Though open enrollment is something for which employers spend months preparing, it can catch employees by surprise. That may explain why workers tend not to put much time — under 20 minutes on average, some studies show — into their benefits selections.
Yet, the decisions employees make in the coming weeks constitute firm financial commitments for the year ahead, barring a major life event or other qualifying circumstance. That’s all the more concerning given an estimated 1 in 6 employees surveyed by Metlife last July said they regretted their benefits elections from the previous year.
Statistics like this drive home the importance of an effective benefits communication strategy. For insurer Liberty Mutual, communication is the most significant focus for 2024’s open enrollment season.
Open enrollment typically serves as Liberty’s “benefits big show,” Verlinda DiMarino, VP and head of benefits at the company, told HR Dive in an interview. But feedback gathered since last year’s enrollment season indicated the need for some adjustments.
“We come out and share everything that we have to offer to support employees and their families,” DiMarino said. “But during that window, they’re really focused on the things that they have to enroll in. So this year, we’re taking a different tactic.”
The company is aiming to create a more centralized experience. To that end, it’s putting on a virtual benefits fair to complement a series of in-person fairs at larger offices and has invited vendors to participate so that employees can ask questions directly. Liberty also created a PDF benefits guide that will provide employees a high-level overview of the company’s offerings.
Those strategies are intended to respond to some very direct feedback Liberty received this year: “‘I don’t want to search for anything. I want to know where things are. I want it at my fingertips,’” DiMarino said, quoting what her team heard from employees. “We try to be very responsive to that ask.”
‘We’re putting the employee at the center’
Employee resource groups factor heavily into Liberty’s broader strategy, a trend large employers have increasingly subscribed to. A 2023 survey of large employers by the Business Group on Health found that 79% of respondents worked with ERGs to promote benefits and target well-being initiatives to specific employee groups.
DiMarino said Liberty meets with representatives of its ERGs — collectively known as the company’s “multicultural advisory council” — to talk about issues of particular interest to their communities. Those conversations inform how Liberty evaluates the effectiveness of its benefits programs.
“They’re a vocal voice, and they’re an opportunity to see into a landscape that’s very important to us because of the [diversity, equity and inclusion] component,” DiMarino added. “We don’t want anyone to lose sight of what we offer.”
After Liberty has its benefits approved for the upcoming plan year, it meets with each ERG to share news about new programs and reintroduce employees to existing ones.
“It’s an ongoing battle for organizations like us that seek to be best in class and offer an array of benefits that support our employees.”
In 2022, the company did this when rolling out a program to help workers find therapists that were sensitive to the lived experiences of Black and LGBTQ+ employees. This year, it similarly announced to employee ERG ambassadors the launch of a reimbursement program for nursing mothers who need to ship breast milk while traveling for work.
“There are allies and other individuals who aren’t a part of our ERGs, but I think [the ERGs] are a good starting point,” DiMarino said. “And we have great engagement. So that’s an approach that we use to amplify programs that we’re offering.”
Liberty is also hoping to simplify interactions between its benefits program vendors, something that has traditionally been a challenge for employees. Here, the aim is to deliver a more holistic, connected experience.
“We’re putting the employee in the center,” DiMarino said. “For 2024, we’re going to lean in a little bit more. We want to be able to measure those handoffs and see how vendors are moving that needle and not having the employee navigate the ecosystem all the time.”
For example, the company wants to ensure employees who go out on disability are aware of and can connect to its employee assistance program. Meanwhile, if employees become new parents or get married, “There should be something that we’re looking for with our vendors to trigger [such as], ‘Have you considered increasing life insurance?,’” DiMarino continued. “We want to be there right when they need us.”
A wave, not just a splash
Beyond the open enrollment season, benefits teams have the challenge of maintaining consistent messaging for their offerings year-round. While Liberty wants to avoid overwhelming employees, the company also wants to have sustained communication on benefits throughout 2024, DiMarino said.
The first highlight of the new year comes in January, when Liberty’s benefits team plans to push messaging on financial well-being to employees in partnership with vendors. Later that month, the company will do the same for emotional well-being.
“We don’t just want to make a splash during open enrollment,” DiMarino said. “It’s an ongoing battle for organizations like us that seek to be best in class and offer an array of benefits that support our employees.”
Correction: A previous version of this story provided the incorrect name for Liberty's multicultural advisory council.
