Ongoing Open Enrollment and Benefits Communications Strategy
ManpowerGroup is a global workforce solutions company that connects organizations with skilled talent across a wide range of industries. It provides staffing, recruitment, workforce consulting, and talent development services to help businesses adapt and thrive in a changing labor market.
The ask
ManpowerGroup tasked AFFIRM Agency with helping support open enrollment and new hire communications for health and financial benefits for all its North American employees. What began as a request for one Open Enrollment guide became a full, strategic benefits communications strategy led by AFFIRM for almost nine consecutive years. Through the years, significant changes and company acquisitions required an extensive overhaul of Open Enrollment communication, as well as sensitive compliance and change communications and branding strategies.
The process
Using a behavior change marketing approach to Open Enrollment communications, AFFIRM, along with technical benefits sub-contractor The Write Source started by identifying the areas of change from year to year to define the specific communications goals of each enrollment year. After gaining an understanding of the enrollment goals and objectives, AFFIRM created an Open Enrollment theme for each plan year, along with key messages and change communications that could be used across all business divisions. The breadth of work included:
- Complete communications strategy
- Complete benefits guides
- Key messaging for implementation of a Consumer Directed Health Plan (CDHP)
- Key messaging for compensation strategic communications
- Extensive change communications strategy
- Campaign branding & themes
- Stop smoking communication campaign
- Summary plan descriptions
- Plan change awareness campaign
- Wellness materials
- Extensive Open Enrollment communications
- Health Care Reform introduction and ongoing ACA strategic, educational and compliance communications
- Periodic internal communications to clarify benefits understanding or communicate legislative changes
- DOMA communications for HR and field staff
The result
With the release of the first Open Enrollment materials led by AFFIRM, former ManpowerGroup CEO Jeff Joerres stated that the guide was the “best Open Enrollment guide the company had ever produced.” Subsequent campaigns for Open Enrollment, which included multiple media and a significant number of deliverables customized to each employee group, were highly successful in terms of meeting company timelines and goals as well as employee compliance and feedback. In addition, key messaging developed by AFFIRM and The Write Source team was adopted company-wide for use outside of Open Enrollment.
