Open enrollment is more than choosing benefits. It requires coordination across HR, payroll, benefits carriers, HR technology, compliance and employee communications.
A clear open enrollment timeline helps employees understand what’s changing, complete required actions and make informed decisions. It also gives HR teams time to test systems, resolve issues and verify elections before the first post-enrollment payroll.
6–8 Weeks Before: Confirm the Details
Before communicating with employees, finalize the core details of your open enrollment process:
- Plan options and design changes
- Premiums and employee contributions
- Carrier and vendor changes
- Eligibility requirements
- Enrollment dates and deadlines
- Active or passive enrollment requirements
- Payroll deduction requirements
- HRIS and benefits administration configuration
- Required compliance notices
Assign owners across HR, payroll, finance, technology, communications and external partners. A simple project plan can prevent last-minute confusion.
4–6 Weeks Before: Build Your Communication Plan
Employees should hear about open enrollment before the enrollment window opens.
Your communication plan should explain:
- When open enrollment takes place
- What is changing
- What employees need to do
- What happens if they take no action
- Where they can enroll and get help
Use the channels your workforce actually relies on, such as email, Slack, Teams, manager communications, meetings or text reminders.
The goal is not to communicate more. It is to make important information easy to find and understand.
2–4 Weeks Before: Help Employees Compare Benefits
Employees should not have to become benefits experts to make a good decision.
Provide plain-language information about:
- Medical plan differences
- Premiums and payroll deductions
- Deductibles, copays and out-of-pocket maximums
- HSA and FSA options
- Employer contributions
- Dental, vision and voluntary benefits
- Dependent eligibility and enrollment
- Provider network information
Use FAQs, plan comparisons, benefits meetings and office hours to answer common questions. This is also a good opportunity to remind employees about benefits they may not be using.
During Enrollment: Make Action Easy
When enrollment opens, shift from education to action. Employees should immediately know:
- Where to enroll
- What they need to review
- Whether action is required
- When the deadline is
- Where to get help
Test the enrollment experience before launch. Check links, instructions, plan names, costs, confirmation messages and employee access.
One announcement is rarely enough. Send reminders throughout the enrollment window, with targeted outreach to employees who have not completed their elections.
Final 48 Hours: Close the Gaps
As the deadline approaches, keep communications short and direct.
Remind employees of:
- The exact deadline
- Required actions
- What happens if they do nothing
- Where to enroll
- Who to contact for help
Monitor login issues, technical problems and recurring questions that could prevent employees from completing enrollment.
After Enrollment: Verify Elections and Payroll
Open enrollment is not finished when the window closes.
Before information is sent to carriers and payroll, confirm that:
- Employee elections were recorded correctly
- Dependents and beneficiaries were captured
- Waivers are documented
- Carrier files were transmitted
- Payroll deductions match elections
- Employer contributions are correct
- HSA and FSA elections are configured properly
Review the first post-enrollment payroll and carrier invoices as well. Errors that go unnoticed can create coverage problems, incorrect deductions and unnecessary employee frustration.
Common Open Enrollment Mistakes
HR teams commonly run into problems when they:
- Wait too long to communicate
- Share plan details without decision support
- Leave payroll out of the process
- Assume the HRIS will handle everything
- Rely on one announcement
- Overlook the employee experience
Employees do not see your broker, carrier, HRIS and payroll vendor as separate systems. They see one experience.
Open Enrollment Is a People Operations Process
Successful open enrollment requires more than benefits administration. Benefits strategy, communication, payroll, HR technology, compliance and employee support all need to work together.
The best time to prepare is before enrollment begins.
Work Friendly helps companies coordinate benefits, payroll, HR technology and strategic HR support so open enrollment does not become another annual fire drill.
Preparing for open enrollment? Let’s make sure your people, processes and systems are ready before enrollment begins.
