OPen enrollment materials

As much as employees may appreciate their benefits, they aren’t necessarily eager to wade into open enrollment communications. These materials are notoriously dense, confusing, or just plain dull.

The goal, of course, is to help employees make informed decisions about their medical plans, as well as the myriad other benefits your company provides — from vision insurance and HSAs to the extras like pet insurance or legal services. And, of course, to get them to make those decisions in a timely way.

Here are five simple tips you might consider:

Speak human

First of all, ask the writer to use a tone of voice that sounds less like a giant organization talking down to employees and more like an actual person just explaining the benefits to a friend. Benefits are an important element of your employee value proposition, and speaking person-to-person can help employees better understand and appreciate them.

Give clear to-do lists

Make it easier for employees to take the actions they need to take. You can help them out by providing a simple list of the decisions they need to make and when they need to make them. Also, show them where they can make those elections by including the appropriate links — or a QR code, in printed materials.

Translate insurance-speak

It’s just as easy to record someone working from home as it is in the office. It also makes no difference if employees are in India or Indianapolis, as long as you schedule appropriately for employees’ local time zones. Podcasts give you the opportunity to let employees hear from each other and build connections with colleagues around the globe.

Avoid cliché stock photos

Some business topics or strategic goals are difficult to communicate in a short article or intranet page. A podcast provides time for a subject-matter expert or executive leader to go into more depth and provide a fuller explanation. Use a podcast to explain the research behind a new product introduction or the business reasons behind a major change initiative.

Keep it on brand

Employees may be more willing to participate in a podcast recording than a video shoot, just because they don’t have to worry about their appearance. All they need to do is engage in a conversation. If they don’t like the way they responded to a certain question, they can give it another whirl. Let them know you’ll use their best parts and delete any false starts or mistakes.