Tips for managing employee expectations
Proactive, clear communication can play a critical role in reducing employee confusion and calming concerns when issues or benefit changes occur.
Employees may not think much about their health benefits when everything is working as expected. But when questions, confusion or concerns arise, those issues can quickly make their way to HR and benefits teams. That may be especially true as employees navigate rising health care costs, changing plan options and an increasingly complex health care experience.
Negative feedback related to benefits can also stem from uncertainty. Employees may not understand what health benefits are available to them, why certain changes are happening or how updates to networks, plan options or contribution levels may affect their care and costs.
Here are 3 ways employers can support their workforces with education that may help to reduce confusion, surprise and frustration:
1. Explain the “Who, What, Where, When, Why and How” behind a benefits decision
When benefits offerings change, employees often want to understand what changed, why it changed and how it may affect their care or costs.
To help reduce uncertainty, employers should look to explain the decision in plain language and connect it back to the added value it offers employees or the needs it’s addressing. That may include clarifying whether the change is intended to help manage costs, improve access to care, offer more choice, simplify the benefits experience or better support specific health needs. Employers can also make benefits changes easier to understand by clearly outlining:
- Who may be affected by the change
- What is changing
- What is staying the same
- What actions employees need to take
- Where employees can go with questions
- When the change takes effect
- How employees may be affected
The goal is not necessarily to share every detail behind the decision, but to give employees enough context to understand the change and feel more confident about what comes next.
2. Make benefits education ongoing, not just an open enrollment activity
Benefits education often gets the most attention during open enrollment, but employees may need guidance throughout the year as they use their coverage, compare care options or face unexpected health care costs. Many employees don’t understand the way the health system works, let alone the way their own individual benefit options work. In fact, only 69% of employees say they fully understand their medical benefits, highlighting the need for more transparency and support.1
To help close that gap, employers can reinforce benefits education across multiple moments throughout the year, not just during open enrollment. That may include sharing reminders about where to find care, how to compare costs, when to use different care settings, how to access behavioral health support and where to go for help with claims or billing questions.
Employers may also consider using a mix of formats, such as emails, FAQs, webinars, manager talking points, enrollment guides and decision-support tools. Repeating key messages in different ways can help employees better understand what is available to them and what steps to take when they need additional support.
3. Use carrier, broker and consultant support to help employees get answers
Employers do not need to manage benefits education on their own. For instance, UnitedHealthcare employer clients can access support and education resources that they can share with their workforce to help employees understand their benefits during open enrollment and throughout the year.
This may include member-facing materials, open enrollment resources, communication planning, service team access, benefits navigation and or guidance for resolving claims or billing questions. Having those resources in place can help employees find answers more quickly and may reduce the number of issues that need to be escalated to HR or benefits teams.
Depending on the group size and needs, a client’s account teams, brokers, consultants or other representatives can provide more tailored, hands-on support.
More broadly, the goal is to create a support system that helps employees feel heard, understand their options and know what steps to take next, while helping employers manage questions more efficiently.
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