Once bitten, twice shy: Why employees don’t re-enroll in an FSA
If you have low enrollment rates for Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), you aren’t alone. While health insurance benefits are front and center during open enrollment, FSAs often feel like a well-kept secret or afterthought. Creating awareness of the benefit is a common goal during re-enrollment. However, a less commonly addressed issue is when employees who previously […]
Enrolling in benefits creates a level of stress that’s scary
Most employees look forward to enrolling in benefits about as much as a cat looks forward to taking a bath. I was talking to a friend recently who said her boyfriend received his Open Enrollment materials in the mail… and promptly threw them on the table unopened. According to the 2017 Benefits Communication Survey from Jellyvision, […]
Finding the sweet spot for your FSA election
If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you know that every year during Open Enrollment (OE), you choose how much to put aside in the account, otherwise known as your election. Recalling Stephen Covey’s second habit of highly effective people – begin with the end in mind® – you can base your election off of […]
Eenie meenie miney mo – Which account should I choose?
As kids, there were fun games that helped us make choices… In benefits, we are often presented with a 50 page document and told “Here you go. Choose. By the way, Open Enrollment closes on Friday. Time is of the essence.” Too bad making your pre-tax benefit account decisions is not as easy as pointing […]
Pre-Tax Benefits Explained Through Emojis ⚕️
What is a pre-tax benefit account? ?♂️ A pre-tax benefit account allows you to set aside money from your paycheck before taxes to use for IRS-approved purchases. The items you can pay for through a pre-tax benefit account depends on which plan(s) you have. There are three categories a pre-tax benefit account can fall under: […]
Checklist for a smooth re-enrollment
For employers with re-enrollment approaching, it’s busy season. From selecting benefit options to making sure employees attend re-enrollment meetings, there is a lot to manage. To help this year’s re-enrollment go smoothly, cross these off your re-enrollment checklist: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Employees need to hear a message an average of seven times before understanding it. […]
Top Searched Open Enrollment FAQs
As open enrollment nears for many and benefits options are presented, it is important to have a clear understanding of how each plan works and why you might want to enroll. To make sure you have your ducks in a row this open enrollment, we compiled the Top Searched Open Enrollment FAQs. The results?…Participants (and […]
Creating a Positive Work Environment to Ask Questions
There is plenty of information on the web about what employees should ask employers regarding benefits. But there are surprisingly few resources that address steps employers can take to create a positive work environment- specifically one where it’s safe to ask questions about benefit plans. John Maxwell, leadership mentor and speaker, said “People may hear […]
Communication Best Practices – Open Enrollment
George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” It begs the question: How do you make sure communication has taken place? Communication— especially improving internal communications in the workplace— is easier said than done. While employee communication doesn’t have a season, there are several employee […]
The Twelve Days of Open Enrollment
In the spirit of the holiday Open Enrollment season, we break from our traditional topics to bring you a light-hearted rendition of the Twelve Days of Open Enrollment… <proceed to hum the tune to “The Twelve Days of Christmas”> The Twelve Days of Open Enrollment On the first day of open enrollment, my employer gave to me, a […]
Understanding Plan Trends this Enrollment Season
Somewhere between the occasional days of summer fun and working through the daily grind, year-end has once again come upon us. For many of us, it means we will be bombarded with information regarding benefit options. While the specific options provided may vary, there are several key trends that are occurring this enrollment season. Key […]
