Communication Coronavirus (COVID-19) Employee Benefits Health Care Human Resources (HR) Talking Benefits Podcast U.S.

Open Enrollment Strategies in the Time of COVID-19

Anne Patterson
Open Enrollment Strategies in the Time of COVID-19
Open Enrollment Strategies in the Time of COVID-19

The International Foundation recently surveyed employers and plan sponsors about benefit communication for an upcoming report (watch for it soon—called Trends in Benefit Open Enrollment and Communication), and tons of responses came in about going virtual for open enrollment this year in light of the coronavirus pandemic. We thought a Talking Benefits episode addressing this topic was in order!

Communication is critical whether open enrollment is happening face-to-face or virtually, so the podcast team reviewed some important reminders plus best practices we’ve been hearing from our members on what’s working effectively for them this season.

Here are a few things you’ll learn from tuning into this episode:

  1. The importance of using empathy to guide benefit communications this year
  2. How to frame the conversation about any new plan design changes
  3. Tips for keeping employees interested during virtual presentations
  4.  How communication channels may differ this year
  5.  Holding face-to-face open enrollment meetings safely.

Talking Benefits · Virtual Open Enrollment

We decided that open enrollment can be what you make of it, whether in-person or virtual this year. Maybe 2020 will spur some new creative approaches that shape how open enrollment is conducted in the future.

Visit the International Foundation Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources page to find helpful information to navigate your organization through the pandemic.

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Anne Patterson
Communications Associate at the International Foundation

Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Workers and Their Families

The latest from Word on Benefits:

Anne Patterson

Social Marketing and Communications Strategist at the International Foundation

Favorite Foundation Product: The innovative member survey efforts and results from the research team.

Benefits-Telated Topics That Interest Her Most: Health care, nontraditional wellness initiatives, employee benefit communication.

Personal Insight: It’s all about balance with Anne. She loves to run and enjoys a good culinary adventure. She’ll jump at the chance to travel or to spend fun times with family and friends, but she’ll also take time to catch her breath with an occasional Netflix binge or diving into a classic novel.

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