Open Enrollment Tips for HR Leaders: 5 Ways to Get Employees Engaged
Key takeaways
- Many 2027 renewals carry the largest cost increases in years, so employees are more likely to see higher premiums or deductibles. Clear, early communication matters more than usual this fall.
- Start talking about benefits two to three weeks before enrollment opens, and lead with what changed rather than a general reminder to review.
- Replace one long presentation with short, topic-by-topic content employees can watch on their own schedule, ideally with a spouse or partner.
- Give employees one place to find everything, and keep communicating after enrollment closes, when most real questions about using the plan show up.
- Maryland employers have an extra item for 2027: FAMLI payroll deductions begin in January. Capitol Benefits helps employers across DC, Maryland and Virginia plan the full enrollment season.
Why This Open Enrollment Feels Different
Every fall, HR teams brace for the same cycle: long meetings, a flood of emails, and employees who tune out halfway through the benefits presentation. This year there is an added reason to get it right. National surveys project the largest employer health cost increase in years for 2027. Mercer’s early survey results put the average increase at 8.2 percent after plan changes, the biggest jump since 2003. In Maryland, regulators approved an average 10.2 percent increase for 2027 small group plans, with the actual number varying by carrier and renewal quarter. (Our post on the 2027 Maryland small group rate increase breaks that down.)
When costs go up, plan changes usually follow: higher deductibles, new contribution levels, a new HSA-qualified option. Employees who roll over last year’s elections without looking are the ones most likely to be surprised in January. The goal is not just to get people enrolled. It is to get them to understand what they chose.
Here are five approaches our clients use to make open enrollment clearer and less stressful for everyone.
1. Start Before You Think You Need To
If communication kicks off a week before elections open, it lands in the middle of Q4 deadlines and holiday planning. Start two to three weeks earlier with short previews rather than forms and portal instructions.
- Run a short “benefits preview” series before enrollment opens.
- Use email or your team chat for quick notes on what is new and what to watch for.
- Keep it visual. Short videos and side-by-side plan comparisons beat dense text.
Early communication gives employees time to think, and to talk with a spouse or partner, before the deadline rush.
2. Lead With What Changed, and Why
“Please review your elections” is easy to ignore. A short, specific list of what changed is not. Spell out changes to premiums, deductibles, networks and the prescription formulary, and explain the reason in plain terms. Employees take a cost increase better when they understand where it came from and what the company did to soften it.
Items worth calling out for 2027:
- HSA limits: $4,500 for self-only coverage and $9,000 for family coverage, plus a $1,000 catch-up for those 55 and older.
- Dependent care FSA: The annual limit rose to $7,500 per household beginning in 2026, which many employees still have not noticed.
- Health FSA: The IRS sets the limit each fall. Confirm your plan’s 2027 figure before materials go out rather than repeating last year’s number.
- Maryland FAMLI: Employees with Maryland payroll will see a new contribution deduction starting in January 2027. Explaining it during enrollment heads off a wave of paycheck questions later.
3. Replace the Long Presentation With Short, On-Demand Content
The all-hands benefits meeting is one of the least effective ways to teach benefits. Attendance can be high while retention is low, and the spouses who often help make the decision are rarely in the room.
Short, chaptered videos work better. Record one segment per topic so employees can skip to what applies to them:
- Medical
- Dental and vision
- FSA and HSA
- Life and disability
- Voluntary and supplemental benefits
Pair the videos with optional office hours instead of a mandatory meeting. Employees can watch at home with family and come to you with better questions.
4. Make the Benefits Fair Worth Attending
A few vendor tables and branded pens rarely change anyone’s decision. If you hold an in-person event, give people a reason to come and something useful to take away.
- Invite carrier representatives who can answer specific plan questions.
- Add flu shots, biometric screenings or a financial wellness coach.
- Set up a one-on-one table where employees can ask about personal coverage like home, auto or life insurance.
- Collect feedback on the spot. It tells you what to fix next year.
5. Build One Enrollment Hub, and Keep Talking After the Deadline
Treat your benefits portal or intranet page as a communication hub, not a filing cabinet. Include a clear timeline, plan comparisons, the videos from tip 3, required notices, and who to contact with questions. If your platform has analytics, check which pages get used and which get skipped. That is next year’s to-do list.
Then keep going. Most benefits confusion happens after enrollment, when employees try to use a new plan for the first time. A few short follow-ups over the next several months go a long way:
- How to find ID cards and the telehealth option
- What preventive care the plan covers at no cost
- Reminders about FSA and HSA balances before year-end deadlines
The Other Half: What Employees Get Wrong
Good process is half the job. The other half is anticipating the specific decisions employees tend to get wrong, like rolling over last year’s elections or leaving part of the retirement match unclaimed. We cover those in What Your Employees Get Wrong at Open Enrollment.
How Capitol Benefits Helps
Open enrollment says a lot about how a company treats its people. Our Gaithersburg-based team helps employers across DC, Maryland and Virginia plan renewals, build enrollment materials and answer employee questions. Talk with our benefits team about your 2027 enrollment.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should open enrollment communication start?
Two to three weeks before the enrollment window opens. That gives employees time to review options, ask questions and involve a spouse or partner before the deadline.
How should we explain a premium increase to employees?
Be specific and plain. State what changed, give the main reasons such as rising medical and prescription drug costs, and explain what the company did to limit the impact, such as absorbing part of the increase or adding a lower-cost plan option.
What is new for 2027 that employees should hear about?
Higher HSA limits of $4,500 for self-only and $9,000 for family coverage, the $7,500 dependent care FSA limit that took effect in 2026, your plan design changes, and for Maryland employees, FAMLI payroll deductions that begin in January 2027.
What should an open enrollment hub include?
A timeline with deadlines, plan summaries and cost comparisons, short videos or guides by topic, step-by-step enrollment instructions, required notices, and who to contact with questions.
What should HR do after enrollment closes?
Keep communicating. Short reminders about ID cards, telehealth, covered preventive care and account deadlines help employees get value from the plans they chose and reduce repeat questions next year.
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