Skip to main content
Contact Sales Support Careers
United States (English)
Americas
  • United States (English)
  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • Mexico (Español)
Europe, Middle East & Africa
  • United Kingdom (English)
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland (Deutsch)
  • Nederland (Nederlands)
  • Other EMEA Locations
Asia/Pacific
  • India (English)
  • Australia (English)
UKG logo UKG logo
Search
Get started Get started
    • Solutions
      Solutions by Need
      People icon
      Human Resources
      Payroll icon
      Payroll
      Talent icon
      Talent
      People connected icon
      HR Service Delivery
      Clock with Person
      Time & Attendance
      Calendar day icon
      Scheduling
      Document check shield icon
      Compliance
      Chart bar statistics icon
      Reporting and Analytics
      Product Suites
      UKG Pro

      A culture-driven HCM suite designed to support your enterprise organization's needs.

      UKG Dimensions

      Workforce Management solution helping you redefine the work experience for your people.

      UKG Ready

      HR solution to help small and mid-size organizations focus on growth and making a difference for your people, every time.

      View all products
      Find the product that best fits your needs.
      Get started Get started
      get started
    • Customer Experience
      The UKG Promise

      With over 70 years of expertise with BOTH people systems and systems of work, no one knows people and how they work better than UKG.

      Our Promise
      Customer Experience

      We think you’re pretty special when you’re a UKG Customer. That’s why we build products designed to inspire your people — and your organization — to grow and thrive.

      Partner for Life
      Implementation
      Support Experience
      UKG Community
      Working Smarter Café
      Customer Stories
      Belle Tire

      UKG Pro streamlines and automates administrative and HR tasks, so that field teams and managers can spend more time with customers, and coach, train, and listen to their people.

      Eventide Senior Living Communities

      Eventide Senior Living Communities uses UKG to drive employee engagement and streamline workforce management and HCM, including cutting PBJ reporting time by 99%.

      See all customer stories
      Collaborate, learn, and get support for your UKG solution!
      Visit UKG Community Visit UKG Community
    • Resources
      • Research & Insights
        Research & Insights
        • By Business Need
        • By Type
        See all
        Growth icon
        Human Capital Management
        People icon
        Human Resources
        People connected icon
        HR Service Delivery
        Payroll icon
        Payroll
        Talent icon
        Talent
        Chart tree people icon
        Workforce Management
        Clock with Person
        Time & Attendance
        Calendar day icon
        Scheduling
        Document check shield icon
        Compliance
        Chart bar statistics icon
        Reporting and Analytics
        Lightbulb icon
        Product Info
        Video player icon
        Product Tour
        Article featured icon
        Analyst Report
        Document icon
        White Paper
        Book icon
        eBook
        Organization icon
        Industry Brief
        Chart bar icon
        Infographic
        News people icon
        Article
        Video player icon
        Webinar Replay
        Interactive
      Research & Insights
      • By Business Need
      • By Type
      See all
      Growth icon
      Human Capital Management
      People icon
      Human Resources
      People connected icon
      HR Service Delivery
      Payroll icon
      Payroll
      Talent icon
      Talent
      Chart tree people icon
      Workforce Management
      Clock with Person
      Time & Attendance
      Calendar day icon
      Scheduling
      Document check shield icon
      Compliance
      Chart bar statistics icon
      Reporting and Analytics
      Lightbulb icon
      Product Info
      Video player icon
      Product Tour
      Article featured icon
      Analyst Report
      Document icon
      White Paper
      Book icon
      eBook
      Organization icon
      Industry Brief
      Chart bar icon
      Infographic
      News people icon
      Article
      Video player icon
      Webinar Replay
      Interactive
      Events
      Tradeshows
      Conferences
      Webinars
      See all events
      Blogs
      The People Purpose Blog

      Your source for the latest life-work trends and ideas from UKG experts and leaders. Stay informed and put people first in all you do.

      Workforce Institute

      Think tank that helps organizations drive performance by addressing HCM and workforce management issues.

      Workplace Resources
      Great Place To Work
      Pay Equity Resources
      Human Insights
      UKG Developer Hub
      UKG Pro Ranks Highest in 2022 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Cloud HCM Suites for the North American Midmarket Use Case
      Get The Report
      Get The Report
      Reference Image
      UKG Ranks Highest in 2022 Gartner Critical Capabilities for Cloud HCM Suites

      Read the Gartner® Critical Capabilities analysis for UKG Pro®.

    • About Us
      About UKG

      Learn more about UKG and how our HR solutions inspire workforces and businesses around the world to drive people-focused results.

      About Us
      Why UKG
      UKG Leadership
      Newsroom
      Awards & Recognition
      UKG Ambassadors
      Culture
      Our ESG Program
      Partners
      UKG Marketplace
      Analyst Reports
      Careers

      Look to your future. If you're interested in working for a company that truly invests in their people to create a culture of belonging and innovation, we want you on our team.

      Careers at UKG
      Early Career & Internships
      Benefits
      Life at UKG
      Featured Locations
      FAQs
      Experience awesome at work.
      Search jobs at UKG Search jobs at UKG
    Contact Sales Support Careers
    United States (English)
    Americas
    • United States (English)
    • Canada (English)
    • Canada (Français)
    • Mexico (Español)
    Europe, Middle East & Africa
    • United Kingdom (English)
    • France (Français)
    • Deutschland (Deutsch)
    • Nederland (Nederlands)
    • Other EMEA Locations
    Asia/Pacific
    • India (English)
    • Australia (English)
    Find the product that best fits your needs.
    Get started Get started
    get started
    Search Get started Get started
    Talent icon
    Talent

    How crisis changes open enrollment - and 7 ways HR can still succeed

    August 18, 2020
    Person doing open enrollment on phone during COVID-19
    • Share
    See all blog stories See all blog stories
    Stay up to date with The People Purpose Blog
    Subscribe via email Subscribe via email
    Subscribe via RSS

    Written By

    Fran Amato, Product Marketing Manager
    Fran Amato
    Product Marketing Manager

    Fran is part of the Ready team here at UKG, and likes to focus on all things human capital management.

    Topics

    Benefits Benefits Talent Management Talent Management

    Open enrollment can be tough on an average year, and as we all know, 2020 has been the opposite of average. With all the risk and uncertainty we’ve been battling, healthcare is one of the big items weighing on everyone’s minds. That anxiety is becoming particularly strong for HR professionals as we get closer to open enrollment season and have to balance new costs, changes to plan options, and increased medical needs with successfully supporting our employees and keeping our organization’s benefits competitive. How can we manage it?

    To put things in perspective, according to a survey conducted by Willis Towers Watson back in the summer of 2019, 42 percent of U.S. workers were already saying that they would be willing to pay more for a more generous healthcare plan, as it would make them feel more secure. That was pre-pandemic, so just imagine how those numbers have probably increased today when so many of us have been touched by COVID-19 and have come to value our healthcare benefits much more than in the past. With this renewed focus on health and wellness, we need to do all we can to make this year’s open enrollment a success. Here are some tips to help you make it happen even in the crisis conditions we’re all still dealing with.

    1. Consider starting open enrollment earlier

    The reality is that it will take a bit longer to get through open enrollment this year because employees are paying attention to benefits more than they have in the past, so they’re likely going to be the most engaged they’ve ever been too. Not to mention that the likelihood that at least some benefits meetings and fairs will be virtual instead of in-person is high. Getting started with open enrollment earlier, so that it's extended a bit, will give you the ability to better deliver information and the time to connect with employees. Both of these points will be discussed further below.

    2. Consider passive enrollment as an option

    There will be employees who are happy with their current benefits and just want to keep what they’ve got if that’s an option at your organization. Given there’s a lot going on, allowing for passive enrollment might be a good way to ensure employees get the coverage they need this year but also minimize the stress of having to review and select benefits. This may not work if you’re introducing changes to plans this year, or may not be appropriate for your entire employee population, but it might be something to consider for certain departments, groups, or roles.

    3. Communicate early and often

    Communication will be more important than ever this year as we’re not all in the same physical space with postings in common areas reminding us of open enrollment. With that said, you’ll want to replicate those physical reminders digitally through small doses of consistent communication to keep open enrollment in the forefront of your employee’s minds. Be clear and concise with your messages and be mindful of your audience.

    Remember, you may have employees across several generations and they will have different communication preferences, which you’ll want to be sensitive to, so plan your communication strategies accordingly. You may want to consider using text messaging, automated voice calls, short videos, scheduled emails from your HCM system, and mailers to align with communication preferences and increase the likelihood that your employees receive the message. Regardless of your communication method, ensure there’s a steady stream of information to help employees more easily digest what is being shared with them.

    4. Take open enrollment prep virtual

    We all miss being able to sit across the table from each other to have conversations, but we’ll have to make those virtual meetings work just a while longer. And although those in-person meetings were nice, virtual benefit webinars, fairs, and meetings bring more opportunity for employees to participate if offered on-demand or outside of standard work hours. Plus, employees can have their partners, spouses, and families participate as well, allowing them to weigh in and helping employees make more informed benefit selections to meet their unique needs. Another way to allow this kind of family input is ensuring your employees have self-service, mobile access to compare plans anytime, anywhere, making it easier to discuss what’s a good fit at home.

    When planning out your virtual events consider having a mix of on-demand, or pre-recorded, sessions and live sessions plus dedicated chats where employees can ask questions. For any of these sessions you may want to ask leadership to participate as it shows that they care and gives them an opportunity to connect with and hear feedback from employees.

    5. Be ready to engage with employees one-on-one

    Employees will have questions that they may want to ask outside of a group setting so you’ll want to consider having virtual one-on-one appointments with them. You can utilize a scheduling platform to allow employees to see available times and book a time to speak with you. If this is something that your organization doesn’t have the resources to address, then you may want to consider outsourcing this to a call center so that your employees can still get the one-on-one attention they will need. Most best-in-class benefits administration technology will have a services component that you can outsource this to.

    6. Make resources available online

    Although you’ll be sending information around benefits options and enrollment out on a regular cadence, it is important to make the resources you are pointing to in your communication available online. The information here should also be clearly organized and easy to access. This way when employees go to this resource page they can easily find and consume the information available to them.

    And again, having this information online helps employees make more informed decisions by allowing them to involve their partners, spouses, and families. This should extend to your actual open enrollment process too – it should be digital and follow a simple format that’s easy to track progress in, such as a progressive checklist in your HCM system.

    7. Above all, be transparent

    Let’s be real – regardless of what you try to adjust about open enrollment to account for what’s happened this year, there will be some negative impacts. Thanks to COVID-19, costs will probably go up, plans may change what they cover, and options may narrow. It’s critical that you be honest with employees about this, even if the truth isn’t what they want to hear. Make sure to weave this kind of information into the communications we discussed earlier so employees aren’t taken by surprise.

    The other thing to remember here is you still have the opportunity to control and adjust other HR policies and offerings to mitigate negative changes to healthcare options. What room do you have in terms of pay, bonuses, or other compensation for employees? Are there options you can use to be more flexible or generous about time off? What does your wider total rewards mix look like, and is there anything you can adjust there to stay competitive and boost your employee experience? These are all questions you should be asking as you reevaluate open enrollment.

    Conclusion: Open enrollment will be different, but we'll get through it together

    Like the entirety of 2020, this upcoming open enrollment period will be unique. Ensuring that you give yourself and your employees enough time to understand the benefits options available will be crucial to your success. Going virtual will allow you to safely provide employees with the information that they need to make the most informed benefits decisions with the help of their partners, spouses, and families right from the comfort of their homes. Allowing for one-on-one time to get all of their questions answered will also be important. All of this will make your employees feel engaged, secure, and looked out for – which we all need these days.

    If you’ve got more questions about how a unified HCM system can help with open enrollment and other critical processes during times of crisis, check out our HR technology playbook for times of crisis. It’s full of practical examples to help you navigate through uncertainty, keep your organization successful, and maintain a strong employee experience.

    Download your playbook

    • The People Purpose Blog
    • How crisis changes open enrollment - and 7 ways HR can still succeed

    Related Stories

    The public sector can help educational institutions and government agencies find and retain the best talent in the new world of work.
    The People Purpose Blog

    Why Creating Purpose at Work Is Key to Retaining Talent

    Job seekers and employees today are increasingly focused on finding purpose in what they do. Read how promoting the mission-driven nature of working in the public sector can help educational institutions and government agencies find and retain the best talent in this new world of work.

    How to Fix Work and Engage Employees
    The People Purpose Blog

    UKG Survey Findings: How to Fix Work and Engage Employees

    A UKG study shows that employees are disengaged and disillusioned with their jobs. But there’s hope: Here’s how we can fix work and re-engage employees today.

    Increase hiring efficiency and employee retention to reduce job interview lines
    The People Purpose Blog

    How to Increase Hiring Efficiency and Employee Retention

    Five strategies to consider during leaner times to increase hiring efficiency and prevent attrition.

    UKG logo

    Footer menu

    • Human Capital Management
      • Human Resources
      • Payroll
      • Talent
      • Reporting and Analytics
    • Workforce Management
      • Time & Attendance
      • Scheduling
      • Compliance
    • Product Suites
      • UKG Pro
      • UKG Dimensions
      • UKG Ready
    • Customer Experience
      • Implementation
      • Support Experience
      • UKG Community
      • Customer Stories
    • About Us
      • Why UKG
      • Culture
      • Our ESG Program
      • Leadership
      • Newsroom
      • Careers
      • Privacy and Security

    Sub Footer

    • Modern Slavery Statement
    • Accessibility
    • Cookie Choices
    • Cookie Notice
    • Terms of Use
    • Trademarks
    • CCPA Notice
    • Licenses
    • Privacy Notice
    © 2023 UKG Inc. All rights reserved.

    Kronos SaaShr, Inc., a UKG Company (NMLS ID#1698726) provides money transmission services on behalf of UKG Inc. customers and in connection with certain UKG products.