Benefits 101 / Employer guide
An open enrollment communication plan employees can use.
Give each message a job: explain the change, show the cost, identify the deadline, or help someone finish enrollment.
Quick answer
Start with whether employees need to act, the actual deadline, and where to get help. Adjust this suggested schedule to your carrier’s and plan’s deadlines.
A suggested communication timeline
| When | Message or action |
|---|---|
| About four weeks before | Announce dates, major changes, and whether existing elections carry over. Check account elections separately. |
| About three weeks before | Share the plan comparison and hold sessions across shifts and locations. |
| About two weeks before | Offer private conversations and time to check providers, prescriptions, and dependent costs. |
| Final week | Send targeted reminders through approved channels; include the deadline, enrollment link, and help contact. |
| After close | Provide secure access to election confirmation and explain coverage start dates, ID cards, and correction steps. |
Make one message easy to act on
Illustrative example
Subject: Choose your benefits by [date and time].
Review [what changed]. Your costs and options are in [secure enrollment link]. You [must act / may retain specified elections under the plan rules]. Questions? Use [contact or appointment path].
Replace every placeholder and verify rollover rules before sending. Do not use a general message to promise that every election continues automatically.
Reach employees through suitable channels
Use email alongside meetings, accessible printed instructions, or other approved workplace channels. Supervisors can remind people about the deadline without collecting medical details or recommending a personal plan choice. Limit enrollment-status information to people who need it for their role.
How WIB supports the plan
For client teams, WIB provides on-site group meetings, one-on-one conversations, live virtual sessions, shifts, multiple visits, new-hire support, and support after enrollment at no extra fee. Employee Navigator is available and customized at no extra cost for group clients who want it. Company administrators enter hires and terminations; WIB handles carrier changes.
Talk through the next step.
Share your enrollment schedule and the support your team needs.