Using a Virtual Benefits Fair to Help Employees During Open Enrollment
Mike Henry
Mar 5, 2019 1:05:37 PM
Offering a virtual benefits fair for your employees during open enrollment provides them with useful resources and allows them to take ownership of their health and wellness. Be a true resource for your employees as they make benefits decisions.
A virtual benefits fair is an online event that is focused on employee benefits. Of course, when you are planning a virtual benefits fair, you can decide how focused you want it to be according to what would be most beneficial to your employees.
You can host a virtual benefits fair at any time of the year to help your employees get information about the current benefits package. But, another option to consider is to use a virtual benefits fair to better assist your employees during open enrollment.
During the benefits fair, employees can get the specific information they need regarding their benefits. They can even speak directly to health insurance representatives, human resources specialists, and other benefits providers, and get all of their questions answered straight from the source.
When open enrollment comes around every year, many employers will inform their employees about benefit changes or options via printed brochures, thick informational packets, or handouts. But many employees admit they spend just 30 minutes on average thinking about their benefit choices and making decisions.
Because of this, they may not be aware of all of their options. Employees may also not be taking full advantage of the available benefits, simply because they don’t have the time to dig through all of the provided information. That’s where a virtual benefits fair comes into play.
A virtual benefits fair provides employees with a new, different level of engagement that can help them make fitting choices regarding their healthcare plans and insurance options. Many companies that host virtual benefits fairs have found that this new level of engagement really helps their employees take ownership of not only their benefits, but their health and wellness.
When employees take this kind of ownership, they get healthier, feel better, and over time, they become even better employees. It’s a win-win situation!
Another plus to hosting a virtual benefits fair is that the employer gets to see just how employees utilized the fair, what worked and what didn’t, and all of this information can shape how they offer communications in the future.
Many employers who made the switch from hosting an in-person benefits fair to a virtual benefits fair, saw that instead of taking just 30 minutes to make important, benefit-related decisions, employees took at least 45 minutes up to one hour to interact at the fair and make their choices.
Once you host a virtual benefits fair during open enrollment, perhaps you can make it an annual tradition. This way, you can do two things at once: help and encourage your employees to participate in open enrollment, while also informing them and helping them make decisions that will truly benefit them and their families.
In the end, hosting a virtual benefits fair offers so many great things to your employees, and in return, the company as a whole will be a better place. Not only will you save money by hosting the event online instead of in-person, but you’ll also get your employees engaged and taking ownership of their benefits.
Additional Resources:
How to Host an Employee Virtual Benefits Fair
The New Way to Present Benefits to Employees: Going Virtual
Why You Should Host A Virtual Benefits Fair For Your Employees