Why is open enrollment so stressful for HR?
HR teams spend weeks fighting insurance reps over massive premium hikes triggered by single illnesses, only to face employees who refuse to read the benefits guide. Staff constantly forget passwords and demand that HR complete the enrollment process for them. This hand-holding quickly snowballs as word gets around, flooding the office with requests and taking time away from actual production work.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
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Why is open enrollment so stressful for HR?
- 1Refusing to do one-on-one walkthroughs and strictly directing staff to web or app resourcesDid this help you?
- 2Creating how-to guides, FAQs, and quick slideshows using tools like CopilotDid this help you?
- 3Holding open computer labs where employees can drop in for assistanceDid this help you?
- 4Posting a signup sheet with blocked 15-30 minute intervals for dedicated helpDid this help you?
- 5Bringing in the insurance broker or benefits center rep to handle presentations and direct questionsDid this help you?
- 6Setting up dedicated kiosks navigated to the benefits websiteDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Thinking of our king while I spar with insurance reps on the phone for the next few weeks”source ↗
“I constantly have employees who are not willing to go on the website/app or call the benefit center so they ask HR to do it for them.”source ↗
“I learned from previous years that if I help a couple of employees, that word will get around and SO many others will try coming to the office to have it completed. This is just not feasible for me, and takes too much time away from production.”source ↗
“I understand the hand holding. It seemed like everyone needed a password reset and no one was interested in the benefits guide.”source ↗
““Oh yeah you had one employee with a catastrophic illness! Sorry, your premiums will increase 123% because of that 🤭””source ↗
“I am a fairly well rounded HR professional. Benefits and payroll are really just blind spots. I have a history as a people manger despite not leading people at my current org. Welp… the payroll benefits manager is on a leave and leadership asked me to step into an interim role while they are gone. I’m in hell.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 10Should I switch to a high deductible plan if I need medical procedures?
- 5Is it still worth enrolling in STEP or travel registration?
- 21Why did my small business health insurance go up 200%?
- 2How to track client onboarding documents and signatures
- 3How to afford healthcare before Medicare at 65
- 7What benefits should I opt-in at work?