begins.
60–90+ Days Before Enrollment
Confirm what's changing.
Work with your benefits advisor and carriers to understand:
- Which plans are changing
- Premium and contribution changes
- Network or carrier changes
- New or enhanced benefits
- Changes to deductibles, copays, or out-of-pocket maximums
- Any new employee resources or tools
Build your communication timeline.
Don't wait until enrollment opens to start talking about benefits. Give employees time to understand what's changing before they need to make a decision.
Review last year's questions.
What did employees struggle to understand last year? Those questions are clues about where your communication may need improvement this year.
HR Tip: If employees repeatedly ask the same question, don't just answer it individually. Add the answer to your next communication.
HR Tip: If an employee has to reread a communication three times to understand what changed, simplify it.
Make "What's Changing?" Your Starting Point
Employees don't necessarily need every detail about every benefit at once.
They need to know:
- What is changing?
- What does it mean for me?
- What do I need to do?
- When do I need to do it?
Instead of leading with a long benefits document, consider creating a simple "What's New This Year" communication.
Make it easy to scan
Use:
- Short explanations
- Comparison charts
- Examples
- Clear deadlines
- Links to additional resources
- Simple explanations of cost changes
Avoid overwhelming employees with insurance terminology whenever possible.
Don't Rely on One Email
Build a Multi-Channel Communication Strategy
One email shouldn't carry the entire weight of open enrollment.
Different employees absorb information differently, so consider using multiple channels throughout the process:
- Employee meetings
- Webinars
- Intranet posts
- Text messages
- Printed materials
- Manager communications
- One-on-one support
The goal isn't to communicate more. It's to communicate the right information at the right time.
A simple communication sequence
Before enrollment: What's changing and why employees should pay attention.
At the start: What employees need to know and how to make their elections.
During enrollment: Reminders, FAQs, and resources.
Before the deadline: A clear reminder about when action is required.
After enrollment: Confirmation, next steps, and where to go for help.
Answer Questions Before Employees Ask Them
Build Your Open Enrollment FAQ
Your HR team probably already knows the questions employees are going to ask.
Use that knowledge to build an FAQ before enrollment begins.
Consider addressing questions such as:
- What changed this year?
- How much will my coverage cost?
- What's the difference between the plan options?
- How does the deductible work?
- What happens if I don't make an election?
- When is the deadline?
- Can I change my election later?
- How do I find a provider?
- Where can I get help understanding my options?
Here's the important part:
Don't just create the FAQ and put it somewhere employees have to find it.
Use those questions throughout your communication.
If employees are asking about deductibles, create a short explanation.
If they're confused about HSA contributions, explain it.
If they're asking why premiums changed, address it.
Your employees' questions should help shape your communication strategy.
Help Employees Make Better Decisions
Benefits Education Should Go Beyond "Here's Your Plan"
Open enrollment is an opportunity to help employees understand the value of their benefits, not just select a plan.
Consider providing real-world examples
Instead of only explaining plan features, show employees how different options could work in common situations.
For example:
- "What if I have a $2,000 medical expense?"
- "What if I rarely use healthcare?"
- "What if I have ongoing prescriptions?"
Examples can make complicated benefits easier to understand.
Decision-making tools
When available, give employees tools that allow them to compare:
- Premiums
- Deductibles
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Copays
- Coinsurance
- Employer contributions
- Plan features
The goal is to help employees choose based on their needs, rather than simply choosing the plan with the lowest premium.
HR Tip: Every reminder should make the next action obvious. Don't make employees hunt through an email to figure out what they need to do.
Don't Let Employees Forget
Build Reminders Into Your Timeline
Even employees who understand their benefits can miss an enrollment deadline.
Build reminders into your communication plan.
A simple cadence might look like:
Announcement: Open enrollment is coming.
Education: Here's what's changing.
Enrollment opens: Here's how to make your elections.
Midpoint reminder: Have you reviewed your options?
Final reminder: Enrollment closes soon.
Deadline day: Last chance to complete your elections.
Don't Stop Communicating When Enrollment Ends
The Work Isn't Over Yet
Once employees have made their elections, there are still a few important steps.
Confirm enrollments
Make sure elections have been properly recorded and communicated to the appropriate benefits providers.
Communicate what's next
Employees should know:
- When coverage begins
- Where to access ID cards
- How to find provider information
- Where to access benefit resources
- Who to contact with questions
Capture feedback
Ask employees what worked and what didn't.
You can ask:
- What part of open enrollment was easiest to understand?
- What was confusing?
- What information would have been helpful?
Use those answers to improve next year's process.