Open enrollment is always a tense time for HR to navigate. Employees, data shows, feel similarly anxious. Much of the chaos and confusion surrounds how workers should approach the decision process, as well as the terms themselves.

Do workers understand their benefits?

According to a 2023 MetLife report, data suggests nearly half of workers make benefits enrollment decisions alone. Healthcare literacy, the report suggested, is an integral part of worker wellbeing: 76% of workers who understood their benefits said they were happy and 82% said their benefits gave them a greater sense of stability.

When employees spend more time on learning about their benefits, they can make more informed decisions, researchers said. This reduces anxiety and improves overall employee wellbeing, they added.

Financial anxiety: How can benefits knowledge help reduce it?

Benefits education conversations are crucial in today’s economic climate, MetLife exec Jamie Madden told HR Dive.

“With only 55% of employees feeling financially healthy now — a fall from 64% in 2022, according to our data — this year’s open enrollment season will be particularly important for employees seeking added financial support,” the SVP of Workforce Engagement and Benefits Connectivity at MetLife said. These conversations are also important for employers, Madden added via email, so that they can better understand the connection between benefits and employee wellbeing.

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