Planning ahead for a painless open enrollment
For HR and benefits professionals, open enrollment can be one of the most stressful times of the year. But it doesn't have to be. This month, Patty Conner, Ceridian senior relationship manager for Health & Welfare, shares her solid advice and proven counsel.
Her message: open enrollment doesn't have to be painful. "Learn the action steps that will reduce your anxiety, stress and workload," Conner says. "Ceridian makes it a point to focus on the personal, individual ways HR professionals can make this time of year go more smoothly. It's the very best way to avoid the 'crunch time' you might have experienced in the past." Have a plan in placeConner says, "Regardless of the size of your project or the size of your company, there are certain crucial dates that you must have documented. When are they pushing out employee commissions? When do carriers need your data? When do you need to get information to payroll? Document all your key milestones." What does a plan look like? "A whiteboard," Conner says. "Or an Excel spreadsheet. MicroSoft project, sticky notes -- anything you use to track dates and deliverables is your plan." Identify your resources
"Don't take on too much," Conner warns. "Beware of the feeling that you must do it all. Look to your vendors to help. Look for other HR managers and assistants who are able and willing to help on a short-term basis. Seek out administrative support, because those are activities that take time." "Look for resources who can enter data accurately," Conner continues, "and engage them early on. Look to your payroll contact to make sure you get deduction codes in exactly the right format. Consider calling upon an internal administrative person who is good at developing marketing materials." Communicate, communicate, communicate
"You can't go wrong by over communicating," Conner says. "It's your job to get good information out fast. Your entire team should commit to communicating frequently, both internally and externally. It's hard to over communicate. If you set weekly meetings with all involved resources to update the status, you're that much more alert to potential delays." A new kind of pain relief: Technology
"I encourage HR and benefits professionals to take advantage of a low-cost way to reduce the amount of work you need to do -- technology. You should work to understand exactly how technology can help you so you can make the most out of the tools available." Conner explains that online tools such as cost modeling can make a real difference across your organization. "Carrier sites can be useful," she says. "Give employees solid decision support and cost modeling resources that offer side-by-side comparison tools, Web-based enrollment sites and language that's crystal clear." Another way to use technology to your benefit is to use the power of electronic communications. "Use email to communicate to managers and employees about enrollment," Conner says. "Send out an email blast to everyone. There is real potential to save money on printing materials if you take advantage of this technology." Where to focus
"One thing that really helps prepare you for annual enrollment," Conner says, "is to sit down and examine where you'll spend your time, energy and resources so you can focus on the critical aspects of open enrollment that have the biggest impact on your organization -- things such as, 'Did I get the employee paycheck right? or 'Did I get the right information for employee eligibility in to carriers so that there is no gap in employee coverage?'" Conner adds, "Prioritize your time and energy. Define success up front: ask what does success look like? Am I successful if all my employees get the correct deductions, all have their ID card in hand and there have been no urgent phone calls? Define success. To be successful, be specific." Take time for yourself
"Take some time for yourself," Conner says, "so you can better manage through this stressful time. Only you can commit to taking better care of yourself. You can reduce stress by eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, getting a good night's sleep, trying out some relaxation techniques, carving out time for pleasure and by being with people you care about. My advice: do the things that make you feel good. It's a great way of coping with feelings of stress so that you're able to handle whatever challenges come your way with resilience and flexibility." To learn more about Ceridian Benefits Services, contact your Ceridian representative.
